The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-07
A GREAT DETECTIVE.
ANECDOTES OF ALLEN PINKER-
TON.

bravery and of an Open, Helpful
Hand.
From the New Orleans Times-Democrat.
Allan Pinkerton. founder Of the Nation
al Detective agency. easily the greatest
detective America has yet seen. was born
aug. .. 1913. in Glasgow His father.
William Pinkerton. was police sergeant
in that city. and died in the discharge Of
his duty Of injuries inflicted by a pris-
orsr. Until the age of 80 Allan Pinkerton
followed the trade Of a cooper, which he
learned in Scotland and subsequently
rracticed in Canada and the United States
Pinkerton's search for a location and
orening took him TO Chicago, and then on
10 Dundee, Kane county. Illinois, thirty
.srbt miles from Chicago. There he lived
for nine years, the coopering business
growing under energetic management. so
that in 1850 ne had twenty-five men work
ing under him and was counted one Of
tba most prosperous men in Kane county.
I'm those days OF state banks and Wild
cat money. the country was full of couu-
t7rfeiters. and the stOrekeepers in Dun
dee were frequently swindled. One day a
adder named Eaton Walker, who had
ilst been victimized by some false bills,
cqUed Allan Pinkerton's attention to a
believed TO be one of the counterfeiting
r7ug This at once aroused the hardy
young cooper, who in characteristic fash
-on. proceeded to make the wrongs of the
community his own. Disgusting himself
asa aboring man, he followed the strang-
or without arousing his suspicion, and
finally tracked him TO an island in Fox
river. which ever afterward bore the name
Of Bogus Island. This was found TO be
the headquarters of gang, and all were
captured with their entire outfit as a re-
suIt of the amateur detectives discovery.
The fame of this exploit, together with
his success i'm capturing horse thieves on
various occasions, gave Allan Pinkerton
a wide local reputation, and he was made
deputy sheriff of Kane county, in which
capacity ne soon became the terror of
cattle thieves, horse thieves counter
letters and mail robbers all over the state.
The man was a born detective, with
-ucb rare genius for the craft and such
raordinary personality that there was
no keeping him I'm obscurity. and being
much spoken of in Chicago. he was soon
rendered the position of deputy sheriff OF
cook county. This position he kept only
for a short time. for the officers of the Hi
nois central and Rock Island railroad,
having suffered much from train robbers,
urged him to establish a detective agency,
which he did.
Allan Pinkerton was a man of great
physical strength He stood nearly six
feet and weighed 200 pounds, with no waste
flesh on his solid frame. He was a formid-
able antagonist in a rough and tumble
hight Not that he was fond of fighting, or
Quarrelsomc by disposition. on the con-
trary. he was mild in manner and not
easily aroused; but when pushed TO the
limit, as he was more than once in his
adventurous career he could and would
fight like a lion and was afraid of no
man.
At the time of the great lager beer
riots back in the fifties, Allan Pinkerton,
then deputy sheriff of Cook county. found
himself on one occasion in the midst of an
angry mob, who were threatening to set
fire to the city. Being In citizens dress,
the detective had not been recognized by
the crowd, but realizing the danger of the
situation and careless of his own safety,
he walked up to the leader of the rioters,
a powerful workman, and in the name Of
the law ordered him to dcsist The lead
ers only answer was an oath and an at
tempted blow, but before his fist could
strike Pinkerton had caught him round
Inc neck in an iron grasp. Then, by the
adroit use of the hiplock throw, learned
in wrestling practice, he hurled the fellow
ten feet through the air, landing him
stunned on the ground Taking advantage
Of the establishment of the others he
started off toward the jail, dragging the
heavy body, unmindful of the rabble who
pushed after him with oaths and blows
Occasionally he would stop to sweep them
back, Samson-like with a drive of his
heavy arm, and then proceed. Thus, with
much noise and struggling, this curious
procession moved slowly to the Jail. and
as they approached the jailer stood at
the opened door, ready to lock Il against
the mob as soon as Pinkerton and his
prisoner were inside, but the latter, per-
fectly cool at this trying moment, told him
to leave the door open. In moment the
f4, a.
JAIL forty or fifty in all. and did not real
lie the trap that had been set for them
until the iron door closed behind and they
were prisoners. Mr.. Pinkerton was de-
lighted with the success of this ruse and
thought the few bruises he had received
cheap payment for such rare sport
ON another occasion, several years be-
fore the war, his immense strength was
shown in an encounter with John Went
worth, at that time the editor of the Chi
cago Democrat, and Familiarity known as
Long john" Wentworth was giant
IN stature standing 6 feet inches and
weighing 800 pounds. Every one regarded
him as the strongest man in Illinois, and
he did rot hesitate in the columns of his
paper to insult his enemies as he pleased,
Knowing well that none would dare to
hold him personally responsible. He had
heen writing bitter articles about Allan
Pinkerton for some time, and one day the
latter, meeting him on the street, said
pleasant: Good morning, Mr.. Went
worth; the next abusive article that ap-
pears in your paper regarding me will
cost you a thrashing."
Who will do it?" asked the giant editor
will answered the detective.
Mt Wentworth thought this a great
JOKE, and having related the incident to a
number of his friends, published in the
next issue of the Democrat an attack
more bitter than any that had previously
appeared. The same day Mr. Pinkerton
met him in front of one of the large no.
tels, thrashed him within an inch of mis-
NE IN the presence of d wondering crowd
and then carried him into the nearest drug
store and sent for doctor Years after
ward the two men became firm friends.
When my time has come to die he used
10 say, Il will die; until then these fell
lows waste their time shooting at me-"
one night in 1851. as he was passing along
Inc street he noticed a man crouching in a
doorway, but thought nothing OF it, as
mere was a downpour of rain He had
taken but a few steps when he heard two
pistol shots just behind him, and felt that
ne had been UrOrnded II hapnannd that