The Pinkerton Labor Spy facts for kids

The Pinkerton Labor Spy is a non-fiction book published in 1907. It was written to expose the secrets and unfair actions of the Pinkerton Detective Agency. The book especially focused on their chief agent, James McParland.

This book explained how mining companies used spies during the time of the Colorado Labor Wars. It described how these spies were hired, used, and managed. These agents secretly joined unions like the Western Federation of Miners and the United Mine Workers. Their goal was to cause trouble, damage things, and gather information.

The author of the book, Morris Friedman, used to work for the Pinkerton Agency. He was Mr. McParland's stenographer, which means he typed out what McParland said.

Criticism of the Pinkerton Agency

The Pinkerton Labor Spy criticized the Pinkerton Detective Agency from the side of the workers. Charlie Siringo, another person who used to work for the agency, also wrote books about his experiences. Even though he didn't support the workers, his books were so disliked by the company that they tried to stop them from being published many times.

In 1936, a group called the La Follette Committee from the United States Senate looked into and shared information about unfair actions by detective agencies, including Pinkerton. Because of all this criticism, the Pinkerton Agency eventually changed its focus. It moved from detective work to providing security services instead.