Authoring, Researching, Reporting and other
Work
Allan Pinkerton Glossary
of
Detective Work
A Learning On-Line Learning Activity &
Resource
Page by Howard Taylor
A Pinkerton-compiled glossary, created in the 1880s,
lists terms used by bank and train robbers and their gangs. Reading it,
it gives
one a colorful understanding into the speaking manner of criminals of
the
19th century.
- Bull
an officer (of the law)
- Cannon (or
Rod)
revolver
- Chip
money drawer (in a bank)
- Dangler
express train
- Ditched
arrested
- Dump
jail (or boarding house)
- Gay
Cat
one who cases banks and towns for future jobs
- Jimmying a
bull
shooting an officer
- Mouthpiece
lawyer
- Oil (or
Soup)
nitroglycerine (used to open many a bank vault)
- Rattler
freight train
- Settled
sentenced to prison
- White
Liner
alcoholic
- Yegg (or John
Yegg)
bandit chief
*****
Writing Project:
. . .Using the old words above, write a two page story of a
19th
century train or bank robbery with you being a Pinkerton Detective,
solving
the crime and the criminals being arrested. Make it exciting with
lots of details about old trains and banks, and illustrate with two or
three
pictures.
Tools of the Trade Activity
Which Ones are Modern Ones?
Which Ones Were Used by
Pinkerton?
Print this page and mark the ones
that
would be used by Pinkerton with a check-mark.
Binoculars
|
Telegraph or Phone
or
|
Magnifying Glass
|
Pencil and Paper
|
Finger Printing
History
of Fingerprinting
|
Walkie Talkie
|
Computer/ Internet
|
Badge or ID
|
Camera
|
Return
to Pinkerton Activity Link
Return to
Learning On-Line Activity Page