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A Cowboy Detective: A True Story Of Twenty-Two Years With a World Famous Detective Agency
Charles Angelo Siringo (February 7, 1855—October 18, 1928), was an American lawman, detective, and agent for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency during the late 19th century and early 20th century. This is his autobiography. He was a very interesting guy.
Siringo was born in Matagorda County, Texas to an Irish immigrant mother and an Italian immigrant father from Piedmont. He attended public school until reaching the age of 15, when he started working on local ranches as a cowboy.
After taking part in several cattle drives, Siringo stopped herding to settle down, get married (1884), and open a merchant business in Caldwell, Kansas. He began writing a book, entitled A Texas Cowboy; Or Fifteen Years on the Hurricane Deck of a Spanish Pony. A year later, it was published, to wide acclaim, and became one of the first true looks into life as a cowboy written by someone who had actually lived the life.
Pinkerton service
In 1886, bored with the mundane life of a merchant, Siringo moved to Chicago and joined the Pinkerton Detective Agency. He used gunman Pat Garrett's name as a reference to get the job, having met Garrett several years before.
He was immediately assigned several cases, which took him as far north as Alaska, and as far south as Mexico City. He began operating undercover, a relatively new technique at the time, and infiltrated gangs of robbers and rustlers, making over one hundred arrests.
Siringo retired in 1907, and began writing another book, entitled Pinkerton's Cowboy Detective. The Pinkerton Detective Agency held up publication for two years, feeling it violated their confidentiality agreement that Siringo had signed when he was hired and objecting to the use of their name. Siringo gave in, and deleted their name from the book title, instead writing two separate books, entitled A Cowboy Detective and Further Adventures of a Cowboy Detective.
Siringo was born in Matagorda County, Texas to an Irish immigrant mother and an Italian immigrant father from Piedmont. He attended public school until reaching the age of 15, when he started working on local ranches as a cowboy.
After taking part in several cattle drives, Siringo stopped herding to settle down, get married (1884), and open a merchant business in Caldwell, Kansas. He began writing a book, entitled A Texas Cowboy; Or Fifteen Years on the Hurricane Deck of a Spanish Pony. A year later, it was published, to wide acclaim, and became one of the first true looks into life as a cowboy written by someone who had actually lived the life.
Pinkerton service
In 1886, bored with the mundane life of a merchant, Siringo moved to Chicago and joined the Pinkerton Detective Agency. He used gunman Pat Garrett's name as a reference to get the job, having met Garrett several years before.
He was immediately assigned several cases, which took him as far north as Alaska, and as far south as Mexico City. He began operating undercover, a relatively new technique at the time, and infiltrated gangs of robbers and rustlers, making over one hundred arrests.
Siringo retired in 1907, and began writing another book, entitled Pinkerton's Cowboy Detective. The Pinkerton Detective Agency held up publication for two years, feeling it violated their confidentiality agreement that Siringo had signed when he was hired and objecting to the use of their name. Siringo gave in, and deleted their name from the book title, instead writing two separate books, entitled A Cowboy Detective and Further Adventures of a Cowboy Detective.
202 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1912
355 people are currently reading
299 people want to read
About the author
Charles A. Siringo
56 books9 followersCharles Angelo Siringo (February 7, 1855 – October 18, 1928) was an American lawman, detective, bounty hunter, and agent for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 27, 2020
3.5 stars. Review to come.
June 3, 2015
Okay, this book is really silly, since it's an autobigraphy written in a time before fact checking, Charlie Siringo is the most bad ass dude to ever live, he is always with the hottest women, he always hits his mark, he's the best looking dude in any room, he is infallible. Obviously, this is BS, but it sure is entertaining. And, even though some of it is BS, some of it is true, too, and Siringo doesn't do a good enough job of blurring the distinction, so it's easy to separate the wheat from the chaff. If you're looking for a fun weekend read, check out this book.
June 30, 2017
The typical 19th/early 20th Century memoir is always suspect. The tendency or trend at the time was to exaggerate one's accomplishments - often (see Sarah Bernhardt) to the extent of patent fantasy - for effect. I can't, at this late date and without extensive research, say whether or not Siringo's memoir fits neatly into this niche or not, but to his credit, it reads as a realistic, down-to-earth record of actual events, if mostly those which would do his reputation credit.
One reads a work of this nature for Adventure! Thrills! Guns!, and this certainly delivers. But it's much more: a travelogue; a character study (as we meet the various folk Siringo encounters and befriends on both sides of the law); and, indeed, a fast-paced journey through a variety of different "cases". The author proves to be a gifted storyteller, whose pacing, often genius-level use of segues, and humorous inclusion of Cowboy expressions make for an enjoyable read.
Siringo seems not to have outspokenly demeaned others on basis of race or origin, but there are stereotypical descriptions and language which may be offensive. Hunting is described within the text, though, with the exception of one buffalo hunt, it's fairly matter-of-fact and not graphic. There is also kindness, as Siringo portrays himself as an animal lover and had many pets to whom he fondly refers throughout the text.
The Pinkerton organization was understandably disturbed at Siringo's recounting of cases he had worked during his career with the agency, and in fact blocked publication, until all references to "the Pinkertons" were replaced with a euphemism ("the Dickensons"). At this late date, the distinction may seem humorous, but to the fan of history: is this confirmation that the stories are all true, or a clever marketing ploy intended to stimulate interest in the book?
I'd like to also add: the version I read is a Google rendered edition. This means that it was generated through a combination of OCR (Optical Recognition Rendering) and ReCaptcha, which further means that there are some wacky seemingly-typographical errors. For myself, knowing that this was the process (and that I, as a consequence, was able to read this delightful work for less than a buffalo nickel), it wasn't a distraction.
In short, if this sounds like something you would like, I think you will like it. You can get it for free; give it a try.
One reads a work of this nature for Adventure! Thrills! Guns!, and this certainly delivers. But it's much more: a travelogue; a character study (as we meet the various folk Siringo encounters and befriends on both sides of the law); and, indeed, a fast-paced journey through a variety of different "cases". The author proves to be a gifted storyteller, whose pacing, often genius-level use of segues, and humorous inclusion of Cowboy expressions make for an enjoyable read.
Siringo seems not to have outspokenly demeaned others on basis of race or origin, but there are stereotypical descriptions and language which may be offensive. Hunting is described within the text, though, with the exception of one buffalo hunt, it's fairly matter-of-fact and not graphic. There is also kindness, as Siringo portrays himself as an animal lover and had many pets to whom he fondly refers throughout the text.
The Pinkerton organization was understandably disturbed at Siringo's recounting of cases he had worked during his career with the agency, and in fact blocked publication, until all references to "the Pinkertons" were replaced with a euphemism ("the Dickensons"). At this late date, the distinction may seem humorous, but to the fan of history: is this confirmation that the stories are all true, or a clever marketing ploy intended to stimulate interest in the book?
I'd like to also add: the version I read is a Google rendered edition. This means that it was generated through a combination of OCR (Optical Recognition Rendering) and ReCaptcha, which further means that there are some wacky seemingly-typographical errors. For myself, knowing that this was the process (and that I, as a consequence, was able to read this delightful work for less than a buffalo nickel), it wasn't a distraction.
In short, if this sounds like something you would like, I think you will like it. You can get it for free; give it a try.
December 7, 2017
I don't know when FBI was established, but the hero of the book had done what FBI detectives do today. I find it interesting that the catching up with felons and investigation of a crime were outsourced to private companies then. He had mostly proceeded to the suspects to win their friendhips having adopted different names pretending to be sometimes a mining man or other time a buyer of steer and so on. And if he had seen someone who were familiar he would have pretended to have never met him before. The plan always worked. However I sense most of the details were omitted not to give a bad impression on the readers. I didn't understand if he had used his notorious Colt 45 to kill a man or gained illegal money which he might need to buy his ranch or spend nice times with women. However it is worth to read to find out this part of the U.S. history from the eyes of a private detective if you are interested.
May 13, 2015
Siringo relocated to Chicago, having won some fame with his biography. He was outraged by the Haymarket bombing and vowed to fight Anarchism by joining the Pinkertons. His experience as a cowboy led him to be assigned to the Denver office under McParland, the guy that broke the Molly Maguires. Siringo's cases included chasing Butch Cassidy & Kid Curry, investigating feuds & murders in New Mexico, chasing wanted men in Alaska, going undercover among Kentucky feudists, and increasingly investigating the labor movement in Western mining industry. Siringo was a specialist in undercover investigations and was often in considerable danger.
September 14, 2017
Siringo by his own words in addition to his unprecedented detective expertise is the greatest cowboy that ever lived. A crack shot with his .45, riding skills beyond belief, inordinate insight and cunning, kindhearted, blessed with excellent good luck, brave, sociable and of course modest.
Many of the exploits are interesting but the author seemingly being so full of himself is off putting. A filter to remove the BS would improve the read.
Many of the exploits are interesting but the author seemingly being so full of himself is off putting. A filter to remove the BS would improve the read.
May 22, 2020
Interesting life he led. However, the writing is stiff and omits most any juicy story-telling sensibility. Instead, it reads like a young person's "What I Did Last Summer" essay that lists "first we did A, then did B, and while so and so said this, we did C and recalled what we did last year before doing D" and so on. I think it would make for an amazing television series, as long as writers used their imagination to fill in the gaps.
January 16, 2024
Well, This Was Refreshingly Different.
I picked this up from my library- thought it looked interesting. If you're a fan of the Old West, history, memoirs, and/or particularly The Pinkerton Detectives, then search for a copy of this.
Narrated by Michael Martin Murphy with all the aplomb of Will Rogers or even Mark Twain, this is an unusual and interesting story. I loved his narration of this work, from his accent to his self-deprecating chuckle, and all the emotions he packed into the telling. His narration did just what it should- added immensely to this amazing story.
Charles A. Siringo was an accomplished cowboy in the latter portion of the 1800s, having ridden the range since the age of 11 shortly after the War Between the States. As a young married man, he felt the need to try his hand at being a detective. He approached Mr. Pinkerton himself with a letter of recommendation and landed a career that lasted decades.
This book is his recollection of several of the events that earned him a reputation with the Pinkerton Agency, fame with the public, infamy amongst some, and several attempts on his life. During the course of his time with the Agency, he would assume many different roles in an attempt to infiltrate dangerous organizations. It was like being an undercover federal agent without any support close by. He handled numerous nationally known cases in his time including the labor riots in Idaho, moonshiners, and outlaw gangs. He survived numerous brushes with death to bring violent and dangerous men to justice.
This is an abridged version of his original memoir. At just under 3 hours, it will give you a good taste of the life of a Pinkerton Detective in the Wild, Wild West.
I picked this up from my library- thought it looked interesting. If you're a fan of the Old West, history, memoirs, and/or particularly The Pinkerton Detectives, then search for a copy of this.
Narrated by Michael Martin Murphy with all the aplomb of Will Rogers or even Mark Twain, this is an unusual and interesting story. I loved his narration of this work, from his accent to his self-deprecating chuckle, and all the emotions he packed into the telling. His narration did just what it should- added immensely to this amazing story.
Charles A. Siringo was an accomplished cowboy in the latter portion of the 1800s, having ridden the range since the age of 11 shortly after the War Between the States. As a young married man, he felt the need to try his hand at being a detective. He approached Mr. Pinkerton himself with a letter of recommendation and landed a career that lasted decades.
This book is his recollection of several of the events that earned him a reputation with the Pinkerton Agency, fame with the public, infamy amongst some, and several attempts on his life. During the course of his time with the Agency, he would assume many different roles in an attempt to infiltrate dangerous organizations. It was like being an undercover federal agent without any support close by. He handled numerous nationally known cases in his time including the labor riots in Idaho, moonshiners, and outlaw gangs. He survived numerous brushes with death to bring violent and dangerous men to justice.
This is an abridged version of his original memoir. At just under 3 hours, it will give you a good taste of the life of a Pinkerton Detective in the Wild, Wild West.
October 5, 2021
Cowboy Detective isn't anywhere as entertaining as Siringo's first book, A Texas Cowboy. Detective's chapters read like slightly reworked versions of his reports to the Pinkerton agency. Plus, there all the racist asides that , although not surprising for a white guy born in Civil War Texas, cast a cloud over the endeavor if you read it in 2021
Many of his missions had a certain sameness to them. He goes under cover to get info on a violent union or gang of railroad robbers. Most of the gang suspects he's a detective but a few vouch for him, so he's not killed. Later he testifies against some of them and a few go to prison.
Texas Cowboy was written in a semi-literate cowpoke vernacular and is quite entertaining. After reading Detective I suspect Siringo might have been helped on the first book by an imaginative editor.
Many of his missions had a certain sameness to them. He goes under cover to get info on a violent union or gang of railroad robbers. Most of the gang suspects he's a detective but a few vouch for him, so he's not killed. Later he testifies against some of them and a few go to prison.
Texas Cowboy was written in a semi-literate cowpoke vernacular and is quite entertaining. After reading Detective I suspect Siringo might have been helped on the first book by an imaginative editor.
August 9, 2020
The way it was back then
Charles Siringo who wrote This book detailing the many cases he had been on between the 1870s and 1907. Interesting the way it was. Charles goes undercover for most of his cases, fighting for his life in a lot of instances. From chasing gold thieves up in Alaska 2 looking for murderers down in Kentucky, to Mexico and New York he shows us the way life was and a lot of things haven't changed. I think I liked his story about being down in Kentucky with the moonshiners the best.
Charles Siringo who wrote This book detailing the many cases he had been on between the 1870s and 1907. Interesting the way it was. Charles goes undercover for most of his cases, fighting for his life in a lot of instances. From chasing gold thieves up in Alaska 2 looking for murderers down in Kentucky, to Mexico and New York he shows us the way life was and a lot of things haven't changed. I think I liked his story about being down in Kentucky with the moonshiners the best.
May 8, 2017
What an interesting account of a cowboy detective in a 20 year part of history we never hear about. The words, phrases, and thoughts are very much indicative of the time. Some of the writing is politically incorrect for this day and time. It may offend some.
However, the author certainly led an interesting life, with its danger, travels, and a cast of good and evil characters.
This is a long book, but worth every page turning minute.
I highly recommend every one to read it!
However, the author certainly led an interesting life, with its danger, travels, and a cast of good and evil characters.
This is a long book, but worth every page turning minute.
I highly recommend every one to read it!
July 8, 2019
This is one of those books I choose occasionally for a change of pace. It is a biography of Charles Siringo, who worked for the Pinkerton Detective Agency, primarily in the old West. He relates how he tracked down and got the best of several famous and desperate outlaws during his long career, in a Sergaent Friday, matter-of-fact manner.
June 14, 2017
A bit of a stream of consciousness writing style, which is not my style.
The writer had quite an adventurous life and if even 1/2 his stories are true (exaggeration is a bit rampant) he is lucky to have lived past the age of 30!
The writer had quite an adventurous life and if even 1/2 his stories are true (exaggeration is a bit rampant) he is lucky to have lived past the age of 30!
July 1, 2017
If you like western tales ,this is a good one. The style of writing is like no other I have read,it's reminiscent of the style of
Mark Twain in Tom Sawyer. A plain simplistic style a teenager would use in describing his adventure s through friendships.
Mark Twain in Tom Sawyer. A plain simplistic style a teenager would use in describing his adventure s through friendships.
November 8, 2022
Quite a fascinating life
Many adventures and tales that Siringo relates to in this book. Many of the characters that he had contact with have been subjects of many other books. Reading this brings some of the tails together.
Many adventures and tales that Siringo relates to in this book. Many of the characters that he had contact with have been subjects of many other books. Reading this brings some of the tails together.
September 28, 2017
Puts a new twist on the uncivilized west. Very interesting.
November 5, 2018
Incredibly long, but incredibly interesting. Siringo spends a lot of time putting himself over, to the point that it’s difficult to know what’s real and what’s being embellished. But: entertaining.
June 10, 2019
Recommended by Peace Like a River author. Interesting; written in a brief style Much happens in Colorado. Photos.
June 29, 2019
Good read
Three stars because the writer rushed the story in last 3 chapters leaving out key details. You will get a sense of life in the real West which is worth a read.
Three stars because the writer rushed the story in last 3 chapters leaving out key details. You will get a sense of life in the real West which is worth a read.
October 8, 2022
Old Cowboy Detective
An interesting trip down through history. Having grown up around old Cowboys I loved how these stories rambles in the way of an old story telling cowboy.
An interesting trip down through history. Having grown up around old Cowboys I loved how these stories rambles in the way of an old story telling cowboy.
January 9, 2026
Pinkerton detectives don't get talked about enough.
April 18, 2022
A Cowboy Detective is a memoir about a man who gave up his cowboy life, the comfort of his ranch, and the love of matrimony and the offspring of his loins to work for a detective agency in the late 1800s through the early 1900s. Siringo takes his readers on a wild ride full of deceit, bloodthirsty dynamiters, backward politics, thefts, murders, hobos, drunkards, and much more. It was hard to put the book down in the beginning, but after his first few exploits, Siringo began to paraphrase his adventures in the interest of shortening his book. It was still entertaining, but leaving out many of the details made the latter part of the book feel like a Reader's Digest condensed book. One gets the gist of the story at the sacrifice of the feel of the actual narrative. Still, I was able to learn a little from this memoir.
1. Being a lawman doesn't mean that one must be contentious. Much can be accomplished without spilling blood, even when a person is amongst the ranks of imposing tough characters.
2. A wild actionable life filled with travel and adventure is not conducive to building loving, long-term relationships, but if one tries hard enough, some of the relationships can be salvaged.
3. Not all criminals are bad people. Many are simply people who were down on their luck and put in with the wrong crowd.
I have learned these lessons in my life as a Sailor and as a Corrections Officer. Still, it is fun reading about others with similar experiences. It adds a level of realness to my own experiences and allows me to realize that the events in my life really did happen, and may even make for some entertaining reading if I felt inclined to share someday. Until then, I will content myself by reading other people's life journeys and take comfort in the fact that my days of raising hell are over, or at least I believe them to be over. One never knows what life will throw at them.
1. Being a lawman doesn't mean that one must be contentious. Much can be accomplished without spilling blood, even when a person is amongst the ranks of imposing tough characters.
2. A wild actionable life filled with travel and adventure is not conducive to building loving, long-term relationships, but if one tries hard enough, some of the relationships can be salvaged.
3. Not all criminals are bad people. Many are simply people who were down on their luck and put in with the wrong crowd.
I have learned these lessons in my life as a Sailor and as a Corrections Officer. Still, it is fun reading about others with similar experiences. It adds a level of realness to my own experiences and allows me to realize that the events in my life really did happen, and may even make for some entertaining reading if I felt inclined to share someday. Until then, I will content myself by reading other people's life journeys and take comfort in the fact that my days of raising hell are over, or at least I believe them to be over. One never knows what life will throw at them.
April 12, 2022
Cowboy Detective isn't anywhere as entertaining as Siringo's first book, A Texas Cowboy. Detective's chapters read like slightly reworked versions of his reports to the Pinkerton agency. Plus, there all the racist asides, which although not surprising for a white guy born in Civil War Texas, cast a cloud over the endeavor if you read it in 2021
Many of his missions had a certain sameness to them. He goes under cover to get info on a violent union or gang of railroad robbers. Most of the gang suspects he's a detective but a few vouch for him, so he's not killed. Later he testifies against some of them and a few go to prison.
Texas Cowboy was written in a semi-literate cowpoke vernacular and is quite entertaining. After reading Detective I suspect Siringo might have been helped on the first book by an imaginative editor.
Many of his missions had a certain sameness to them. He goes under cover to get info on a violent union or gang of railroad robbers. Most of the gang suspects he's a detective but a few vouch for him, so he's not killed. Later he testifies against some of them and a few go to prison.
Texas Cowboy was written in a semi-literate cowpoke vernacular and is quite entertaining. After reading Detective I suspect Siringo might have been helped on the first book by an imaginative editor.
September 20, 2010
As a dyed in the wool Union man, I have always had an aversion to private detectives. This was a look at one man's career as a private dick and undercover spy which, while creepy was immensely enjoyable. I think it must have been a vanity publication or a dime novel but it rang true. Got it free for my e-book from Google..
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November 14, 2008W Sir
February 16, 2018
Siringo in his deadpan "ruff" language leads us through his career as a "Dickerson" detective working all through the West, and sometimes east.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews