The Strange Inheritance of Nellie Holgate
Following the mysterious disappearance of Nellie Holgate in Lake Washington, the primary beneficiary of her estate publicly renounces her inheritance, fueling local speculation.
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.
Mrs. Frances Baker has renounced all her rights under the will of the missing Nellie Holgate and has also declined to act as executrix of the estate. Two papers to this effect were filed yesterday. I. D. McCutcheon, Mrs. Baker's attorney, said: 'The first that Mrs. Baker knew of the contents of Miss Holgate's will or that she was a beneficiary was last Tuesday morning, when the Post-Intelligencer published the will. She came at once to see me to have me arrange so that she might relinquish all her rights under the will.' Meanwhile, Robert Holgate, father of the missing woman, visited the scene of the disappearance yesterday. After rowing near the Howard Lewis cottage, where his daughter's hat was found, he remarked, 'I am satisfied that my daughter's body is in the lake.'
“I am satisfied that my daughter's body is in the lake.”
The disappearance of Nellie Holgate remains one of Seattle's early urban mysteries. Her case echoes the timeless public fascination with sudden, unexplained departures that haunt the local landscape—in this case, the cold waters of Lake Washington.
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