The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1866-12-06
Allan Pinkerton, the Celebrated De
teCtiye,

Advices from Utah state that Allan
| Pinkertoil, has been engaged by the
Government to ferret out and arrest the
murderers OF DR.. Robinson Of Salt Lake
| City.
1t is not generally known outside ol
dent of Chicago, born in Glasgow, Scot
land, lie emigrated to Illinois in 1916,
and settled in the village of Dundee,
Kane county, where ho for several years
was engaged in the business Of cooper
age. About the year 1913, however, he
volunteered to aid tho sheriff of his
county in several raids against horse
thieves and counterfeiters, and his un-
looked for success in those undertakings
attracted the attention of the authorities
in Chlcagn,, who, from time To time,
benefited by his aid in similar enter
prises. Subsequently he was employed
by the Government as secret mail agent,
and while acting in this capacity he
ferreted out the great Michigan Southern
Railroad conspiracy to rob the mails by
throwing the passenger trains off the
track. While making some of the ar
rests in this case he was attacked by
four armed ruffians at midnight, but he
overpowercd them, and if we rccollect
Alright, killed Or severely wounded one
Of them in the encounter. twas rather
remarkable that the Michigan Southern
Railroad Company, in this case, defend
Ell the chief conspirator, Byron Nc
Donald, reported to hc an iilegitimatc
son OF Lord Byron, then believing him
to be innocent. But when the trial
came on, Mr.. Pinkcrton presented such
mass of evidence against him that the
lawyers of the Michigan Southern Rail-
road threw up the case, and Macdonald
was convicted and sentenced to serve a
period of ninety-nine years in the Mich
igan penitentiary, where he died. Sub
sequent to this, he was employed by the
rittsburg and Fort Wayne railroad to
discover the freight thieves along the
line of their road, and shortly afterward
astonished the public by arresting forty
or fifty prominent business men in In
diana, all of whom belonged to secret
gang of thieves.
Since then he has been engaged chief
ly in detecting express and rsilroad rob-
bers and thieves. During the last ten
years, he has recovered for the Adams
and American Express Companies, up
wards of 81 $50, 900, and in every case he
has succeeded in convicting the guilty,
always ief"ei"s to compromise with
Them. Indeed this Is of1eTur his rardiral
doctrines, and he viii not engage 80 49,,
enterprise where the me,e recovery OF
the property stolen is the object. For
six months past he has hedn absent from
this city working up' the recent case
of the robbery Of the Adams. Express
Company of $500, 600, and we understand
that he has recovered the entire sum,
except about gl4,OOO, besides securing
the conviction Of the thieves.
At the breaking out of the rebellion,
Mr.. Pinkerton discovered the plot which
was concocted in Baltimore to assassin
ate President Lincoln, while he passed
through that city to Washington and
he alone accompanied the President
from Harrisburg to Washington the
only disguise adopted being the hat and
coat Of Mr.. pinkerton. 1t was probably
owing to this fact, and Mr.. Pinkerton's
al hat no
originated that Mr.. Lincoln wore u
Scotch plaid cloak and cap OH that occa-
sion. After the war broke out, Mr.
Pinkerton was chief of the secret service
in the army, where he was known only
as "Major Allan" During the long
seige of Richmond, he and his men were
repeatedly in the rebel capital, and it is
a remarkable fact that the rebel mail be-
carried, via Washington, by his detec-
tives. One was discovered and hung in
Richmond but he was succeeded by
another more fortunate.
After the war closed, he resumed his
business and he is now at the head OF
the most complete and extensive police
agency in the world. His headquarters
are at Chicago, but he has branches in
New York, Philadelphia and Washing
ton, each of which il under the superin-
tendence of an accomplished detective.
Altogether he has in his employment
above one hundred and fifty detectives,
besides large corps of clerks, book
keepers and recorders.
He has great pride in his profession,
and never keeps in his employ man oil
woman against whose character ought
can be adduced. He does not believe in
the adage that ''it takes thief to catch
thief" but holds that innocence is
more effective in detecting criminals
than crime. This policy he carries oil,
in all his undertakings.
Mr.. Pinkerton is now about 40 years
of age but he is yet in the prime Of life
robust, athletic and vigorous. No man
in the United States has had so many
fierce encounters with horse-thieves
counterfeiters, robbers and vagabonds o.
all descriptions. Twice or thrice has
has assassination been attempted; once