AMERICAS GREATEST DETECTIVE.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2951, 5 January 1912, Page 7

AMERICAS GREATEST DETECTIVE.

"Come right in !*' The voice was unmistakably American. The owner of it was a big, burly, broad-ahouldeied gentlemao, with hair just tinged with grey. Diamond rings flashed on his fingers ; a large cigar was pressed between his tight lips. A keen, searching glance rested upon the visitor lor a moment. Then out stretched a strong hand.

"Guess I'm glad to see you. Sit down."

The interviewer breathed a sigh of relief. He had anticipated a somewhat 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 a remarkable record in tracking culprits, in unravelling the mysteries of crime. "Say," said Mr. Pinkerton slowly, when the initial question was put to him, "I'm simply here in connection 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 from an American newspaper was shown the famous detective. Here it was stated that Mr. Pinkerton had been invited to London by the Home Office to becoms one of the advisers-in-chief of the secret service men at Scotland Sard.

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

"Why," he went on, impressively discussing the subject with a wave of the hand, "I think your police are the most thorough men in the world. They are plodders. They don't jump at conclusions. When they bring a case into the courts they've got it prepared like a lawyer. When 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 I adept in and more perfect than in the United States or anywhere else in the world is finger-print identification. 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 his 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. w#en the universal adoption of- the English system throughout the whole of the States is being strongly urged." Discussing his big cases Mr. PinkerI ton became reminiscent. The re- | covery of the stolen Gainsborough J portrait of the Duchess of Devonshire : was cited. "Guess I'm Bick and tired jof her," said the detective. "There wasn't a detective in London who didn't know who had it, but yoi 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 place him. I came over here on his track in connection with a hig bank robbery at Baltimore. Then one day a yacht with 16 men on board left Southampton. Worth was on board. The next thing we heard was a big diamond robbery from the Cape Town Po3t Office ; 400,000 dollars' worth of stuff was cleared off." It was while the great detective was investigating the Baltimore bank robbery that he accidentally became associated with the Bank of England forgeries case. "I was in a shop in the Strand when Bidwell 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 Pinkerton had an empty safe in the luggage van, and carried the bonds on his person. Mr. William Pinkerton was last in London seven years ago. 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 thrown 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 banks and concerns where money plays an important part Pinkerton's men are es« tablished.— "Daily News."