Allan Pinkerton: America’s Most Famous Private Eye

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[@Biographics]

Go to nordvpn.com/bio to get a 2-year plan plus an extra gift with a huge discount!

[@misscharmcarm]

Do Nat Turner next please…

[@teddyfartypants]

Do one on Wesley Willis

[@ash9289-r5u]

Hey Biographic, Can you do a biography on Abdol Hossein Sardari? He is considered the Schindler of Iran and managed to save many Jews in occupied France by convincing the Nazis, with their own ideology, that Iranian Jews are Aryans like Iranians

[@dannybaker9445]

Hey Simon/Biographics team, could you please make a video on Kim Philby (the british cold War double agent who sold secrets to the KGB and defected to Russia)?? Please and thank you in advance

[@whoarewe7515]

Hi bio graphics are the comments that have just been posted real?

[@TheUltimateOpportunist]

"I don't wanna kill all these folks, Dutch. Just YOU!"

[@apprenticetomasterswithgeo1840]

Say you like RDR2 without saying it

[@angeltrinidad7855]

Always nice finding random strangers who loves the same games as I do.

[@c-secofficer123]

“This place ain’t no such thing as “civilized”, it is man, so in love with Greed that he has forgotten himself and found only appetites”

[@divanbuys1484]

Came here for the RDR reference.

[@Ben-rc9br]

this is what I came for

[@randomperson5846]

Seems ever since you started riding with us, the Pinkerton's seem to always know our moves Micah!!

[@ignitionfrn2223]

0:55 - Chapter 1 - Early years 3:00 - Chapter 2 - Barrels ahead 7:05 - Mid roll ads 8:40 - Chapter 3 - Alan Pinkerton , PI 13:10 - Chapter 4 - We never sleep 17:05 - Chapter 5 - Post war proceedings

[@binqiling4730]

Chapter 6 😢

[@theresapebbleinmyboot]

Bless you

[@scarecrowlego884]

Thanks

[@Kaltagstar96]

My only exposure to the Pinkerton's has been in RDR2; so this is actually really interesting to find out about the person who started it all.

[@HellsCowBoy666]

RDR2 isn’t far off from how truly vile the pinkertons were

[@zooweemama911]

In one instance, the Pinkertons were hired by Henry Frick, who oversaw a steel plant for Andrew Carnegie in Pennsylvania that had gone on strike due to bad hours, dangerous working conditions and poor pay. Carnegie seemed to be a decent fellow, Frick on the other hand wasn’t. Anyways, the Pinkerton detective agency was deployed to end the strike and it ended in a massacre after the workers started throwing rocks. The Pinkertons opened fire, and it ended with 7 dead and 11 injured for the strikers, 3-8 dead for the Pinkertons and many more injured. This is just one example of how the Pinkertons were used, not as much of a detective agency but more as a private army. Frick himself survived an attempted assassination by a disgruntled worker, he was shot twice in the neck by a .38 caliber revolver, and then stabbed a few times in the leg, he then rose and helped subdue his attacker with the help of an assistant or two. This was shortly after the strike. Frick also caused the flooding of a small town, Johnstown in Pennsylvania, that was settled under a dam where Frick and Carnegie had a hunting and fishing club. Which, at the time was the worlds largest dam. The road out went right over the dam and someone ordered it lowered by three feet. After a few days of heavy rain the dam failed and flooded Johnstown, the flood killed 2200 people and caused the equivalent of $450 million in damages. The guys who hired the Pinkertons weren’t great people themselves, many of them were greedy businessmen, this is reflected by the Pinkertons own attitude of bending the law to their will with almost no oversight. Fascinating stuff.

[@HellsCowBoy666]

@@zooweemama911 APAB, all pinkertons are bastards

[@cfcblue8]

Try Bioshock Infinite. You play as an ex-Pinkerton who was kicked out of the agency cause his methods were considered too violent for them.

[@jonhall2274]

@@zooweemama911 How was he responsible for the flooding of the town, when you say, "someone", instead of Frick, "ordered the road to be lowered by 3 feet". Especially since Frick himself had a investment into the Club that you mentioned. Just curious is all, because although I ultimately assume no one *intentionally* caused the wearing down of the Dam to cause the flooding, & to me anyway, it sounds like that "someone", along with the rain, caused the flood, & not Henry Frick. So since you have knowledge of it, & If you could elaborate I would appreciate it!🙃

[@666soso]

"Once we run away from the Pinkerton's, we could run off to Tahiti and be mango farmers, Arthur!" - Dutch Van der Line.

[@GenesisTheory23]

They are still very much alive today. They still operate privately out of Chicago but they are owned by a Swedish security firm called Securitas AB.

[@Pistolita221]

Their HQ is not in chicago, lol. Ann Arbor is a weird lil city.

[@BasementPepperoni]

I always thought it was so awesome that RDR2 used the Pinkerton Agency as the main law enforcement baddies. Basically the FBI before it was formed, and had no restraint.

[@stephenlynch6389]

They tried to sue rockstar to take their likeness out the game and failed

[@slapchawp3766]

They had a license to kill, literally. lol

[@BasementPepperoni]

@@slapchawp3766 Yea, pretty much. If you were being chased by these people back in the Wild West, chances were that you would end up dead before standing in front of a judge.....and then hanged, lol

[@JK-gu3tl]

They had restraints. It's the FBI that's way more powerful. I don't think the Pinkertons ever spied on civil rights groups.

[@thomasnieswandt8805]

@@stephenlynch6389 i was looking for this comment :)

[@melasnexperience]

It's really interesting to learn that the guy who made his name with violent union-busting activities started out helping with the underground railroad & being a staunch abolitionist.

[@DiscoDickJones]

Freed the slaves so they could be wage slaves to his capitalist friends in the north.

[@AbnormalObs]

It's strangely incongruent

[@PrimarisBlackTemplaDraven]

"We got Lawmen in 3 different states after us".

[@Superbatmanbro]

Agent Milton “ you are savages”

[@SEAZNDragon]

I maybe one of the few here who knew of Allen Pinkerton outside of Red Dead Redemption. Back in the 90s I picked up a 1960s era kids book about him and other media led me to want to be a detective. The knowledge of the labor stuff came much later and by that point I’ve learn every hero is going to have their dark spots.

[@jonhall2274]

"You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain" 😉🙃

[@zaco-km3su]

That wasn't just a dark spot.

[@justinweber4977]

I knew about him in a vague way when I did a school report on Alphonse Bertillon, another very interesting figure in detective history.

[@ampersandmcvinegar5681]

"dark spots" he says 😔

[@cfcblue8]

Pinkerton Detective Agency: We do not sleep. And neither will you by the time we're done, union-man...

[@thokim84]

@Gerald H Capitalism is a boon for murder for hire entrepreneurship. Just ask Blackwater.

[@notaspy1227]

This is the guy every Mall Security Guard wants to be. Unions hate him.

[@TheJayhawk79]

Despite what he did to the labor unions before his passing, Pinkerton was a man who lived an amazing life and fought like Hell for the enslaved. Thank you for the comprehensive insight that you always provide in every subject that cover on your show for your viewers.

[@willebrordjohn9773]

Here i am, playing rdr2 again and Now this! Well done i'd say. 👌

[@mandalor45]

literally same.

[@adamc8409]

Damn Pinkertons!

[@adamturner749]

Me too

[@user-tv4rt7ev1w]

Won’t take for this Pinkerton fluff piece

[@fourtyfivefudd]

My dad was a Pinkerton. Of course he was just a security guard down town as they are no more than a security company now, but it’s still fun to say that my dad was a Pinkerton lol

[@wes773105333]

My mom is literally a Pinkerton. It's her maiden name, and we're decendents of Allan Pinkerton.

[@fourtyfivefudd]

@@wes773105333 I’m jealous lol

[@wes773105333]

@@fourtyfivefudd haha, most of the time when I mention Allan Pinkerton to people who are bragging about who they are related to, they have no idea who I'm talking about. Then I mention some of the history and they're just like "ok." If you go back far enough, everyone is related to somebody historic. You would have to be decended from a long line of isolated people to not be, but even then you'd likely be related to somebody who made an impact in that region.

[@arkain1]

@@wes773105333 You should keep her surname instead of being yet another Smith 🤣

[@wes773105333]

@@arkain1 I have to bring glory to the surname I have. Can't do that if I'm living under the shadow cast by Allan Pinkerton.

[@Biographics]

Go to nordvpn.com/bio to get a 2-year plan plus an extra gift with a huge discount!

[@Grant25]

God damn Pinkertons!

[@MarloSoBalJr]

Have you heard of one Leviticus Cornwall?... His train was robbed one evening but some gang called to the "Van der Linde"

[@danicalifornia505]

Can you do the Pinkerton Agency itself?

[@obscureorca]

Simon, you should do a video on Milunka Savic, the most decorated female soldier in history. She was a fascinating character who had a pretty wild life with a bunch of interesting and crazy stories.

[@nadiaandkofi]

Where she’s from?

[@obscureorca]

@@nadiaandkofi Serbia

[@tridot3605]

Did she fight in ww1?

[@obscureorca]

@@tridot3605 Among a few other wars, yeah she also fought in WW1

[@netrioter]

shes boring

[@Dethflash]

Great episode. I had no idea of Allan Pinkertons early history, or that he helped in the underground railroad.

[@patrickkelly5004]

My great-great uncle, James McDonnell, was one of the last Molly Maguires hung in Mauch Chunk PA (today's Jim Thorpe PA) for his alleged participation in strike violence that left one law enforcement person dead in 1863. A stay of execution from Pennsylvania's governor was waiting outside the hanging room door, but could not be delivered in time to save uncle James' neck. Well done, Mr. Pinkerton!

[@quinnedgar9356]

Brilliant job mate, so informative and a great watch. Know you’ve done a few on the Irish Rebellion in 1916 on your other channel, an insight into James Connolly would be a great watch👍

[@mandalor45]

Aurthor Morgan disliked this video

[@trj1442]

I'm so glad you covered Allan Pinkerton. Thankyou. May I suggest you cover Admiral Richard E. Byrd. He was an interesting fellow that led an extraordinary life.

[@blubberinweasel1772]

The Pinkies were the security force of Belmont Park Racetrack at least up til the 70's.

[@rogersledz6793]

Thank you so much for uploading this video. It is helping me get through the pandemic!

[@woahhbro2906]

The Pinkertons are still around. I worked for the company a few years ago

[@zaco-km3su]

They are Securitas now.

[@fja4301]

My question is how did they gather 3 million signatures at that time and place seems absolutely impossible.

[@invaderj815]

The same way corrupt officials do it now by collecting them from the graveyard

[@billtheslink4541]

I am a security guard, albeit now I am at the top of my field doing aviation security at an airport. A large part of our work still is directed against organized labor. My last assignment with a company was Amazon. Part of my job, because I was a smoker, was to hang out in the smoking area with the employees and talk to them. Many thought I was their friend, and I really did care about many people there, but I was always on the job gathering intelligence about who was unhappy about what and if there was any talk of unionization. All was reported back to the company. It made me feel dirty and I left for my new job. Be careful what you tell a security guard, no matter how friendly they seem. Their main job is to spy on the employees. Think about it. No unarmed guard will ever defend you, or at least he isn't supposed to. He has no more legal authority than any other civilian. What is he there for?

[@Clipgatherer]

Pinkerton’s is now owned by Securitas, a Swedish-based security company.

[@DiscoDickJones]

And they're still spies and union busters. It's just called mail services and security now.

[@carloszapata847]

That sounds like the name in the Spanish dub of the company Mr. Incredible worked on before getting fired.

[@thokim84]

Murder for hire Capitalists exist everywhere.

[@K._Oss]

Simon, this was a brilliant one. I understand if you never see this, but if you do, I suggest a video more than anybody about Malcolm McLaren. A good biographics about the bastard, the wanker, the thief, and the very evil man that pretty much for almost his entire existence in main stream pop culture always found away to change it forever in the most ridiculous and outlandish ways possible, and then be able to find an artistic point to it all once the chaos was over… even if he most likely made up a few bits

[@duncancurtis5971]

Spicer Lovejoy in Titanic 1997, played by legendary David Warner is an ex Pinkerton cop.

[@TrueRetroflection]

On April 1, you should cover one of the Pinkertons' most proficient agents, Edgar Ross

[@oliverwelles5366]

NOWWW

[@allanscott21]

Nah do one of the real Pinkerton's agent Milton

[@jonhall2274]

Can you, or anyone else, elaborate as to why it's best done in April Fool's Day, please?🧐 🙃

[@shadowbanned1999]

@@jonhall2274 Agent Ross is a character in the red dead redemption videogames that feature the Pinkerton's in it

[@allanscott21]

@@jonhall2274 and so is agent Milton

[@hkschubert9938]

What a great history of Pinkerton! Thank you!

[@oliverwelles5366]

Pinkertons seem to love express cartridges from Cattleman revolvers with sick engravings.

[@AppleTrujillo]

Thank you for making this. I’m a Pinkerton Myself. My grandfathers name is Allen Eugene Pinkerton. So for sure this man you are educating everyone about is my great great great great great grandfather hahah. My fathers dad however went by Eugene his middle name. He was a stunt man in movies. Died before I was born. Well thank you again. So insightful. I have been digging deep on my family.

[@you900001]

I want a part 2 of this. Go into detail of the strikes

[@findsharon]

I like that his wife considered it the best time of their lives when her husband was working 7 days a week.

[@MarloSoBalJr]

"I love my husband when he's asleep." -Most housewives

[@jonhall2274]

@@MarloSoBalJr Lol!😂🤣

[@sebastianduran2022]

If anyone else is interested, he was buried at the Graceland cemetery. Pissing on his grave is definitely going on my bucket list

[@captainblue2344]

Real classy

[@robertbollard5475]

If anyone was ever wondering about a definition of the term "class traitor" this biography pretty much fits the bill.

[@rory4016]

Really fascinating episode

[@ash9289-r5u]

Hey Biographic, Can you do a biography on Abdol Hossein Sardari? He is considered the Schindler of Iran and managed to save many Jews in occupied France by convincing the Nazis, with their own ideology, that Iranian Jews are Aryans like Iranians

[@duncancurtis5971]

And Chiune Sugihara of the Japanese consulate in Latvia 1941, known as the Good Jap.

[@TihetrisWeathersby]

The Original Bureau of Investigation would make a nice video

[@ehrldawg]

Supposedely,he had a home in Onarga,Illinois with a wooded lot that he opened to the public for Sunday drives and picnics. That home is being renovated for a museum.

[@ripdippy6964]

“You better back off my land Agent Milton”

[@RatherUnique101]

The Pinkerton treated Author Morgan very badly

[@btetschner]

Will check out the videos for John Brown and Eugene Vidocq. Great video, A+ The crew at biographics, including The Whistler, know how to tell a great history. Thank you for the video.

[@darkchocolate1083]

You should do one on General Norman Schwarzkopf(man who led collation forces during the Gulf War)

[@annaschwirian7548]

So interesting would live to see you do a video on Mary pickersgill or Elizabeth Paterson Bonaparte

[@cursedapostate3705]

"Pinkerton?! More like Finkerton!"-Dutch Van Der Lin, 1899 (probably)

[@TheColonelKlink]

Working dawn to dusk as a 19th century cooper was no barrel of laughs.

[@josephkahre9088]

Is there a video on any of your channels about D.B. Cooper seems like it would be up ur alley

[@camilohiche4475]

Biographies that you have criminally overlooked so far: Classical composers: - Ludwig van Beethoven - J.S. Bach - Antonio Vivaldi Gods/iconic figures: - Michael Jackson - Babe Ruth Chess legends: - Gary Kasparov - Bobby Fischer Painters/artists: - Gustav Klimt - Marcel Duchamp Architects/builders: - Gustav Eiffel - Frank Lloyd Wright - Le Corbusier - Antonio Gaudi - Buckminster Fuller Writers: - Léon Tolstoï - Fiodor Dostoïevski - Homer - Sophocles - Victor Hugo - Jules Verne - Jorge Luis Borges - Miguel de Cervantes - John Steinbeck - Dante Alighieri Philosophers/theologists: - René Descartes - Confucius - Emmanuel Kant - John Locke - Voltaire - Jean Calvin Scientists: - Pythagoras - Euclid - Leonardo Fibonacci - Max Planck Dictators: - Nicolae Ceausescu - Manuel Noriega Explorers: - Zheng He - Vasco da Gama - John Cabot - Amerigo Vespucci - Hernán Cortés Other: - Anne Frank - Caterina de' Medici - Cesare Borgia

[@thomassultana263]

Actors - Nicholas Cage - Chuck Norris How about some athletes?

[@maryscott9430]

The vidoqc society in pennsylvania is amazing!! They help cold cases so much.

[@LordFrieza_NA_Server]

Simon can you please do one on "Ragnar Lodbrok". Thanks for all you and your team do love the channels

[@mktf5582]

Please do Jerome Caminada, Mancunian Detective and inspiration for Sherlock Holmes, and also Barney Ruditsky.

[@GeoffryGifari]

can you do one for linus pauling, twice nobel winning chemist who became controversial late in life?

[@TheEvilCommenter]

Good video 👍

[@ethanramos4441]

“Vice may triumph for a time, crime may flaunt its victories, but in the end the law will follow the wrong-doer to a bitter fate, and dishonor and punishment will be the portion of those who sin” Alan Pinkerton

[@Stellar-Cowboy]

Ah but see, that’s where his faulty judgement of society starts. The man was too bogged down in law and right-doing that he forgot the bad guy always wins. You either let the bad guy triumph or you become one yourself, and beat him with his own tactics

[@ethanramos4441]

@@Stellar-Cowboy Yeah and obviously we know what side he chose

[@justinweber4977]

@@Stellar-Cowboy "The bad guy always wins"? That's an extremely pessimistic sort of view.

[@Stellar-Cowboy]

@@justinweber4977 it may seem so but the “bad guy” will do anything in its power to win. The good guy will follow his morals and be bound to them. I’m saying this about war. I’m not talking about your issue with a bully. Bullies lose, they’re dumb. For instance, the US bombed Japan in WW2. They killed tens of thousands and affected millions. They didn’t care about morals. They were “bad guys”. And they won.

[@erikk4555]

Simon and Team.. I'm dying for an episode about Robert L. Howard or Hans-Ulrich Rudel👀🔥❤

[@jwall1646]

Next you should do a video on Rip Van Winkle

[@peter-radiantpipes2800]

Man, disguising Lincoln.. must have been tough with his height for that time. Lol. Or this time.

[@giasifman9050]

Hey biographic I would love to see a video about rokossovsky

[@tomegert8857]

You should do video on Shinzo Abe

[@eldridgedavis]

Interesting video ☺️

[@premiumg3789]

I now see how he took down the INFAMOUS Vanderlinde gang

[@ZanzatheDivine]

A good thing that island he frequented wasn't Tahiti

[@jordanroberts3007]

Wouldn't mind seeing something on James FitzGibbon, though maybe there's not enough detail, maybe a video on multiple small but important officers and soldiers like him from the same era...

[@Name1person]

“Your a wanted man Arthur Morgan five thousand dollars for you head alone”

[@WaldoBagelTopper]

I learned about Pinkerton detectives from American Outlaws, a 2001 Colin Farrell cowboy movie where he plays Jessie James.

[@twocvbloke]

I'd heard of them being an PI firm, but didn't really know much about them, certainly seemed to e quite the transition from barrel maker to criminal defeater...

[@bobbymay8618]

I'm related to James b hume. My dad used to tell me stories of him and read from his book.

[@leondillon8723]

6:19)Slavery was legal in almost every state.Rhode Island outlawed it when still a colony.Freed had to carry papers.Freeborn, US or from elsewhere, also had to carry papers.A Canadian was lynched during a slave revolt.Up to 1863, slave catchers could cross the lines and to bring back alleged slaves. 9:22)The Chicago PD was organized 10 April,1855. How did he become a city detective in 1849?

[@MrPrussianjester]

Man caught a bullet.

[@danicalifornia505]

Warographics on the Battle of Blair Mountain

[@LMaxx5]

Big ups Pinkerton for the work done on the underground railroad. Riding shotgun with Bro John Brown....real thing them.

[@jrueger1327]

Actually Simon, the Van Der Linde gang was the Pinkertons downfall

[@KarenRose70]

I just saw Pinkertons and Warnes graves this month

[@Seouldrift7]

The Agency is still around but I think only does government contracts after an act that was passed in the late 19th century.

[@benthomason3307]

He became the very thing he swore to destroy.

[@NopeAndYep]

Ummmm.....you left out he was a part of the illuminati. Private Eye, The Hidden Hand... Worked with the terrorist John Brown, (illuminist/Jacobins/Knights of the Golden Circle, Masons) Who was associated with John Wilks Booth... be wary of foreigners telling you about your nation's history...

[@Jakal_205]

Arthur Morgan: Damn Pinkertons

[@theawesomeman9821]

This dude deserves his own TV show!

[@kattekaren]

"All barrels all the time" - what a crazy guy xD

[@testshietchannel]

"Bring us the girl, wipe the debt away..."

[@cfcblue8]

You know it’s bad when the Pinkerton Detective Agency did a lot of bad things, but they kicked out Booker because he was too violent for them.

[@testshietchannel]

@@cfcblue8 Well, de Witt sure was an a-hole at times 🤷‍♀️

[@fluffyfeetbmf]

Agent Milton, now there’s a real nasty Pinkerton.

[@torchedmonkee]

I wonder if Craig (The second counterfeiter) used counterfeit money to bribe the policeman who let him escape

[@mmak81]

Can you make a video on Andrew jackson

[@franciscojose6496]

Good job teacher

[@TheArmanibuie]

i like how Red Dead uses the Pinkertons accurately

[@meshachperera7081]

Please make a biographical on Seretse khama

[@michaelgreen1515]

Never expected Pinkerton to be a Chartist!

[@CptMoroni35]

The movie “3:10 to Yuma” was when I first of the Pinkertons

[@donsandsii4642]

George McClellan bio needed. Why was he not fighting even with superior numbers?

[@MsLenepigen]

First time I heard about the Pinkertons was in Bioshock Infinite.

[@gabbiehepworthh]

6:42 the cobbler? I thought he was a cooper!

[@dilljay11]

i knew he was scottish but never realised hes from the gorbals never really thought it would be called the gorbals that long ago either

[@lcronovt]

After what happen in MtG I need to know what are the Pinkerton

[@jeremyhennessee6604]

Please do an episode on JAMES TILLEY MATTHEWS and the air loom machine. No good biography exists on KZbin. It'll be a good character study .