The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-07-08
aRour THE PINKERToNs.
A Drummer Tells How the Hated Detectives
Are Made on short Notice.

c. F. Adams of Marshaltown, Ia, was
at the Carey yesterday, and manifested
great interest in the accounts in the papers
of the Homestead riots. He was more in
terested than the average citizen would be,
for it was his lot at one time TO be with
Billy Pinkerton's agency in Chicago, and
be was all through the Saginaw lumber
mems strike in 1885.
"In my opinion" said he to a reporter
for the EAGLE, "the days OF the 'Pinker-
ton men are numbered. l think this
wholesale spilling Of blood at Homestead
will cause the law-making powers of this
country to take more interest in the use
by corporations OF PInkerton men, and
when the people well understand more
about the methods Of Pinkerton and
Pinkertou's men they will rise up
in their might and outlaw them. That
Pinkerton's men Should be allowed TO take
the oath. and administer the powers of a
peace officer in any state of the Union is an
outrage, the magnitude OF which l canDo.
find language TO express. They are the
buns and offscourings Of the most dissi-
Dated, dishonest and depraved classes OF
large cities. When the lumber strikes of
Saginaw occurred in 1855 was a Pinker-
ton policeman in Chicago. In other words
| was "a wa Gilman having charge of large
commercial institution there. Que even
ing when l reported for duty was told by
the officer in charge that | was worthy OF
temporary promotion and he accordin ely
made me lieutenant of police during the
strike at Saginaw from which place he had
an order for 250 men. l was informed by
him that l should leave for Saginaw
next day at o'clock and that be-
fore that time it would be
necessary TO recruit the number of men
ordered In reply to the question where
will we get Them" was told TO 90 to soup
houses, sailor boarding houses, down
among the railroad yards and such other
places rs idle men could usually be found
In addition TO personal efforts an adver-
tisement was put in the papers and by 10
o'clock next morning we had string OF
the toughest characters l ever saw, in the
barracks OF the office down stairs, More
than half OF them were tramps. and the
other half were made up OF drunkardS
and thugs of various kinds, but they were
ali found acceptable to Captain Foley who
compelled TO take bath, after which they
were furnished with uniforms, guns and
pistols and promised a 81 a day and their
board. They were then marched to the
depot and shipped off 10 Saginaw
like recruits for the army, where
they We're introduced as Pink
erton Detectives and sworn in as
deputy sherifs. They knew nothing at ali
about the duties Of an officer and to me the
whole thing looked ike a rank bluff-the
men being intended more for effect than
for use. They were hired by Pinkerton
for 81 day and be charged the authorities
of Saginaw county up with s. day for
each OF them exclusive Of other expenses.
1t Is an actual fact that when a canvas was
made In the arrnory at Saginaw the collec-
tive wealth of the 2J0 detectives q only
amounted to s23 The character OF them
made NE sick and tired of my job |
threw it up after arriving at Saginaw.
When the labor troubles were adjusted
there the men returned to Chicago when
they received g. each for their weeks work
or at least all of them who did not decamp
with the uniforms, the guns and the
pistols before they arrived home. This
class OF alleged officers should not be en-
trusted with the oath % Office in any state
in the Union and no decent man who
knows the inside history Of who they are
and how they are procured will associate
with them"