The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1889-01-25
EAMous nErEcrlvEs.

The Plnkerton BrotEhsHa and the Great
Agency They Have Built Up.
The Pinkertons-W William a. and
Robert A.-better kmoVen as Bill and
Bob, - are atNthe head of the greatest
private detective agency in the world.
Allan Pinkerton .stanted the business
in Chicago before the war. Bill and
Bob grew up with iShe business and the
business grew up with them. Few
people have any idea how big con-
Germ it is.
The Pinkertons emlNoy 5000 men.
Besides the two head offices in Chicago
and New York, there are agencies IN
Boston, Philadelphia, Kansas City,
Denver and St. Paul. They have
force of patrolmen in thesG. cities
known as ''Pinkerton's Prev entlve
Watch" They have arsenals az Chi
cage and New York with uniforms and
Winchester rifles enough to arm i've
regiments of men Pinkerton detecI-
ives are everywhere.
They are employed in nearly every
large mercantile house in America, in
hotels, in banks, following circuses
and watching suspected employees of
railroads and other big corporations.
The business has doubled in the last
ten years and promises to double again
in the next decade. 1t is making rich
men of Bill and Bob. Their income is
variously estimated at from $150,000
to $200,0 900 year Either one of the
brothers could probably count more
than half million dollars worth of
this worlds goods.
The secret of their success in bust
ness is that it has been run on BUSH
ness principles. The PinkertOns do
not chase criminals in the hope of get
ting rewards. They charge their eli
ents so much day for the services of
an operator. Prices vary, but s. a
day is about the average. The Pink
| erton detectives are not known to out
siders, and very often they do not
| know each other except as two or
more are put to work on the same
case. Bill and Bob hire all the new
men themselves, putting their knowl-
edge of human nature and the world to
use in making their selection.
They have plenty of applicants to
choose from. Healthy young men
who are quick-witted, well informed
and have large bumps of secretive-
ness and valor are preferred. Usually
the new man goes to work as watch
man or in the Office until he has shown
what stuff he is made Of Then he is
put forward by degrees. The Pinker-
tons have gray-haired detectives in
their employ who have been there
! from boyhood. No man who ever
worked for them and did his duty was
allowed to go unrewarded, and when
death takes off a good man the Pinker-
tons pension his widow and orphans.
There are probably few men in the
world so well posted on what might be
called thievOlogy as ''Bill" PinkertOn.
He has made it life study. He has
in his library a photograph, descrip,
ton and record of every professional
criminal of America and the most i'm
portant of those of Europe. He has
cultivated a wonderful memory fOl
names and faces, and his brain is (
storehouse of knowledge on this sub
ject. He keeps a constant watch 0
the movements of professional crimi
nails of all kinds, and when any big
crime is committed in New Zealand o.
Delaware or anywhere else, he cal
come pretty near guessing who did i
if it was the work of a professional
St. Paul Pioneer-Press.