Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1907-08-20
RObf. A. Pi1lkerfon VIII
Be Buried i'm America

The famous detectives body will
be brought TO the United States on
the Kaiser Wilhelm H., leaving Eu-
rope today.
Robert Pinkerton. the younger OF
the two sons of Allan Pinkerton, to
whom that famous secret service
worker OF Civil War days handed
down Pinkerton's National Detec-
tive Agency. was the genius of the
business. He was possessed of-re-
markable executive capacity and
business acumen. While others In
the service OF his family were In
the public eye in connection with
the capture OF criminals and their
prosecution, his was the mind in the
Office that directed what they did
and made their efforts successful
Allan Pinkerton. the founder of
the agency which has carried his
name to the ends of the world
opened his first office in Chicago
Immediately after the Civil War. He
had been Abraham Lincoln's chief
OF secret service, and the record of
his exploits in the sixties is a thrill
ing story. William A. Pinkerton
was old enough 20 be an assistant
to his father during the war Robert
was then only n boy of thirteen and
a student in Notre Dame University
at North Bend, Ind He was born
at Dundee, ILL.,, in 1S4S.
1t was in 1878 that Allan Pinker-
ton decided to establish his agency
in this part of the country, and he
sent Robert to this city to open an
office. That office was the sons
magnet for nearly twenty-six years.
In all of that time lie never failed
TO go to his desk but three days, and
then illness prevented him. Three
years ago he took his first vacation,
when he went abroad with his broth
er Physically he was then in the
same broken down condition as he
was when he sailed last week.
The father of Robert and William
Pinkerton died in 1884. He was q
canny Glasgow Scot, who came to
this country without a shilling to
his name. He left his boys a fortune
and with the agency developed as
far as he imagined 1t could ever 20.
He never dreamed that the present
scope of the business was possible.
GUARDED THE RACE TRACKS.
As Bob" and bill" the two
Pinkerton boys were known in their
early days in Chicago. and so they
have always been popularity called
Bob Pinkerton was familiar
figure on every race course around
New York. 1t was he who demon
strated TO the Jockey clubs :he ne
cesslty of the police system in Vogne
today, There are few tracks in :le
country not under PinkoltCu uIe
This Pinkerton police systcu vas
started for the purpose Of project
ing the patrons of racing from p;ck-
pockets and other crooks. benon
with Pinkerton men in uniforms ,mt
IN few years Bob" Pi!.[erton
made the Jockey clubs see the ne.
ressity of adding detectives TO the
Iorce. who could keep an eye OF
riders and trainers and the betting
ring This espionage has resulted
in keeping many a Jockey ana train
er straight, and in ruling off the
turf those who found il more remu-
lerative to run crooked races than
straight ones
Such work as his agency did UNI
Ter his direction on the race courses
naturally made enemies, and per
maps score of times Bob" Pinker- |
on was marked for slaughter. He |
never received so much as a scratch.
)nly couple of years ago some |
body whom he had ruled of the turf |
ired a shot at him from the grand
.tand at Sheepshead Bay. It
missed his head by an inch and
scratched the scalp of . friend. who
vas standing next to him watching
he finish of a race.
Bob" Pinkerton aided personally |
n running down the Molly Maguires
n Pennsylvania. II was he also who
made the contract to send the Pink
rtons 10 the Homestead strike. Hen
y G. Flick asked him for the
orce. which the strikers nearly an
Inflated
ORGANIZED BANK PROTECTION. !
VI was Bob" Pinkerton. who
onceived the idea OF getting the
anks of the country together I'm a
reflective alliance against thieves.
n couple Of years the American
bankers Association was formed.
nd today 70 is a daring crook who
.ill lay a hand on the property OF
my bank displaying the assocla-
IONS sign n was only last year
hat the proceeds OF two bank
urglaries we're returned. the
hieves not discovering until after
ne crimes we're committed that the
.anks they had robbed we're mem
'ers of the association One thief
wrote in returning $4,000 Of me- \