The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-07
w. A. PINKERTON SAYS THAT IS
NOT A PART OF DETECTIVE
BUSINESS.
THERE is A COUNTRY EDITOR
HOWEVER, ':WHO STANDS
FOR THEM"
SOME SLIPPERY
However, Do Fall Into the Clutches
of the WeH-Organized Amer
lean Vidocq.

mo, the Pinkertons are not in the
literary line; we don't write any Of
those narrowing detective stories that
many people accredit to u.s."
The speaker was William A. Pinker-
ton of Chicago, Of the Pinllerton Ma
tional Detective agency, who is in
charge of the western part of the bust
ness, his brother Robert looking after
the eastern end. The boys" were lit
orally brought up in the detective bust
ness, their father, the late Allan PINK
erton, having founded the agency, the
name Of which is household word, IN
Chicago in 1850. William A. is now
past fifty years of age and is grand
father, but his old friends persist in
calling him Billy although he de-
clares he is old enough to outgrow the
nickname. He came to st. Paul yes
terday on a periodical visit of inspec-
ton of the local agency, and is stop
ping at the Ryan. 1t was to a joking
question of friend as to how he
could spare time from his literary Ia
bors to look after business" that he
made the emphatic denial of authorship
of the Pinkerton detective stories. Said
he:
you can't imagine how annoying it
is to have that rot charged up to one
self, and / wish to say that neither my
brother nor myself ever wrote a line
or authorized having any such honOrs
conferred upon us. The stories are SO
improbable as to be ridiculous, and yet
they work a great harm. Some coun-
try boy will fill up on the trash until
no iT,oa orir hot na sclA IN iOI1
word, by the way, is never used except
by the dime novel detective-and then
comes along the fake detective bureau.
1t wants a man in every locality, ex-
perience not necessary to do detective
work For S. it will send along a tin
star and a commission'-and that's the
end of it.
I'VE have had some of those snide
concerns run out of business by noti-
flying the postal authorities, but they
evade that now by doing all business
through the express companies. We also
got after the publishing companies
which issue r'Pinkerton Detective
Stories, and endeaVored to get an in
junction in the courts restraining them
from using the name-but they beat us
out" There was just the faintest
shadow of frown on Mr.. Pinkerton's
forehead as he continued They dug
up a fellow by the name of James
Plnkerton, country editor, who al
lowed the publishing company to use
his name for a consideration I am
glad to say he is no relation of ours"
From the original force of ten at
taches, the Pinkerton agency has
grown until it now has over a thou
sand employees, with branches in all
large cites in the country and salaried
correspondents in all parts of the
world. Correspondents have just re-
Gently been Giocatedein China and ia
pan, and for three years past they
have had operators in Alaska Those
detectives captured the thieves and
recovered the amalgam, worth about
0,000 which was stolen from the
1readwell mine some time ago, and
which was found secreted on a small
island near the coast. The European
affairs of the agency are looked after
from the London office which is in
charge of John Shore, formerly super
intendent of detectives at Scotland
yard.
The business at present consists
largely of corporation work 1t fur
nishes police agents for the American
Bankers association, the jewelers. Sc
curity alliance. and jewelers. Protec-
tive association, for railroads, etc.
The Pinkertons refuse to engage in
divorce cases or anything connected
with marriage relations. In speaking
Of that fact, Mr.. Pinkerton said:
"The shadowing of a husband or
wife we relegate to so-called private
detectives, who, in many instances are
blackmailers pure and simple. We
refuse to touch that class of work, but
we are frequently called in to protect
victims from blackmail."
Some six years ago bold band of