The Montana Mine Deception
A Seattle woman sues her husband to recover $42,000 in property after he allegedly tricked her into signing over her deeds for a fake mining venture.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Mary Steele brought a suit yesterday in the superior court to set aside conveyances of real estate executed to her husband, David H. Steele. Mrs. Steele claims she owned valuable real estate on Yesler Avenue in Seattle and in Butte, Montana, worth $20,000 and $22,000 respectively. She alleges that on July 5, 1892, her husband convinced her to sign over the deeds, claiming he needed the property to sink a mine near Butte. She asserts these representations were false and made solely to deceive her. After gaining control of the deeds, she claims he abused her and threatened her, offering only a small allowance from her own rental income. She is 52 years old, has no other means of support, and is asking the court to set aside the transfers.
“He abused and ill-treated her, and threatened to shoot and kill her, adding that he had her now just where he wanted her.”
This case reflects the precarious legal position of married women regarding property rights at the end of the 19th century. Her struggle underscores the vulnerability of 'community property' status when individual financial control is ceded through domestic coercion.
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