New Revelations in the Yesler Will Scandal
A bombshell deposition alleges that the widow of pioneer Henry L. Yesler and her mother conspired to destroy his will to secure his vast fortune.
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The Yesler will case is to have another chapter added to it of such a startling nature that all former sensations will pale into insignificance. It is in the form of a deposition taken on Saturday from Mrs. Annie M. Morgans, a first cousin of the late Henry L. Yesler. In her deposition, she makes statements confirming evidence that Mrs. Yesler burned the will, and she produces a letter from her sister, Mrs. Gagle, admitting the act. Mrs. Morgans testified that she warned Minnie Gagle against marrying Yesler, but Minnie insisted her mother was nagging her to marry him for his wealth. Mrs. Morgans claimed that Mrs. Gagle once said of the elderly Yesler, 'Well, if he lives too long we can give him a dose.' This testimony adds a dramatic layer to the ongoing legal battle over the pioneer's estate.
“Ma wants me to marry him in order that I may get his wealth.”
The Yesler estate battle was a massive civic spectacle that defined early Seattle's social hierarchy. It echoes modern high-stakes probate and inheritance litigation where the personal and the financial are violently intertwined.
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