Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-08-22
PINKERTON'S TRAP.
The Accusing Blood That Led Muir
dorer to Commit Suicide
Some OF the Leading characteristics
OF Allan Pinkcrton, the Re-
nowned Dctectivc--His See
cret OF Success.
PHILADELPHIA Press.

81 was just thinking said Capt. r. j.
Linden, superintendent of Pinkerton's De-
tectiVe agency, ON his return from Chicago,
where he had been attending the funeral of
Allan Piukrrton, "of the wonderful will
power and untiring perseverance of the man
whose body has been laid TO rest
Very few persons, unless they were intimately
associated with him, would believe that any
person could possess such patient persist
ence, winch -urinOunted obstacles that to or.
binary men would appear like impossible
mountains Maj Pinkerton was a man with
a big heart I don't think he knew how to
do a mean thing. He was one of those hon
orable, fair -nnded men, who while giving
everybody their due, eXacted the same for
himself. In matters of lusincs, he insisted
on getting every penny that belonged to
him, and once he made a promise it was
lived up to if it cost him every penny he
owned in the world His likes and dislikes
were intense. If LIE became your friend no
amount Of calumnv ON the part of your en-
envy could change his opinion but if he dis.
liked You neither arguments nor entreatie,
could shake him an iota.
Maj. Iinkclton's perseverance and inre-
nuity were the secrets of his success in all
his undertakings. If he could not accom-
pliSh his purpose by one plan he Immediately
resortei to another His mind was wonder
fully fertile i'll eXpedicnts, and it was "a rare
thing for him to fail when he had once set
his mind upon success. You can form some
idea of his ready tact and capacity for plan
ming i'll the case of the colored murderer
johnson, of South Carolina, who killed an
enemy under the most brutal circumstances
MAJ. Plkelton was pretty positive as to
the mans guilt, but it was impossible to OBJ
tain complete chain of evidence. With the
natural secretiveness of his race johnson re
fused TO fall into any of the man-traps laid
for him and make a confession, which was
Pinkerton's iect
after weeks of patient but abDrtive work.
novel plan was hit upon. The murderer
was surprised one morning when he went to
take plow into a field to find it scattered
with blood. In the open field where he was
To work the murderer found little pools Of
blood along the course he was to lOw. When
he went back to the stable he was startled
by seeing the bloody imprint of a human
hand ON the stable door Every hoe, or rake
or other farm implement that the man picked
up had blood on it. When nightfall came
the murderer was so parrlyzed with fear that
his teeth were chattering and he was afraid
to go to bed. He believed that the spirit of
Ills NlNlllH WIS Huullllll5 II. III. Inc detective
and his assistant noted these symptoms, and
were confident that the right plan had been
struck at last 1t had been after a fashion,
and there was horrible proof given the next
day, johnson was found in the barn with
his throat cut from ear to ear He
had killed himself rather than endure
the tortures of a guilty conscience need
not explain that the blood marks which
frightened the murderer's guilty soul were
the work Of the detectives, and not of spirits
ut was in that kind of detective work that
Maj. Pinkerton excelled He could change
his tactics so that the man or men he was
seeking would be led into trap when they
really thought they We're getting out of one
There are scores and scores of such instances,
but they have all been published from time
to time as they occurred, and l do not sup
pose would interest you. 1t was one of Maj
Pinkertons rules to conceal nothing from the
public of public interest, after the work was
done; and it was another infexible rule to
tell the public nothing before the job WAS fin
ished or while it was in progress From this
he never departed and his sons, William and
Robert, who are their fathers successors, will
adhere to it as rigidly as the founder of the
agency did"