The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-08-23
WAR SECRET SERVICE.
Daring Deeds Performed by Operative,

was cast upon wholly different lines from that of to-day, This is mainly owing to the fact that we are at war With foreign country in which an American Ia at distinct disadvantage. On the contrary, man In the eos could be transferred in this kind of work from one section of the country to another without attracting particu- lar attention.
 The circumstances leading to the es- tablishment of the government secret service bureau by my father, Allan Pinkerton, and George H, Bangs, his associate, were as follows; For some time previous to the outbreak at Fort Sumter they were employed by the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Balti- more railroad, running between Phila- delphlt and Baltimore, and by the Northern Pennsylvania railway, be- tween Harrisburg and Baltimore The operatives in their employ became members of several secret organizations composed of associations of the most radical type. One of the principal ob- jects of these secret organizations was to interfere with the forwarding of fed eral troops to Washington in the event of the ill-feeling between the north and south coming to climax in open hos tilities.
 'TThe detectives found a carefully de- vised plot for the assassination of Pres ident Lincoln the moment he should ar rive in Washington. This was secretly discussed among the leaders in these societies in the councils of the latter. When these murderous plans came to the knowledge of my father he imme- diately placed the facts in possession of the committee having in charge the movements of the president, with the result that the protection of MT Lin- coin was intrusted to him and to MT. Bangs.
 After leaving the reception at liar risburg the presidents route was, ac- cording to my fathers directions, se- cretly changed, and they went to Phil adelphit there remaining until mid night, when they took the train to Washington, arriving in the capital city in the morning, just one day ahead of schedule time. They were met at the depot by MT. Seward and General Win field Scott.
 This trip, and the causes which led up to it, marked the actual inception of the secret service bureau of the United States government, as organized by AL Ian Pinkerton under the direction of President Lincoln and Secretary of War Cameron, who was soon succeeded by Stanton. Many circumstances were favorable to the organization of their effective service, particularly so being the fact that previous to the actual opening of hostilities at Fort Sumter the agency had in it's employ not a few old and tried operatives already on the ground, where they would, by reason of their previous acquaintance with the people and the locality, be of greatest service to the Union cause. Men of this character were at Memphis, Little Rock, Jackson, Nashville, Chattanooga, Atlanta, Charleston, Wilmington, Rich- mond, Norfolk and Weldon, s. c.
 'The lrst movement in the installa- tien of government secret service oper- ations was that of transferring these men to new points in order to com pletely obscure their identity. Each carried letters from prominent citizens in the locality where they had been stationed to the most influential men in the cities to which they were de- tailed.
 Almost invariably the operatives were furnished with some legitimate means of employment, the better to conceal their identity and real oecupa- tion. They assumed all sorts of char acters, and not few of them were prominent in a social way. This was particularly true of some of the mar ried men, whose wives were also mem bers of the secret service. In fact, one of the most efficient of these women operatives is now lady of Independent wealth, who has long been resident of Chicago. The letters of introduction taken by secret agents of the govern ment were generally addressed to bankers and prominent business men. In nearly all instances they were genu- ine but under some circumstances it was found necessary to use those which were not.
 Each operative was to report at a given point. Sometimes these cipher reports were secreted in strange places known only to the men sent to find them, but in other instances they were intrusted to the care of individuals in whom my father had the utmost confi- dence So far as possible no operative was permitted to know, as such, any other operative. This precaution was necessary in order to guard against the liability of one agent betraying another if captured Two of the men might be working side by side. both bent on the same purpose and knowing each other intimately without in the least suspect ing the real character of the other; if this rule of absolute secrecy could have been maintained in every instance some of the men who gave their lives as spies might have been living to-day.
 Timothy Webster was unquestiona- bly one of the most brilliant of the pio- neer secret service men who gave great aid to the federal government during the War of the Rebellion. When he first began his duties he was about for ty years of age and had lived for time in Chicago. He had wife and two children at Onarga. III. Webster was a native of New Jersey, and was fearless, resourceful and nervy. For several months previous to the first battle of Buli Run he had been stationed in the southwest, where he was so popular that he was offered a colonelcy of an Arkansas Confederate regiment. See ing that Webster could be of greater service in the east, my father withdrew h nd np1a taf +r