The Great Border Horse Smuggling Escape
A persistent carpenter tries to outrun the law through a blind canyon to avoid customs duties on his prize stallion.
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.
Some time ago W. R. McKinnen, who owns a valuable pedigreed stallion, attempted to smuggle the animal into the state by proposing to enter as a settler. The bluff was made at Ferry, but would not work. In November, McKinnen sneaked in at Oroville. Deputy Collector of Customs Frank Sherwood located him in Okanogan working as a carpenter. When Sherwood arrested him, McKinnen escaped with the horse. He attempted to flee back toward the border but, unfamiliar with the terrain, he turned into 'The Cache,' a canyon with impassable walls. He was discovered by Frank and Mrs. Farnsworth and Price Fruit, who were out riding. The officers were alerted and arrested him. He was arraigned before U.S. Commissioner Fine in Oroville, bail was set at $1,000, and he was sent to Spokane to face the U.S. District Court.
“There are more things going on along the border separating the United States and Canada than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
This incident highlights the long history of the U.S.-Canada border as a site of friction, smuggling, and intense federal surveillance—themes that remain central to the Pacific Northwest's identity and political discourse today.
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