In honor of the May release of Jenny Cameron’s Cattle Rustling Catastrophe, here’s some fun background about the real-life Pinkerton Agency, founded by Allan Pinkerton. How do detective agencies play into the book? You’ll need to read it to find out!
At the bottom of the article, you will find a recipe to make invisible ink!
Allan Pinkerton & Kate Warne
Do you like mysteries? Have you ever wanted to be a detective and solve real life puzzles? Maybe you’ve dreamed of joining a police force. It sounds like an exciting life, doesn’t it? Allan Pinkerton and Kate Warne thought so! Who were they?
America’s original private eye was named Allan Pinkerton. Born into a poor family in Scotland, Allan’s life didn’t offer many opportunities. Work was scarce and times were hard. After his marriage, Allan decided to come to America. He quickly found work as a barrel maker, sometimes called a cooper, and stumbled into a real- life mystery.
On a wood-scouting trip to a small island, Allan found the hideout of a group of counterfeiters. He hurried for the sheriff and helped catch the crooks. Allan enjoyed being a detective and soon had more clients than he could handle alone. In 1849, he became the first detective on the Chicago police force. A year later, he decided to head out on his own and formed the Pinkerton National Detective Agency.
In 1856, a beautiful young widow answered a newspaper ad. The Pinkerton Agency had grown and needed another secretary. To Allen Pinkerton’s surprise, Kate Warne did not want the job as secretary. No, she wanted to become a detective.
“It is not the custom to employ women detectives,” Pinkerton answered gruffly.
Kate argued back that women have an “eye for detail and are excellent observers.”
To prove her point, she told Mr. Pinkerton that women could be most useful in “worming out secrets in many places that would be impossible for a male detective.” Allan Pinkerton was convinced, and Kate became America’s first female detective. Before long, Kate Warne had successfully helped solve several cases.
One of the most famous of Allen and Kate’s cases was known as the Baltimore Plot. It was 1861, and feelings in the southern part of the United States were ready to explode. News soon reached Allan Pinkerton that a plot was underway to assassinate the president-elect, Abraham Lincoln. Allen sent Kate (a master at disguises) to Maryland to pose as a wealthy Southern lady. Kate’s investigation turned up many crucial clues.
It was through Kate’s detecting skills that the Pinkerton Agency knew several Southern sympathizers planned to assassinate President Lincoln as his train stopped in Baltimore on the way to Washington, D. C.
The Pinkerton agents, including Kate, met with President Lincoln and discussed a plan. To foil the would be assassins, Kate and another detective dressed the president as an invalid. President Lincoln wore a soft hat pulled low over his face and a shawl. The detectives slipped the disguised president into a secret train car Kate had previously reserved for her invalid “brother.” Instead of stopping in Baltimore, the President’s train traveled straight from Pennsylvania to Washington, D. C., with Kate standing guard.
Allan Pinkerton would later brag that Kate “never slept a wink” until the president had been successfully slipped into the White House. He later used this as the Pinkerton Agency’s motto: “We Never Sleep.”
Kate Warne and Allan Pinkerton worked on many successful cases during the Civil War. Pinkerton often said Kate was one of the five best detectives he had. She became the Pinkerton Agency’s Female Superintendent of Detectives. Because of Kate, many other women joined the Pinkertons as “private eyes,” one of Allan Pinkerton’s nicknames for a detective.
America’s first detectives left behind a rich legacy. So, next time you dream about becoming a detective, remember Allen Pinkerton and Kate Warne. They started it all!
Make Your Own Invisible Ink!
by Maribeth Uralrith, from Cookies and Milk, May 2009
Spies and detectives have been around for a very long time. A major spy ring–the Culper Gang–was created during the Revolutionary War by George Washington. Did you know that George W. himself played around with invisible ink? Actually, invisible ink played a significant role in our winning the American Revolution. And now, you can make your own invisible ink!
Lemon Juice Invisible Ink
What you need:
- a lemon or a bottle of lemon juice
- a knife to cut the lemon (ask for adult help)
- sunlight or a heat source, like a light bulb or blow dryer
- a bowl to hold the juice
- paper to write on
- narrow paint brush (or even a stick)
What you do:
- Cut the lemon and squeeze the juice into the bowl (or pour bottle lemon juice).
- Use the paintbrush (or stick) to write your secret message.
- Allow the paper to dry completely.
- When you are ready to read your message, hold the paper in sunlight, near the light bulb, or under the blow dryer.
- The heat causes the lemon juice writing to darken to a pale brownish color. Now, you can read your message!
Mysteries, Westerns, & More 
Hi Donna,
Just testing how the comments work.
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