A Cowboy Detective: A True Story Of Twenty-Two Years With A World Famous Detective Agency

From arresting anarchists in Chicago to chasing down Butch Cassidy and his Wild Bunch gang, Charles Siringo spent twenty-two years of service fighting crimes across America.

Having started out as a full-fledged cowboy when only eleven years old, Siringo was most comfortable on horseback in the great expanse of the American West, but his missions often led him further afield to the Canada and Mexico.

During his career as a detective Siringo faced some of the most dangerous men and women of the late-nineteenth century and only survived through a combination of bravery, skill and luck.

Siringo was most successful when he went undercover into the criminal underworld and uncovered plans for illegal activity.

“Among the enduring western master storytellers is Charlie Siringo, cowboy, detective, author, whose career and writings still live in the psyche of millions of westerners today.” Howard Roberts Lamar

Unfortunately for Siringo the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, who he had been working for, were unhappy with the publication of the book and so a court order forced him to change their name to the “Dickenson Detective Agency” and for Tom Horn to be changed to “Tim Corn.” Yet, despite this, A Cowboy Detective remains a fascinating work.

"His cowboys and gunmen were not of Hollywood and folklore. He was an honest reporter.” J. Frank Dobie

Charles Siringo was an American detective, lawman and author. His first book A Texas Cowboy; or, Fifteen Years on the Hurricane Deck of a Spanish Pony was published in 1885, establishing his reputation as a writer. The year later, he moved to Chicago and joined the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, which he remained with for the next twenty-two years. A Cowboy Detective was first published in 1912. After becoming a New Mexico Ranger for a short period Siringo died in 1928.