James McParland

Who was James McParland?

James McParland, also known as James McParlan was a Pinkerton agent.

Born in 1843 in County Armagh, Ireland, McParland arrived in New York in 1867. He worked as a laborer, policeman and then in Chicago as a liquor store owner until the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed his business. He then became a detective. Sometimes referred to as the "Great Detective", McParland was noted for success against the Molly Maguires, failure against the leadership of the Western Federation of Miners, and a fictional appearance in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fourth Sherlock Holmes novel, The Valley of Fear.