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 Chuck Johnson, Fairbanks, AK, is the winner! The kidnapping of William B. Kinne, Lieutenant Governor of Idaho, in 1929 is the answer for Week 151 of Orofino History Trivia, a special feature to celebrate the history and heritage of Clearwater Country.
Join in the discovery! Monday: There was a manhunt. Tuesday: Three men escaped. One had been shot Wednesday: There was a kidnapping. Thursday: One man was newly elected. According to History Link, William B. Kinne, who had recently been elected Lt. Governor of Idaho and lived in Orofino, was kidnapped and his car stolen June 12, 1929 by four men near the little town of Arrow. Kinne was driving from Lewiston to his home when the incident occurred. After that car was wrecked, the men kidnapped two more men and stole their car. One of the men was wounded and beaten. When they got to an area near Greer, the three men who had been kidnapped, were tied to a tree and left. They later escaped and raised the alarm. The cars had been stolen to use as getaway vehicles for the kidnappers who had planned robbery of a bank in Pierce. A manhunt covering several states ensued. The four suspects were found along the Potlatch River and a fifth man was connected to the incident. The five confessed and were sentenced to prison. The fifth man was sentenced to two years as an accessory. One of those five, Edward Fliss, was pardoned after only serving five years, but he didn't stay out of trouble long. While in the penitentiary he had met and become friends with the two men who kidnapped nine-year-old George Weyerhauser in one of the most sensational crimes in Washington history. Fliss was caught laundering money from the kidnapping and plead guilty as an accessory. Kinne died after less than a year in office from peritonitis caused by a ruptured appendix. To see photos and further information about the incident, check the web site for History Link supported by the state of Washington at: http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=7806. Sponsored by: Want accurate, daily news for Orofino and Clearwater County?
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