The day book. [volume], March 15, 1915, LAST EDITION, Image 2

About The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917

Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

                
Horn, was credited with the killing
of 17 cattle rustlers That he was a
paid detective in. the steady employ
of Pinkerton's is-not generally
known. Siringo printsthis state
ment: "On one of his trips to Denver Wil
liam A. Pinkerton told me that Tom
Horn was guilty of a big gambling
hall robbery in Reno, but the agency
could not let him go to the peniten
tiary while he was in their employ.
"In his confession of murder Horn
told how he had a contract with weal
thy cattlemen of Wyoming to mur
der suspected cattle rustlers at $600 a
head. It was understood that when
ever a corpse was found with a stone
under its head for a pillow Horn was
to be paid $600 and no questions ask
ed. Horn claimed the stone under
corpse's head as his private brand."
Siringo titles his book "Two Evil
Isms," meaning Pinkertonism and
anarchism. On the Haymarket case
he writes:
"I was detailed to watch the jury,
to see that lawyers for the defense
did no 'monkey work' In the way of
bribery. Thus during the whole trial
I watched the jury while aft their
meals and While sitting in the jury
box. I heard every word of the evi
dence, and having heard operatives
who worked on the witnesses discuss
matters I felt sure some of it was
perjured testimony.
"No doubt some of the anarchists
deserved hanging, but for the life of
me I could not see the justice of the
conviction in the face of the evidence
as I understood it. Itwas in my mind
a case of 'money making the .mare
go,' with the Pinkerton National De
tective Agency using the whip. And
no doubt hey feathered their dirty
nest with a good share of the money,
said to be $1,000,000 put up by the
Citizens' league of Chicago, to stamp
out anarchy.
"The false reports written by de
tectives about anarchists, as told to
me by the writers themselves, would
make a decent man's blood boil. 1
will cite one case: The two 'Docs,'
one an ex-convict, were sent to the
lake front one Sunday morning to
report any anarchistic speeches made
during the day. The lake front park
(now Grant park) was crowded with
people, but nothing going on of a dis
orderly nature. In the afternoon the
two 'Docs' spied the noted anarchist
leader, Albert Parsons, on a bench
reading a newspaper. Taking a seat
by his side the two 'Docs' began
praising anarchy and abusing capital
ists. This caused Parsons to quit
reading and join in the conversation,
but his talk was mild and he could not
be induced to make threats.
"Next morning, the two 'Docs,' ac
cording to the story told me by 'Doc'
Williams, sent in blood-curdling re
ports of the things the anarchists
were going to do to society and the
moneyed class, as told by Albert Par
sons. The excuse was that these
flashy reports suited the agency, and
pleased the clients who were having
the work done, and also gave the
detectives an excuse for rendering
big expense bills for drinks and the
like.
"Lessons of injustice learned dur
ing my first month in the Pinkerton
agency on the anarchist case almosc
caused me to throw up my position in
disgust. But I argued in my own
mind that the corruption was a sore
on the hpdy politic which no one man
could cure hence I might as we'l re
main and become educated in the
ways of free America. The question
might be asked why I did not show
my manhood by resigning and ex
posing this crooked agency in the be
ginning. Exposing it to whom, pray?
Not to the officers of the law, I hope.
I am glad I did not, for with my 22
years behind the curtains, I can now
see the outcome. It would have re
sulted in many 'sleeps' in the city
bull-pen and a few doses of -the third
degree to try and wring a confession
from me for trying to blackmail this