The Expressman and the Detective

In The Expressman and the Detective Allan Pinkerton tells how his relatively small P.I. firm succeeded in this first big case. Tens of thousands of dollars had gone missing. The suspect was too smart for the police so the robbed company asked Pinkerton to step in. Nine detectives worked this case for ten months. The suspect did take them on a very long chase. Some of the detective travelled miles and miles following the suspect while others followed his wife.



Allan Pinkerton (1819-1884) was a Scottish American detective and spy, best known for creating the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. Pinkerton started with detective work back in Scotland, and in 1849 he was appointed as the first police detective in Chicago. Year later he partnered with Chicago attorney Edward Rucker in forming the Detective Agency which became famous for solving a series of train robberies during the 1850s. Pinkerton produced numerous popular detective books, based on his own exploits and those of his agents.