The Notorious Smuggler’s Final Nap
A legendary Pacific Coast opium runner was caught fast asleep near Custer after a run-in with immigration inspectors hunting for laborers.
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.
Immigration Inspector M. C. Ferris of Custer, while searching for some Japs who had stolen across the line, Tuesday morning, came suddenly upon an old man fast asleep by a campfire, about a mile south of Custer. He recognized him as Larry Kelley, one of the most notorious smugglers on the Pacific Coast. He had 18 lbs. of opium with him. Customs officer Vail of this place was sent for and in the afternoon, took the suspect to Blaine to be tried before the U. S. Commissioner there. He was bound over to the Superior Court.
“He recognized him as Larry Kelley, one of the most notorious smugglers on the Pacific Coast.”
Smuggling across the Washington-British Columbia border has a long history, shifting from opium in the early 20th century to contemporary concerns about border security and trade. Kelley’s capture highlights the era's intense focus on patrolling the boundary, an issue that remains a primary feature of regional civic life today.
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