I see there’s a new series on one of the satellite channels about the Pinkerton Detective Agency.
It was only a matter of time, of course, before someone did it. If only I’d had the gumption, and the know-how, it might’ve been me.
I’ve been interested in Allan Pinkerton for many years, ever since I found out he was born in Glasgow. That’s something that surprises a lot of people, for the Pinkertons are so associated with US history, although the series itself is Canadian.
I missed the first episode but I’ve set my trusty machine to catch the repeat screening.
Thankfully, they’ve cast a Scot – Angus MacFadyen, who also co-wrote one of the episodes – as Allan, although the majority of the shows do seem to focus on his son William and Kate Warne, who was America’s first female detective. I’m glad a Scottish actor plays the role, for the only other times I’ve seen him portrayed was first by Christopher Reeve in a TV movie called ‘The Rose and the Jackal’, based on an actual incident involving a beautiful Confederate spy, and then by Timothy Dalton in the 2001 western ‘American Outlaws’, with Colin Farrell as Jesse James.
The show has been made with the full co-operation of the Pinkerton Agency, which still operates today – a testament to the organisation created by the tough, fiery little man from the Gorbals.
A wanted man
I did a bit of research on Pinkerton, many years ago. I didn’t know what I was planning to do with it but I knew there was a terrific story to tell. In the end, I never did do anything but James MacKay later wrote a superb biography (Mainstream Publishing, 1996) which I wish I’d written but know I couldn’t have bettered.
A book I wished I’d written – Allan Pinkerton by James Mackay
Apart from the Glasgow connection, I was intrigued by the fact that Pinkerton fled these shores a wanted man. He was a Chartist, a radical movement that advocated insurrection, and the authorities naturally took a dim view.
He arrived in America and followed his trade as a cooper in Illinois. It was there that he stumbled upon a nest of counterfeiters, broke them up – and set himself on a path to national fame and considerable fortune.
He was a spymaster for the Union army. His agency covered the country and has been called the forerunner of the FBI. His men chased such legends as Butch Cassidy, The Sundance Kid and the James gang. They infiltrated the Mafia in its early days. One undercover agent brought down the so-called terrorist labour group, the Molly Maguires. Author Dashiell Hammett was an operative in the early 20th century.
But the agency that was formed by a one-time radical eventually became seen as the private army of the rich and powerful. Their strong-arm boys helped break up strikes. They were hired to protect the interests of rich ranchers and mine owners. They infiltrated unions.
In fairness, these disputes were bitter and there was brutality – and murder – on both sides. And much of this work was done after Allen gave up control of the empire he’d created. It has been stressed they all ways worked within the law, although that can be a pretty broad path to walk.
Corporate America
Allan Pinkerton died in 1884 and eight years later his agency was tainted by their involvement in the Homestead Steel Strike in Pittsburgh. At one point 300 agents faced off against many more strikers in a ferocious firefight. Men died, others were wounded, the agency was dubbed the rich man’s friend. The truth was, they were part of corporate America now and if the strikers had the cash they could’ve hired them, too.
The Pinkerton Detective Agency has featured in many films, books and series. Arthur Conan Doyle used the Molly Maguires as the basis for ‘The Valley of Fear.’ Captain Homer Jackson in ‘Ripper Street’ was once a Pinkerton agent. They’ve featured in ‘Deadwood’ and ‘Boardwalk Empire’. And in addition to the new series (Drama, Sunday nights), Cole Hauser plays real-life detective Charley Siringo on the trail in ‘The Lizzie Borden Chronicles’, which may come to a TV screen near you soon.
The agency itself has changed considerably. The Pinkerton family no longer own it.
But boy, has it a story to tell. Whether or not this new series will do it justice, I don’t know.
