The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-25

for Queer Work.
FROM the Indianapolis NetpS
There Is prevalent impression that the
men who are employed under the name of
"Pinkerton" TO guard property and help put
down strikes are detectives. This Is not
true The class of men who are employed
FOR this purpose are, as a rule, without oc-
| cupatlon or character. When a railroad
company or other corporation wants some
OF these guards. they go to the managers of
detective agencies and make their wants
known. Aa advertisement is put in the
papers for men wanted as guards. In the
case of Pinkerton, he pays them 50 so day
for their services while he charges a corpo-
ration from "a to Sc a day and necessary
expenses. That is where he makes his
profits.
He puts them In charge OF some of his
trusted subordinates. They are not trained
soldiers, but simply a lot of men who will
| do the bidding Of officers. They seldom
| pected OF them. They are employed because
| they have no fine scruples, and when they
have finished the particular job for which
they are hired, they are turned loose in the
| CITY from which they were taken. They are
simply hired at 81 so day ard are willing
to do whatever they are told so long as they
| get their money. Pinkerton pays them no
money until they have finished their work
and have been returned to the Office where
| they were hired. The captain or leader
Is supplied with money and buys what is
needed
| During the switchmen's strike at Chicago
the pennsylvania company had $50 guards
| secreted In a warehouse. They were penned
| up for ten days, and neither the strikers nor
the people OF Chicago knew they were there.
| They had been brought from Philadelphia
| on special train Ia the night time. In a
Building close by were stored Winchester
rifles, revolvers and ammunition, in char ge
OF guard, genuine Pinkerton detective d,
| VINO had orders to shoot the members OF the
Philadelphia gang If they attempted to
| capture the arms. A Pennsylvania official
was asked why he did not permit the guards
| TO have the weapons. He replied that he
was afraid they would steal them. One of
the crowd said: III 1 could get hold of
one Of them bloody guns, I'd have me new
suit OF toys. Luckily the services Of this
crowd of men were not needed at Chicago,
and they were sent home.
During the Lake Erie aud Western strike
sixty touRhs were quartered in q hotel at
Lafayette. In this state there is a law
against importing OF Pinkerton or other
foreign detectives or guards, so these fell
| lows were not known as Pinkerton men,
yet they we're identically the same kind of
guards that Pinkerton employs, aud no
| doubt many of them have been in his serv-
ice before and since the time they were at
| Lafayette Nor is Pinkerton the only man
| who supplies these guards on demand. In
| New York there are half a dozen agencies
whore they can be procured.
TheiPs agency at st. Louis and Mooney 81
Boland OF Chicago are also in the business
Plnkerton has regularly employed about
200 men, some of whom are paid large
salaries, and would not be suspected of
being detectives when seen at parties aud
Ia NfnE faVWN
they are detectives, and their business there
is TO prevent the robbery Of guests, or the
stealing OF wedding presents put on display.
One Of Pinkerton's me Travelled all over
South America as French count and capt
ured an emhezzler while he aud the man
wanted were the guests of honor at a fete
given by the wealthy people OF Rio Jaueiro.
Then Piukerton has the shadows" the
fellows who work up evidence in divorce
cases and do that clase of business. Others
are used to ferret out murders robberies
aud ordinary crimes OF all kinds. He has,
too, some sixty women, and some of them
are bright and shrewd 1t was a woman.
and one whose home is 10 Indiana, who
trapped the notorious Jim Cummins They
are mostly used in large stores, and on rail-
roads trains as "spotters." Another GLASS
Of his men are his private police, who are
simply night watchmen aud are employed
to guard stores and watch for fires, their
|
merchant policemen. While Pinkerton has
received the credit for furnishing most of
the spoilers" USED by railroad companies
he has supplied but few of them. Thers
agency at st. Louis makes a speciality of
this kind Of business. He has branch Offices
in every large city in the country. He em-
ploy5 more women than Pinkertou does,
and supplies the FULTON company with a
majority Of the "spottersn used by that
corporation.
A few years ago the writer was on train
on an Indiana railroad, and in front OF him
sat woman in deep mourning. When the
conductor came through she told him that
she had no money nor ticket, that her child
was lying at the point of death at Elkhart,
and that she was trying to get TO it. She
begged and entrested the conductor to
carry her to that point, where, she said she
had friends who would pay him well for his
trouble.
You must pay your fare or get off the
train" said the conductor bluntly.
"You certainly will not be so inhuman
as to keep me from seeing my dying child"
said the woman, as the tears came to her
eyes.
The conductor reached for the bell cord as
the engine whistled for small station. The
| passengers began to grow indignant, and
there was talk of q collection to pay the
woman's fare, when the conductor, taking
| the woman by the arm, said 10 loud
voice. This woman is a spotter. Seven
years ago she caused the discharge of
several conductors on the Lake Shore road
| to whom she told this story and who carried
her free. regret to say that was one of
the conductors, and do not propose to be
caught again.
Without q word the woman got up and
left the train when it stopped. and the in
dignation OF the passengers melted away as
she disappeared.
One of Theirs spoilers" who afterward
held high position on the detective force
OF Denver, boosted that he caused the dis
charge OF sixteen passenger conductors In
one month. He had 10 leave San Francisco
to save his life. A few years ago, on a GER
tain date, evary passenger and accommoda-
ton train on the Pennsylvania lines west Of
Pittsburg carried from one to four spoilers.
They rode for several days, and in short
time there was a wholesale discharge Of con-
| ductors.