AMERICA'S GREATEST DETECTIVE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 543, 19 February 1913, Page 2

AMERICA'S GREATEST DETECTIVE.

"Come right in !'* The" voice was unmistakably American. The owner of it was a big, burly, broad-shouldered gentleman with hair just tinged with grey. Diamond rings flashed on his fingers ; a large cigar was pressed between hit tight lips. A keen, searching glanc< rested upon the visitor #for a mo ment. Then out stretched a strong hand. "Guess. I'm glad to see you. Sit down." The interviewer breathed a sigh o! relief. He had anticipated a some what different reception from 'Bill Pinkerton, the head of the worldfamous American organisation of detectives. Mr. William Allan Pinkerton and his fifteen hundred expert detectives can lay claim to p. remarkable record in tracking culprits, it unravelling the mysteries of crime "Say," taid Mr. Pin'ierton slowly when the initial question was- put tc him, "I'm simply here in connectior with my own affairs as well as a hit of a pleasure trip. I'm not looking for trouble ; guess that comes quick enough." A paragraph iroin an American newspaper was shown the famous detective. Here it was stated that Mr. Pinkertcn had been invited to London by the Home Office to become one of tha advisers-in-chief of the secret service men at Scotland Yard.

"Cut that out right away," he flashed ; "absolute bunkum ; ridicul ous ! There's nothing to it. Guess the English detectives are amply able to take care of themselves without any assistance from me. That's the newspaper men en the other side. They generally holp themselves, and they don't keep no regard for tht truth, either, so long as its readable matter."

"Why," he went en, impressively discussing the subject with a wave ol the hand, "I think; your police are the most thorough men in the world. They are plodders. Ihey den't jump st conclusions. When they bring a case into the courts they've got it prepared like a lawyer. Wh:n a case from Scotland Yard goes before the judge its ready. If there are any American crooks over here just now, take it from me they won't get back again. Your men will get them." "What we think they are very adept in and more perfect than in the United States or anywhere else in the world is finger-print id en tin cation. That's a marvellous system of the Yard," Mr. Pinkerton exclaimed. "'Something the New World has to pick up yet. Why, some two years ago a chap was arrested in Chicago for 'lifting.' I got his finger-prints taken, and without any name or description of the man I sent them to Scotland Yard. Almost immediately I got a reply giving the chap's whole criminal history and record, with Wb photographs. Now that's real smart. Out in America the police are adopting this system. It's used in the prisons, and all the soldiers are identified by finger prints. That's a convention of the police chiefs of the United States and Canada on June 13 and 17. when tha universal adoption of the Engli.h system throughout the whole of the States is being strongly urged." . Discussing his big cases Mr. Pinkerton became reminiscent. The recovery of the stolen Gainsboroagh portrait of the Duchess 0 f Devonshire was cited. "Guess I'm sick and tired of her." said the detective. "There wasn't a detective in London who didn't know who h.\d it, but you couldn't prove it." • Adam Worth, who stole the Gainsborough, Mr. PinKerton regarded as the greatest criminal of the age. "He was in every big job that was pulled off in Europe for ten years. He had a big house near Clapham Common, and lived like a prince. He took very little active part in his big coups, simply directed them, and this made it difficult to plaee him. I came over here on his track in conasctiGn with a big bank robbery at Baltimore. Then cna day a yacht with 16 men on board left Southampton. W r orth was on board. The nest thing we heard was a big diamond robbery from the Cape Towa Post Office ; 400,000 dollars' worth of stuff was cleared off."

It was while the great i detective was investigating the Baltimore bank robbery that he accidentally became associated with the Bank of England forgeries case. "1 was in a shop in the Strand when Eidwell and M'Donnell walked in and bumped right into me. I thought they were in prison in America. Then, when on my way back to the States, the discovery of the Bank frauds was made." It was through the assistance Mr. Pinkerton was able to give that the Bidwell brothers were captured and sentenced.

One of the detective's most exciting experiences was the carrying of half a million dollars' worth of bonds on a train through a country where there had been a great many train robberies. Mr Pinlcerton had an

empty safe in the luggage van, and carried the bonds en his person. Mr. William Pinkerton was last in London seven years a~o. Since his brother Robert died a short time ago he has had the entire responsibility of the huge organisation known as Pinkerton's National Detective Agency throws upon his shoulders. When the chief leaves his home in Chicago on a round of inspection of his offices throughout the United States it takes him ten weeks to do the journey. "Organisation is the secret of our success and strength," said Mr. Pinkerton. In all the big tanks and concerns where money plays an important part Pinkerton's men are es-