How the Pinkerton Agency Laid the Foundation for the FBI and CIA 

I remember the day in school when we were taught about Leviticus Cornwall hiring the Pinkertons to hunt down the Van Der Linde gang around 1899. It will forever go down in history as one of their biggest failures. Not only did they fail miserably but they also allowed their client (Leviticus Cornwall) to be shot killed by Dutch Van Der Linde himself. In their presence much less.

If you ever need to escape the Pinkertons, just start a mango farm in Tahiti..... works like a charm.

You're A Wanted Man Mr.Morgan.

Dutch would have a better plan if he watched this video

My grandmother hired Pinkerton Agency to find me in the 70s when I ran away from home. They were unsuccessful.

They tried to sue Rockstar over the use of their name and image on RDR2. Judge ruled they are a historic figure at this point and dismissed it.

I can't hear pinkerton without thinking about Red Dead

Arthur: What a fine day to visit Blackwater. Pinkertons: NOPE.

"Enjoy your fishing kid while you still can"

“We Never Sleep” Ahh, the good ol’ days of legal cocaine.

I love how we talk about violent murderous strike breakers like they’re hero’s and then don’t think twice about the FBI and CIA basically being the state run version of them. Yes, I’m implying that the US government saw strikebreaking by the Pinkertons and said “hey, I bet we can make a ton more money doing this for corporations who lobby and fund us” and that it’s exactly what they do to this day

We got God damn Pinkertons all over us, Dutch!

Most shocking fact from this video: The Pinktertons are still around!

This is the low honor ending for Arthur "Oh Dutch, he's a rat, you know it and i know it." "He's sick, he's dying he's (cough) talking crazy" -Micah Bell I- -Dutch Van Der Linde ''Come on.. dutch, lets go buddy we made it (grunts) we've won, come on" "John made it, he's the only one, (breaths) the rest of us.. no but, i tried, in the end i did" "Come on, lets go we can make it, Come on dutch, COME OOON!" (Arthur Coughing) (Points gun at arthur) "You're not better than me, morgan'' "Whatever you say, you fool." "Damn you" "Damn us both!" (Arthur gets shot in the head) (Rat spits on him and limps away)

Just need faith, noise , money, and alot of smoke to avoid the Pinkertons. Learned this from Dutch.

My great grandfather was shot by the Pinkertons during a labor strike in the 1920's...fortunately he lived or I wouldn't have left this comment.

The dislikes came from the Van Der Linde Gang. Edit: I misspelled it Van Der Line, lol

Soon as I saw “Pinkerton Agency” I ran to the comments for red dead comments, and I wasn’t disappointed 🤠🤠

It's always nice to learn new stuff everyday, I thought Pinkerton agency only exist in Red Dead Redemption game. Sorry I'm not American so I didn't know this before lol.

I'm literally playing Red Dead Redemption 2 right now! Thanks for the context; I really feel like I'm there now!

I think it would be awesome to see a whole series that deep dives into this agencies details. It would be really cool to hear about the few times that someone let go of convention and how It paid off.

Dutch Van Der Linde rn: 😬

Pinkerton flees the law and starts an agency that hunts those who flee, such great irony. 🧐🗿🎭🛡️

And somewhere in all that history came Agents Milton and Ross to mess everything up... tragedy

I can't imagine the amount of detective work it takes to write for this channel.

As the son of a union steel worker, I have nothing good to say of the Pinkertons! Some things are hard to forget!

I'm watching this today because of a card game.

Do you heard about any pinkertons around here? -Arthur Morgan 1889

The crimes of the Pinkertons during labor disputes and strike-busting were passed over a bit too quickly. Things did not improve with the start of the FBI. The main difference is that the FBI hid their crimes better for decades. Corporate criminal Henry Frick was known for a few things. Among them the Johnstown flood which killed more than 2,000 people; however he bought some respectability with his Frick Collection Art Museum in NYC.

Ah yes I remember when we heard about Milton hunting down the infamous Van der Linde gang in 1899. Truly disasterous, then their later manhunt of the remains of the scattered gang. Impressive.

My grandad: **suffers ptsd from being in Vietnam while in the Air Force** Me: **suffers ptsd from fleeing from blackwater after being chased by Pinkertons in 1899**

Deadwood's Al Swearengen: "The fucking Pinkertons!" RIP Tacitus Kilgore & Jim Milton

Made me think of the 3 Stooges short where they were Civil War spies and the whole Goodtime Charlie bit

How did you guys leave out the interesting story of when they sent a cease and desist to Rockstar Games, for using the Pinkerton name in Red Dead Redemption 2?

They got some real numbers considering the bodies west of New Hanover and beyond

Well this explains why I never went to work for Securitas...thanks Weird History!!! 🧐💯

There's two famous Pinkerton's agent : Agent Andrew Milton and Agent Edgar Ross.

Pinkerton, founded as the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, is a private security guard and detective agency established in the United States by Scotsman Allan Pinkerton in 1850, and currently a subsidiary of Securitas AB. Pinkerton became famous when he claimed to have foiled a plot to assassinate president-elect Abraham Lincoln, who later hired Pinkerton agents for his personal security during the Civil War. Pinkerton's agents performed services ranging from security guarding to private military contracting work. The Pinkerton National Detective Agency hired women and minorities from its founding, a practice uncommon at the time. Pinkerton was the largest private law enforcement organization in the world at the height of its power.

This could be a good game to base upon of. A linear stealth game where a rag tag of Pinkerton newbs would rise to the ranks by solving cases during that time.

"One last score, Mr. Morgan" ...

RDR2 VIBES

Pinkerton detectives appear as antagonists in Red Dead Redemption 2. They appear primarily as mercenaries and investigators employed to track down the Van Der Linde gang after they stage a robbery in the town of Blackwater which resulted in several civilian deaths. The modern-day Pinkerton security company issued a cease-and-desist notice to Take-Two Interactive, publisher of Red Dead Redemption 2, in 2019 over the use of the company's trademarks[33] and the game's negative portrayal of Pinkertons as villains. Take-Two filed a suit striking back at the cease-and-desist notice from Pinkerton, wanting a court to rule that its use of the Pinkerton name - as part of a game that emphasizes historical accuracy - was fair use, but on April 11, 2019, Pinkerton dismissed their lawsuit and settled out of court with Take-Two - Wikipedia

Damn, I can’t believe the Weezer album did all that.

Great video. Very informative. Not a single mention of Dutch Vanderlin's gang, but otherwise, well researched

I had heard about the Pinkerton agency over the years in college, and I got a laugh out of the fact that Booker Dewitt in "Bioshock: Infinite" is said in-game to have once been one of their agents before he went and did his own PI work.

"You're a wanted man mr Morgan 5,000 dollars for your head alone"

That moment when you and the boiis start FBI

“Be careful hunting monsters, lest you become one yourself, for when you stare into the Abyss, the Abyss also stares into you.” --Nietzsche.

Pinkerton had a plan, he just needed more money

The story "Valley of Fear" by Arthur Conan Doyle seems to be based on the Pinkerton agents. Though in the story the mine labourers are portrayed as villains and brutes. Whereas they were actually victims of exploitation.

With two sons in the Pinkerton Detective Agency and one son working in the sewage processing plant, my great grandmother would tell her friends she has "Two in the Pink, and one in the stink."

I wanted to listen to the Weezer album and now I’m watching this video

Not a mention on the framing & injustice of the Molly Maguires? It’s were they made their bones. The largest execution in one day.

Enjoy your fishing kid, while you still can

This is giving me RDR2 ptsd..

Constantly running from these guys in red dead lol

Wait, they weren't just a plot device in RDR? Freaking shook.

I love the art style for their poster.

What a good subject! I have visions of Jim West & Artemus Gordon in their personal railroad car.

Securitas in Switzerland also uses the Pinkerton eye logo

One dislike from Arthur Morgan

They used the Pinkertons against Amazon union organizers in Europe recently.

Why am I only able to think about RDR2??

I‘m really proud of the rdr2 Community for taking over the comment section, but remember we still have ONE LAST SCORE to scheme

I am getting flashbacks and deja vu

My history teacher gave me this lesson about the day famous outlaw Hosea Mathews was killed by Andrew Milton in a huge bank robbery in New Orleans formally known as Saint Denis in the year 1899

Being a lover of History I knew they existed, and a new most of their history. When first Red Dead redemption came out my first thought was the pinkerton's had to be involved somehow. Having learned about it from the History channel back before it became on pawn pickers

"Have faith, Son!".

THEM DAMN PINKERTONS ON OUR TRAIL

I did not know a company bought them out. I worked for Pinkerton in the 90s at the Tampa branch. I thought they were still around after all that time.

Fun fact: it still exists.

they go from being 1800s fbi to raiding a house because a card collector did something that he had no control of

Been playing RDR2 lately so definitely needed this

@6:12- “Sounds like we should do a story on that guy.” I’d say go for it!

You should do a video on how the person who created the clock knew the time

The Top Comment: “We Never Sleep” Ahh, the good ol’ days of legal cocaine." Everyone else: Red Dead Redemption II references *and i effing love it*

Getting the feeling someone is watching.👀

I can't believe RDD's influence was this giant to inspire such an organization

I used to work for Pinkerton in the 1990’s, pathetic management in the Ohio office I worked out of.

damn pinkies. one last score. ok the fact that they hired women and minorities is pretty cool.

Because of the economic crisis and the rate of unemployment now is the best time to invest and make money 💯

That’s cool to watch the history and an founder of the Pinkertons detective agency that started all . The Pinkertons is the foundation of all government agencies today, CIA , FBI , the police force, SWAT team and the secret service

Be careful, if you claim something about the Pinkertons that they don't agree or like (even if its historically correct) they will get butt-hurt and sue you in court. Just ask Rockstar Games. Pinkertons are today, nothing like they once were in the old days. Sad to say, but true!

People always confess or divulge info out of a guilty conscience or pride. But we always confess

Would love to hear about the Possibility of the show Hell on Wheels being somewhat true. If there is such a person as "Cullen Bohannon" it would be awesome to hear about his story. Not sure if you had already done an episode on that or not but it'd be amazing if you touched up on that with the real story.

I use to live across the street from the Pinkerton Bloodline. Dude was a Sheriff, his kid shot me in the back with a bb gun.

I love all of these Red Dead comments lol.

the craziest thing is that this group still exsists

I HAD A PLAN!!

Man, this was something. I read about the agency during my free time. It was good.

Can you do a video about the Pinkerton agency and the Homestead strike @ Carnegie Steel in 1892?

You just summoned the whole fandom

bruh I didnt even know the pinkertons were real I thought they were just from red dead 2

This was pretty good

They had a GODDAMN PLAN

"Bunch o' whole asses" Arthur Morgan, 1899.

Learnt alot from this channel And I didn't expect Pintertons to last that long

D&D sent me here😊

Thanks for covering all corners of Pinkerton's history. Good, bad, diverse, effective, and murderous corners in a single short video is impressive. My only question: if this global company from Sweden owns the Pinkerton firm, are they still active?

They really had it out for Dutch Van Der Linde