19th Century Am. Detectives

[Books OToole]

Besides Allan, William & Robert Pinkerton;  Can anybody name three 19th Century American Detectives?

Books

[Fly Cop Fry]

William J Burns - Secret Service Agent/ Incorporated Detective Agency in 1910 (assume he was doing detective work in late 1800s)/First FBI Director

George H Thiel - Worked for Pinkerton then opened his own agency

William G. Baldwin - Baldwin's Railroad Detectives

Tom Horn - "Range Detective"

[Books OToole]

Very good.

Baldwin was actually one I didn't know.  Which was what I was hoping for.  More directions for research.

Burns actually first worked for Thomas Furlong, founder of th Furlong Secret Service Company.  Prior to that Furlong was Cheif of the Detectives for the Missouri Pacific Railroad.

David Cook was chief of the Rocky Mountain Detective Association.

N. K. Boswell was also a member of the R.M.D.A.

And James Hume was Chief of Detectives for Wells Fargo.

I have more if anybody is interested.

If anybody else has more, I am interested.

Books

[Books OToole]

How about this:  Mrs. Warne, a widow, was hired as detective in the mid-1850s by Allan Pinkerton, making her the first female detective.

Books

[Fox Creek Kid]

Luke "Whispering" Smith, railroad "dick". I can find nothing on the Internet about the real man but I read an article a few years back that he was nothing like Alan Ladd in the "Hollyweird" movie & was really a cold hearted killer.

[Books OToole]

There was a Will Smith who was a RR Dick for the Southern Pacific.  He helped chase down Evans and Sontag.  In the process he was involved in a couple of shoot outs. He didn't hit anything.

Books

[Mogorilla]

Didn't Pinkerton employee several women by the time of the WBTS?  I thought I read he had a hand in the Union knowing about the CSA Hunnley, plans and information provided by a female spy/detective, unfortunately not sure where I read that.

[Books OToole]

There was at least one.  Hattie Lawton was arrested in Richmond along with Timothy Murphy (executed) Pryce Lewis and John Scully.

Books

[St. George]

A little-known book that is interesting is:

'Desperate Men - Revelations from the Secret Pinkerton Files' - by James D. Horan.

First printed in 1949 - it covers a multitude of Pinkerton-related things, and is halfway well-illustrated with period photos.

It's been reprinted in softcover - but the original is a hardcover by Van Rees Press, printed by G.P. Putnam's Sons - NY.

An excerpt from the preface:

"We have received over the years many requests from authors and editors to examine these records.  Although we aided them in specific details of their research as much as possible, we have refrained from allowing anyone outside of the agency to examine the complete files.

In the last few years, however, numerous motion pictures, books and magazine articles on the life of the James and the Youngers and other Western outlaws have appeared.  Many of them glorified the bandits as misjudged Robin Hoods.  To offset this erroneous conception, we decided to open our complete, century-old files dealing with Western outlaws for the first time to Mr. Horan.  Although we have cooperated with him to the fullest extent, Mr. Horan's conclusions are his own."

Robert A. Pinkerton, II

Interesting stuff, and if your Impression is that of a Pinkerton, you should at least read the story...

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Fox Creek Kid]

Thanks St. George, looks like a helluva primary source!! 

[Will Ketchum]

I can't believe no one has mentioned Charley Siringo.  He was the inspiration for my alias after I read "A Cowboy Detective".

Will Ketchum

[Steel Horse Bailey]

I can't believe no one has mentioned Charley Siringo.  He was the inspiration for my alias after I read "A Cowboy Detective".

Will Ketchum

Beggin' yer pardon, Mr. Ketchum, but most us reg'lar folks don't have much to do with dee-tectives and Pinkertons, like you and that "Irish Dave" Scott feller.  I'm a peaceable and honest feller, but things is whut they is.  I AM, however, gonna look into im-ployment with the Texas and SW Cattle Raisers Association - I heer'ed they need a few good men.  I been talkin' to Mr. James C. Loving and Mr. C.C. Slaughter who said they could use a man like me.  I don't know any of their dee-tectives, 'tho - but I might be one!

[Dr. Bob]

Senor Bailey,

Could you provide me with an introduction.  I could use a small bit of employment and the Southwest in the spring can be quite delightful!   As long as the work is not too hard, and I would assume that since you are interested!

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Dr. Bob,

I'll be happy to make introductions.  You as-sume co-reckly!  All ya gotta do is find some old lost cows oncet in a while.  Ya might have ta figger out some puzzelin' things now an' then, but no one ever gets ta shootin' er anything like that!  And we can handle THAT if needed, too!

[Dr. Bob]

SHB,

I'm yer huckleberry!

[Rancid Roy]

Occasionally Rancid Roy falls off the wagon as a thief and back-shooter and has to take "honest pay" to make a living. At one time the Pinkerton's were not doing thorough back ground checks and he slipped in as a "Pink" for a while.

[Uncle Stinky]

Will........Let's not forget Siringo's segundo Mr. W.O. Sayles. Those boys just about put the iron on Kid Curry back in '99 out in White Canyon near Hanksville, Utah.