The Expressman and the Detective

"The Expressman and the Detective" by Allan Pinkerton is a detective novel written in the late 19th century. The narrative revolves around a series of true events experienced by Pinkerton himself during his years as a detective. The central characters include Nathan Maroney, an express company agent suspected of embezzlement, and Allan Pinkerton, the detective who seeks to uncover the truth behind the missing money. At the start of the story, we are introduced to Montgomery, Alabama, during a prosperous period in the 1850s, and the vital role played by the Adams Express Company in the region's economy. The plot kicks off when Nathan Maroney discovers a significant sum of money has gone missing from his office, prompting an investigation that leads to his arrest amid public sympathy. Allan Pinkerton is called upon to untangle the complexities of the case, suspecting Maroney's involvement but believing him innocent without further evidence. The opening portion sets the stage for a thrilling investigation filled with intrigue and the challenges Pinkerton faces as he delves deeper into Maroney's life and connections. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Allan Pinkerton was a Scottish-American cooper, abolitionist, detective, and spy, best known for creating the Pinkerton National Detective Agency in the United States and his claim to have foiled a plot in 1861 to assassinate president-elect Abraham Lincoln. During the Civil War, he provided the Union Army – specifically General George B. McClellan of the Army of the Potomac – with military intelligence, including extremely inaccurate enemy troop strength numbers. After the war, his agents played a significant role as strikebreakers – in particular during the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 – a role that Pinkerton men would continue to play after the death of their founder.