Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1861-02-15

ing publicity 20 it. In which case, " genera
tions yet unborn and colts yet unfoaled will
come forth and rise up and call me blessed
From the Boston Journal
| THE CHICAGO DETECTIVES AND THE
ADAMS EXPRESS ROBBERY.
The progress Of the trial of the Adams Ex-
press robbers. which has just resulted in the
conviction of Andrew l.. Roberts, Louis Steb
| bins and Porter Kellogg, has revealed one Of
/ the most ingenious, bold and successful crimes
on record that the Adams Express Company
have exhibited a remarkable degree OF ability
and liberali,y in ferreting out the perpetrators
Of the robbery, and that the whole affair has
/ been thoroughly sifted to the determination Of
a nest Of most desperate rogues who have laid
| various plans of operation, in various parts Of
the country. But the manner Of bringing
about this result has scarcely been brought to
/ light The inside working Of the investiga-
tions, the progress Of the detective operations
in making the developments upon which the
criminals were apprehended, has not been re-
vealed. Ii was expected at the commence
ment that these revelations would be made by
some one OF the detectives, and a great deal
Of interest was excited 70 the case thereby
The prosecution, however, supposing they had
] eNlueuCt enough without luINneF tuCuIHpeI-
ing the minds Of the court and jury, and by
request of the detectives, whose interest it is
to avoid personal publicity refrained from
presenting it, excepting in so far as it was
necessary for Mr.. Bangs to give few links in
the chain Of evidence.
But by the favor of some of the detectives
we are enabled to lay before the reader brief
statement of the Chicago detective organiza-
/ finr M thafr rrnnaaIfrre in tho casa of . ba
express company, as illustrating their general
mode of operations.
The Chicago detective force consists Of
some fifty individuals, few Of whom are fe-
males, half dozen being located in Chicago
permanently, as managers and clerks, and for
ty five are Immediately connected with the
detective business in all parts of this country,
the Canadas, Australia, or wherever their
services are required. Allan Pinkerton is
the founder and sole manager OF the force,
which was organized on the present plan some
eight years ago. An evening spent with Mr..
Plnkerton aud some of his associate detec-
tves, convince us that they are men Of intel
ligence and remarkable for clearness in under
standing human nature. The director in par
ticnlar appears to have been a student Of the
world and understands thoroughly the va
rous casts of mind with which he is constant
ly coming in contact. As showing the sys-
TEN with which he goes to work, he had been
reading in Bulwers novel the murder of Eu-
gene Aram, scoring the salient points Of the
account, which he explained would bear upon
murderer in high life, whom he had been
trying to discover and who he supposed
would evince some remorse of conscience, as
in the novel These marked passages, the
detectives arc required to read, in order the
better to understand the position of a man in
similar circumstances, and how to approach
him
Mr.. Pinkorton himself is plain man hard
ly displaying outwardly the shrewdness for
which he has so wide a reputation. He says
that he scarcely ever goes to New York, OF
any great place, without being taken for a
"greenhorn," upon which all the "ball' or
patent safe and such confidence games are
attempted. He enjoys these things highly
up to a certain point, when he turns the ta-
bes upon the confidence men, and they beat
u hasty retreat.
The rnles of the detective establishment
are strict, and all upon entering the force
must make a written agreement to abide by
them. One Of these rules is that, on taking
a case for investigation they pledge them
selves to relnquish all rewards that may
have been offered for its success they are
simply to receive per diem. Each man has
to make a complete record Of each day s
work, accounting for every hour in the day,
tor every act, and giving the fullest possible
history, all which has to be sent Immediately
to headquarters, there to be entered upon
the records Then, of course. the strictest
confidence and secrecy is enioined, letting
their real character be known to but very
Go. ,aI ca
like this, for company, they allow but one
or two men Of that company to know them.
On making the contract, the director specially
declines to have any Of his men go upon the
witness stand, although he almost always
valves that stipulation aiterward if the cause
requires it. as in this case, when Mr.. Bangs
gave his testimony. So, though Mr.. Pinker-
ton has attended upon this case, been in
court every day, sat at the public table at the
crowded Sterling Hotel, and been among men
in the streets, he is scarcely known to a doz-
en- men here and even the augus-eyed report
ers are enquring for him, and conclude that
he has left These precautions, Of course,
are necessary in a measure to the success OF
their plans.
Mr.. Pinkerton discards entirely the idea
that it takes a rogue to catch a rogue. On
the contrary, a man with the least dishonesty
or want of promptness is detrimental to him
would upset in moment plan based up
on the investigation of weeks. When a new
man is taken in, a watch is often kept over
him by his brother detectives, whom he does
no know. His theory is, that where there is
a mind capable o. committing crime, you may
also find in an honest man mind nearly ia
counterpart, and that the latter can gain the
+ confidence and discover the guilt Of the form
er. Hence he selects his detectives from diff
ferent classes of socety--of various educa-
tions, habits and nclinations-1iscarding all