Description: The Administrative File gives an excellent overview of the history of the agency and includes documents covering their most famous cases as well the business practices of the company. The Criminal Case Files constitute the bulk of the collection. The criminal case files consist of correspondence regarding the cases, reports from operatives, mug shots, reward notices, and wanted posters. Some of the case files also include histories of the cases, often written by Pinkerton employees after a case was completed. The Criminal Case File includes files on some of the Pinkerton's most well-known cases including the Pinkerton's pursuit of Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid (Harry Longabaugh), and the Wild Bunch Gang; the work of agent James McParland in infiltrating the Molly Maguires; and Allan Pinkerton's role in thwarting the 1861 assassination plot against Abraham Lincoln; and investigations of train robberies, bank robberies, murder, fraud, and forgeries throughout the United States. Overall, the records of Pinkerton's National Detective Agency provide many exciting research opportunities for researchers in criminology, sociology, the history of law enforcement, and labor relations.

Dates of Coverage: 1853-1999

Concurrent Users: unlimited

Other info: always proxy off-campus, provides full text

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