The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-07-07
GENERAL AGENTS FOR


y
| are equally conspicuous in personal
| identity, and are recognized upon
the street by hundreds OF whom
they have not the remotest
knowledge, being pointed out by one
TO another with explanatory comment.
This was only in limited degree the
case with Mr.. Pinkerton. Most of those
who knew him at all knew him in privi-
legged acquaintance, and with scarcely a
man, woman, or youth in the city unfa-
miliar with his name and some string
incident of his life, he could have
walked along our streets as unattractive
of notice as any of the least distin-
Suished among his early friends and
associates.
He was man too honest in purpose,
too thoroughly devoted to the plans and |
aims and motives OF his daily life and |
appointed duties to care for the ques- |
tionable honor that comes from sidewalk |
celebrity, and ii was largely due to this |
Scotch tenacity Of personal integrity that
much of his success was obtained. 1t is |
an astonishing paradox that man so
noted should DO SO little known, but /
with him it was a sound principle of
professional advantage. In this APP
pears prominently the difference that
made him superior to the detectives of
, his time, whatever the country. In
character no less than in methods he
was unlike the majority of professional
, experts. He was far from machine.
In Europe detectives are u class apart
i to themselves, closely confined within
, the boundaries of their vocation, know
! ing nothing else than the ferreting out
I of criminals and the detection of
/ crime. They are exclusively profess
/ sional. Mr.. Pinkerton gave a very
different caste to the profession of which
he was the parent in this country by
keeping himself an interested part of the
!. community by remaining alive to inn
q portant interests and concerns of all
character He had ideas and theories
h and views beyond and above the mere
n investigation of crimes and the pursuit
. of criminals, and had a perception and
:, sense of the broad equities of justice and
- humanity as well as shrewd compre
~ hension Of the tactics of malefactors.
~ OF strong, vigorous mind, decision and
:, positiveness of character, unfaltering
:, courage and farseeing intelligence, he
) was essentially an organizer, and his
results were invariably attained by
means of the most thorough and
effective system OF operation. His
m methods recommended him to the most
n prominent and active spirits of his
-. timo; and instead of his being a
ri mere agent to nose out crime or me-
pit chemically follow Glow to a desired
:, adjutor of men engaged in some of the
=, most important projects of critical
~ epoch in National affairs, When occa'
~ sion required he rose above the detective
~ and proved his capacity for grave, mo
a mentous trusts affecting the veal o.
~ communities instead of individuals.
y, ~ 1t was not the detective become thu
~. abettor of the stanch heroes who pu
VI their lives into the balance of human
~. equality and fructifed the spirit of aboli
a.. ton by means of the underground rail
nv road.n 1t was not the detective who CAV,
", his strong arm and clear brain to TIN
az service of the redeemers of a bloody sol
a aT from the shackles of slaye-tradint
H. freebooterS; nor was 1t III
,hiu detective who made his wisdom
otS the shield against assassination in dc
M livering Lincoln safely into the hand
~, of his friends at Washington. The de
IS t1ctive was clever and sagacious; the cit
- iHen was bold, daring, patriotic; the ma
~ ,a,. was firm, Just stroug-minded, lfonori
Dol bic. A combination sach as these
JLPs where the moral nature is equal to tn
w intellectual and physical, is rare, and
~, this exceptional condition is due, not OF
~ ly the XcellentsuccesS, but the success
va tul excel ence of Allan Pinkerton's Ct
to, rcer.
, tV, From him came the most perfect, ia
,,II reaching, and effective system for u
.oI detection of crime known to this or
toI any other country, a fact 40 well reco
Wy, w niZed that Pinkerton agencies hay
ali. even superseded the regularly. consl
'''' tuted civic and governmental forces
most important instances, the enti
.,;, secret service of the war, for /
',' ' stance. having been under the directiC
gus, Of Mr. Pinkerton. But better than thi
-, in moral aspect, Is the singul
n relation of this man to society, a relate
''oi That made him one ofthe most powerft
inoXplicable, but at the same time JUG
ciously exercised and honestly co
:, trollcd influences operating upC
MI community interests. There is SON
for thing fascinating in the co
his temptation of his experience. II is Ii
- the penetration of n mystery. so far
COZ the public is concerned the name Pin
uld, erton had vague, subtle infiuen'
ties. regard I'd apart from the material beii
ing of the man, taken as an element in I
the constituted forces of government,
ave moving but invisible agency of comm
lttie protection.
wing This feeling is established The dea
with of the man does not indicate
been death of the principle, and in u
1871, strange quality OF dramatic ell
ach: riveness the life of Allan Pinkert
,. is as real in the realm of cril
me ,hntS' MS though il had not departed his boz
Siis The man was known In his infiuen
not in his person, and his influence
"a Just as real to-day, despite the wi
52js drawal of the chief function, as thou
as ne Sas q" W nj, LIS u newo rifeJs ia actual
70 was a romance, as full of strong incid,
lO2s and thrilling adventure as dream
and fiction, and the effect of that life NJ
The the times through which IL passed v
for ucop and lasting, the sowing of seed &
rs of are now yielding the fruits of incaIcr
Yves bic benefit. Such men serve better u