Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-07-07
ALLAN PlNKERTON.
How He Began Life and Worked Up the
Agency Which Bears Mis- Name.
Sone Famous Mysteries Wbich He I'm.
raveled-P Protecting Linsoln,

Allan Plnkerton the famous deter-
tive, died In Chicago few DAYS since.
His life was filed with startling events.
He WAS born In Glasgow I'm ISM, the
sou OF a small tradesman. lie mar
ried young and Immediately after left
for the western hemisphere, landing In
Canada, A new post village in Bruce
county, Ontario. IL now named after
him. The young couples early stray
giles were series OF hardships, and
after many vieissitudes fPiuker-
ton went 10 Chicago, where his
engaged in the cooper trade. He
aiterward moved TO the neiyhborhood
of Dundee, Ill. where he pHrchased
small farm. This was, AS bear as can
be ascertained, about lsl5. Pinkerton
was then about twenty-eight years of
age, and II was then that he made his
first detective ventures as an amateur.
Horse thieves were on the rampage In
tho,e days, and Allan p1nkertoo, after
having been successful In hunting
down "A rascal who had stolen one OF
his horses, was employed by neighbors
until his reputation IA "A detective
reached the adjoining counties.
BNvprED 20 CHICAGO
What gained him II reputation all
over the state, and even farther, was
in exactly the same line. AT that time
there was very little ready money In
the country districts of the Northwest,
and this scarcity was partially sup
piled by the checks of the Milwaukee
Fire and Marine Insurance company
lnow Mitchelrs bank, which were
crude and easily initiated. prnkerton
suffered by the forgeries, and he sue
ceeded in hunting down one OF
the forgers--John Gray, Yer
mont man. The merchants of the
country employed him to run down
the other forgers, and Pinkerton sue
ceeded In that He was then invited
to Chicago, followed the invitation
and was made deputy sheriff OF Cook
county. This was III lSi9, and in the
same year Pinkerton received the APP
! pointnient M special agent of tue
treasury under Secretary Guthrie. In
this, and also in the position OF mail
agent, he distinguished himself by
numerous brilliant pieces OF detective
work.
The first established agency was be-
gun in Chicago in 1858. Beginning
with HANDFUL of trusted employees,
Allan Pinkerton steadily increased his
business until there are now "Pinker-
ton agencies In the principal cities of
the Union, employing thousands of
men and women in every state of the
Union. Men of good character are
alone employed. The various agencies
at present employ about 200 iirst-class
detectives, men and women, whose
pay ranges from 81 u day To s., 900 per
year.
! ESCORrING LINCOLN TO WASHINGTON.
The feat which gave Allan Pinker-
ton "A national reputation was to con-
duct Abraham Lincoln safely through
Baltimore To the inauguration In Wash
ington. Pinkerton knew Of the plot
10 assassinate the president-elect In
Baltimore, which was then completely
4 In the hands Of the mob. Riotous scenes
and attacks upon federal troops We're
the order OF the day. 1t was said,
though the report was speedily denied,
that Pinkerton accomplished his
hazardous task with the aid OF
his female operatives, who DC
cupled the same seat in The car as the
president, who wore "A bonnet with a
thick veil which completely concealed
his well-known features, A shawl
thrown over the knees gave "OlH Abe
the appearance Of an elderly lady, as
whose companion posed PukrIton b
t
Il Chicago cemetery, where space is
reserved for the pinkvrtons aa0 their
employees The graves ARE decorated
once n year Allan PMkertou, A.
though 10 al outward appearances II
cold aud uusympathetic man, never
forgot "a friend or those who served
Inn faithfully.
When the war broke out President
Lincoln sent for Mr. pmkeTtOn %
come TO Washington and authorized
iilu 10 organize tnr secret sslNice di-
vision of The army, the first govern
: mont police force ever organized la
this country. This WAS dOnc with Mr..
PmktriOl at the head, under tie nom
de plume of e. j. Allen. In thi4 ca
p city he served the country during
lha war, leaving his Cnic1gp office la
the charge of capable people and st The
close OF the war weut lack to take
charge himself.
SOME RIG RoBBERlEs.
His first important case Ola resuming
his former duties was the robbery OF
the Adams Express company, near
Baltimore by throwing the safes from
the train while in moion aud getting
Hway with over 500 900. This case
like other eases OF The game nature,
WIS rucftSS, tHt tnlcNer, SIX III NUN
Der, being arrested, tried and convicted
aud the money all recovered Some
time later came the robbery of the
Harnden Express company, in Bait,
More, by which 500, 600 was secured
The thieves In this case were also con
: vlcted and the nOney recovered. The
next important case was the robbery
of The Carbonate bank, at Carbon
dale, Pa, In which case the Thieves
were arrested aud the money, $40 600
T recovered. Following these came the
: robbery OF the Adams Express com
pany ON the New York ~ New Haven
railroad, on January t. 1870. The
f thieves, six ia number, including tbs
!. brakeman, entered the express car
/ by wrenching of the lock and burst
ing the safe. They secured about
: $4,000 from this exploit. Through ths
efforts of Mr.. Pinkerton and Mr.. Franii
Warner (the latter being at The time
superintendent of the New York of,
, ii;e), the thieves were convicted and
the money all recovered but about Si2
00J, the most OF which was afterwards
returned through a Catholic priest
The arrest and conviction Of the rob
bers of Mylsrt's bank at Scranton, PA.
next followed.
The next caseofimportance Of which
Mr.. PinKerton had charge w0s tht
robbery by Morton and Thompson