| Allan Pinkerton, born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1819, | | | | not jibe well with members of Jesse James |
| is considered the father of private investigation in | | | | outlaw gang. Several of Pinkerton's employees |
| the United States. In 1846, he began his career in | | | | were murdered in their attempts to apprehend |
| law enforcement as a sheriff's deputy in Kane | | | | members of the James gang. In March, 1874, |
| County, Illinois. By around 1850, he opened up | | | | John Younger, a member of the James gang, was |
| shop and started his own private detective firm in | | | | killed in a shootout with Pinkerton's operatives in |
| Chicago. | | | | St. Clair County, Missouri. |
| Pinkerton was very prominent in his industry in | | | | By the early 20th century, train robbery gangs |
| 19th century America. It is believed that Pinkerton | | | | were defunct due to Pinkerton's efforts to |
| discovered a plot to assassinate President | | | | suppress them. It is believed that several innocent |
| Abraham Lincoln while traveling to his inauguration | | | | men were imprisoned in this gang suppression. In |
| in Washington, D.C. At the advice of Pinkerton, | | | | fact, this is from where the term "railroaded" |
| President Lincoln made changes to his travel plans | | | | evolved in which an innocent individual is sent to |
| thereby avoiding a possible assassination attempt. | | | | prison for a crime he did not commit. |
| By around 1866, the railroad industry got wind of | | | | Today, the Pinkerton's agency is now merged |
| his private investigator business and hired him to | | | | with Burns Security, a publicly held company listed |
| help thwart train robberies run by gangs which | | | | in the Swiss stock exchange and a member of |
| included members of Jesse James' notorious | | | | the Securitas family. |
| outlaws. From the beginning, Pinkerton's firm did | | | | |