Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-09-21
A BOLD SCOTCH BOY,
Who Was Driven From His Native
Heath, Finally to Become the
GREATEST AMERICAN DETECTIVE.
The Early Struggles Of the World Famons
Allan PinkertOn.
FRIENDSHIP WITH MANY HOTEL MEN

Loan, In the quaint old Gorbals quarter OF
this Scotch city Of Drawn and capital, stands
tumble-down stone structure, now, as for
more than hundred years, the abode of
swarms Of those whose fortunes and sur
roundings are equally meager and lorn. In
the first quarter of this century the head of
one of the families occupying the ramshackle
habitation was poor hand-loom weaver,
who, In his distress to provide for his
family, saw no recourse during strikes and
labor troubles, which deprived him of work,
than to enlist as a soldier in the British
army.
After serving for several years, he re-
turned to Glasgow, luckily secured the posi-
tion of policeman; in time became turn
key in the old Glasgow Jail; and Fl nally at
an outbreak Of prisoners was so savagely
set upon that the poor man was disabled for
life. 1t was the same sad story of poverty
and suffering with this striver's family as is
everywhere wrought among the lowly; but
out OF the dolor of these days came soul
of wondrous bravery and genius in his final
vocation, as we estimate the achievement of
men.
That one was the turkeys boy, Allan
Pinkerton, who believe from years of con-
fdential association with him and complete
knowledge of his work and motives, to have
been the greatest detective who ever lived,
as well as one of the most nobly honest and
generous of men. Nor should the appall-
ing detective Literature of the day and the
just adherence the world holds for the
average misunderstanding detective, be
allowed to hide from the as just admiration
of men so luminous an example OF real
greatness under the conditions and environ
ment which make many of similar calling
little less than infamous.
HIS NOTED FRIENDS.
Allan Pinkerton was the trusted friend of
many of the greatest men our country has
produced-of Yates, of Logan, of Judd, of
Washburne, of Tom Scott, of the CARROTS,
of Simon Cameron, of Grant, of Salmon P
Chase, of Mcclellan, of Stager, of Trum-
bull, of Oglesby, and Of the immortal Lin
coin, whose life he saved to nation when
that life was almost its single salYation-all
of whom, as I can personally attest, re-
garded him, his sturdy and splendid per-
sonality, his to them intimately known per-
sonal achievements, and above all the
grandeur of his matchless integrity, with
precisely the same degree of real hero
worship as was accorded the highest of this
coterie by the American people.
The eccentric and rugged old fellow never
told anything ito ORDER" but there were re-
peated opportunities in my travel and con-
slant association with him, as when off duty |
he was the sunniest of men for delicious con-
fdences and "reminiscences; so that countless |
incidents ofhis real life came into my possess |
sion, which am free to confess, were at the |
first opportunity set down pretty nearly as I |
got them.
So came to know of the little things we
all love to know of great men; how bitterly |
the family struggled for bare existence from |
the time of his birth in 1919; of the rough |
treatment they all knew at this old tene-
ment-house at the Gorbals; of the fathers
struggles and deadly hurt; the mothers
brave fight for her home; the proud !
took the boy Allan as an
apprentice, and the prouder mo nent when
he put the first self-earned pence in his
brave mothers hands; of his eventual i'm
patience in his dreary progress and transfer
of his boundless boyish energies to the
labors of a cooper's apprenticeship, and
then, as he told me, the, to him, grandest
triumph of his life when, on the 26th of
December, 1887, "The Coopers of Glasgow
and Suburbs Protective Association"
John Glass, Secretary, admitted him to full
and gave him the only s'jour-
neyman's card" he ever possessed, which is
before me, a long-ago gift from the owner,
rs write these words; and then of his fierce
toll and struggle in Glasgow and as a
tramp cooper" throughout Scotland and
England in his efforts to take the load from
MS sturdy old mother in keeping the lowly
nome together.
YOUTHFUL STRIKER.
s'But, faith" he told me, ''those were sad
lines for laboring men in Great Britain.
Wages went down. Living went up.
strikes came, aud riots, too; and" with a
merry twinkle in his blue-gray eyes, 81
wasn't on the side o. the law then. We
gere all Chartists. To the Government
hat was worse than Communism in Amer
ca. Wherever we showed our heads the
,olice clubbed us. But England has since
,ranted far more than what we fought for
n the peoples charter of 1885, Anyhow,
became an outlaw with price on my
lead that way"
The fact is, during Pinkerton's youth
Iardie, Balm and others, in Scotland, and
Horne Tooke, in England, paid the price of
heir lives for loving liberty and constitu-
ional freedom. AS little lad in his
nother's arms he saw Hardie and Balm per-
sh for their fellow men-the only execution
his greatest of criminal takers ever wit
essed. When, as a result of these execu-
IONS, the masses demanded universal suff. I
age, voting by ballot, annual parliaments.
nd an abolition of the property qualifca-
ion for membership in parliament. the {
7hole relentless force of the British Govern
nent was hurled upon those identified with
be lust movement, precisely as it is now
ngaged in continuing aggressive tyranny
q Ireland.
A tremendous spinners' strike followed.
n the fierce passions evoked one of its op- {
onents was killed. Among the strike lead t
RS were Mcneil, McLane and others. who 6
yere charged by the Government with muir
er In the Chartist Council of Glasgow.
oung Pinkerton represented the Coopers'
league, as we'll as being Treasurer of the
after organization, and he strove with all
is resistless energy to collect funds for the
efense of the culprits.
ON THE BLACK LIST.
This resulted in his being boycotted by :
he entire master coopers of the United
Iingdom. For nearly year he was COM
elled to tramp, begging for work, to be re. 4
1sed EVERYWHERE, until starvation was upon v
i'm. Luckily employment finally came.
ack in Glasgow, in the largest oil and o
olor establishment in Scotland. The q
hartist movement progressed, young q
'inkerton continuing one OF its foremost I
,aders and supporters, until the great Bir-
Iingham demonstrations of July, 1888. and
f Newport, in November of that year, at !
9th of which he was delegate from Gias- !
ow, and from both of which he barely es-
lped. with his life.
It will be remembered that among the
aders of the great though temporarily
title movement were such men as John o
aylor, editor of the Glasgow Liberdtor; the