Background on Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Alliance

What is the story on the Pinkerton Detective Agency?
The Pinkerton Detective Agency was founded by Allan Pinkerton in 1852. Pinkerton rose to prominence on the national scene as the head of the US Secret Service during the Civil War. The Pinkerton Detective Agency had its main office in Chicago and other branches nation wide. The motto of the Agency was "We Never Sleep". The Agency was involved in many high profile assignments, such as protecting President Abraham Lincoln (the Agency foiled an assassination plot that was to take place in Baltimore) and led the manhunt for Jesse and Frank James. The Agency was also involved with a famous case concerning a group called the Molly Maguires . James McParlan, who would eventually head the Denver branch of the Agency, was instructed to infiltrate the Maguires. The evidence he collected led to the conviction of 20 men. The Agency was often used to break strikes. A famous example of this took place 1892 when employees of the Agency tried to break a strike at the Homestead steel plant, located in Pennsylvania. The striking workers were waiting for the Pinkerton men and a long battle erupted, resulting in the deaths of seven Pinkerton men and 9 Homestead workers. There is a great book on the event and the circumstances leading up to it called " Homestead ", authored by William Serrin. The Agency is still in business today, but is named Pinkerton Consulting and Investigations.

James McParlan, that name is familiar....
James McParlan (1843-1919) appears in "Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Alliance". Born in Ireland, he came in to the USA via Liverpool, just as Holmes and Watson did in "The Disappearance of Sherlock Holmes". Once in the US, McParlan opened a liquor store. The store later burned down and he joined the Pinkerton Detective Agency. Using the name James McKenna he infiltrated the Molly Maguires and helped convict 20 men. In 1905 McParlan was involved in a case investigating the Western Federation of Miners, who were thought to have been involved in the death of Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg. McParlan interrogated the man, Harry Orchard, who was suspected in the killing. McParlan was successful in getting Orchard to confess and to name his cohorts as well.

Some of the book takes place in a flour mill. Is that a real place?
Yes. In 1878 the Washburn A Mill was destroyed in an explosion and, in 1880, a new "A" Mill was built. It is this mill that appears in the book. Both mills were owned by the Minneapolis Mill company and the new "A" Mill was at one point the largest and most technologically advanced mill in the world. A few decades later the mill became outdated and fell idle. In 1991 the old mill caught fire and was mostly destroyed. It again caught fire in 1998, causing further damage. There is now an effort being made by the Minnesota Historical Society to revitalize the old mill area. Pictures of the "A" Mill can be seen here and here .

Did President McKinley really give a speech in Minneapolis during October of 1899?
Yes. President McKinley visited Minneapolis on October 12, 1899 to welcome home the Thirteenth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry who were returning from the Philippines. He gave a short speech and there was a parade in the Infantry's honor. Of course, as Millett notes in the back of the book, there was no attempt on his life while visiting Minneapolis. That part of the book is pure fiction. You can see an actual picture of President McKinley at the parade honoring the Thirteenth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry here .

The above information was gathered from a number of different sources, among them the following web pages:

Pinkerton Detective Agency
Mill City Museum
Milling in Minneapolis
James McParlan
James McParlan, US Labor Spy
Honoring the Chief

See the links section for more information on Allan Pinkerton, milling, and James McParlan.