The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1875-08-20
3HisreH3nenng.
ALLAN PISEERTON.

EnS. JEFF: In my iI-t l.-tF,.r prom
led TO tell your about an interview with
Allan Pinkerton, the great detective.
When in Chicago / called upon the Brit
ish Consul to talk over matters in Brit
ain, and find ont about our countrymen
in Chicago. Here found the advantage
of being "A contributor to the Scotch
AaterieGn JOHrnGi. for at once my name
was recognized Then we had a long
pleasant visit. What introductions
wanted in Chicago he would give them
to NE; so requested one to Allan Pink
ertOn.
On the side Of a large block, 191 and
1913 Fifth Avenne, is seen in large letters,
"Allan PinkertOn's Defective Agency"
so you go up fight Of stairs, through
doors which shut of their own accord:
then you entera room to the left, in which
five persons are busiiy engaged, two
OF them are females, one of them in a
box looking place, seems to be hidden
away from the world, though the click,
click, click, tells that she is no cipher
The other is writing SO busily that she
never sees you. Two young men are
sitting near each other writing; the one
in the corner proves to be Mr.. Pinker-
! ton, Junior. \ grulT-IOoking man sits
opposite the door, and to him go for
further advice" "Can / see Mr.. Pink
ertonz' 'What do you wantl' This,
saw, was not n man of words, so gave
| him my card dOfintroduetion. He spoke
with the young man in the corner, went
out, returning after few seconds, lead
ing me through long corridor into a
room adorned with flowers of different
! kinds. where he introduced me to Allan
Pinkerton. He came forward with much
difficulty, grasped me 10y the hand, said
lie was glad to meet me. while he seemed
to look me through and through. He
bade me be seated, when / examined
more carefully the person before me.
His face is round and large, not prepOs-
sessing; dark, penetrating eyes. His
iitlii anu b'sAih ttAf iAC T1O"i VIZ
l may call it such disappears as he be-
gins to talk, so that you can look ut his
large frame-for he must weigh at least
$50 pounds. Then, after you have seen
the man, you feel that You can glance
around at his paintings, flowers and pho
tographs without fear.
Mr. Pink artCn informed me that he
was born in Glasgow in the beginning of
the present century. He went to work
at an early age, and continued without
intermSSipn. ev":, for school. until he
left for America when about twenty
years of age. lie landed in New York,
rs many good foreigner had done be-
fore, and since, with no capital save his
own energy, and where tins is of the right
quality n noble manhood wants no more.
Circumstances seem to have opened up
the way and forced him into the work
which has made himsO famous. This
came through the part which lac took in
emancipation. Many thrilling stories
can he tell OF the struggles to set the
negro free. lie waxrd eloquent rs he
said that lie ''never couId see why one
man could call another man part of his
goods and cIlattels, and still ne became
more excited as he told me ;thout John
Brown and their friendship. Great was
his admiration for the hero nf ''Harper's
Ferry" He showed me n fine photo
graph of him, and as | admired it, he
gave me Il similar copy 1SXi2 inches,
Which | value for its own worth, and for
the worth of the donor.
The policy upon which the detective
system was carried on, first called his at
tention to the weakness of n system
which should have been strong. "a
thief to catch thief" he said, was
wrong; government was thereby furnish
ing music for the dance of criminals;
some one was needed to conceive Il plan
whereby they should NE able to grasp
the wrong and hold it. He, it seems,
has been the man,
The next diflieHity to be- overcome
was the hack Of capital for suci an un-
dertaking; lac had no money to carry it
on, If begun. Some Of ms friends came
bravely forward; they knew the powers
OF the man, furnished capital, and so the
agency WAS begun twenty five years ago.
The agency il intended for the l'FeceH-
ton and deteoti1H al crime The first
is attended to by the ETereHttDe Police
Force, and the sphere Of their duties is
limited to Chicago. For the detection
OF crime there are three offices: one in
New York, which takes in that part of
the country lying north OF the city, along
the eastern part "f Pennsylvania and
New York Ft" n,yt 3ii.- Is iocated in
PhilA.lripi,i:.. :T,.l ;.,k-s up the territory
lyi..a i,eiw,rn N"w York and the west
ern part Of Ohio, down through the
Southern States Tll- head Office is in
Chicago. whe;,, ,ii,. oil veteran has his
aeria from which lac surveys the west
ern cities, and gIanees over .iso eastern
fields with lIis eagle eye. 1t II no use,
he says, having an Office in San Fran
cisco. az lac could not bring men to jus
tiee there il they were detected.
The mode OF detecting crime Is very
simple. All that can BE- said Of tine par
ties implicated is carefully noted, all
that is known about the articles stolen
is written down; then each SuPerin-
tendenJ is made acquainted gSth the
facts, and Immediately the chase begins.
Each nan fellows out the directions of
+ his Superintendent. He reports every
| thing first as it Is, and waits for further
| orders. He is not allowed to move in
any direction without orders. In this
way they will follow a man for days and
weeks. now appearing TO hiin in one
character, then IN another. At times it
is necessary 10 assume the garb Of a Grim
| inal, and as the mind OF the innocent
man is clearer aud stronger than the
guilty he in this way gains his confidence,
throws aside his mask and leads the
criminal 20 justice.
When at college we sometimes played
| at n game called ''guessing:1 one ygonld