Upon arrival in Vanceboro, Horn checked into the Exchange Hotel and was observed hiding the suitcase in a wood pile outdoors while scouting the railway bridge on the border over the St. Croix River several hundred feet to the east; this bridge was jointly owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Maine Central Railroad.
When Horn arrived in Vanceboro, he went to the Exchange Hotel and was observed hiding his suitcase in a pile of wood outside before investigating the railway bridge spanning the St. Croix River, which was shared by the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Maine Central Railroad.