America's Sherlock Holmes

William J. Burns proved a worthy competitor to the Pinkertons...for a time.

- MARK BOARDMAN

For a few years in the early 20th century, the William J. Burns International Detective Agency was close competition to the Pinkertons. It made worldwide headlines in its work against labor union violence and activism. No less an authority than British novelist Arthur Conan Doyle called Burns "America's Sherlock Holmes, which may have been a bit strong-but that was in keeping with William Burns's publicity talents.

Burns was born in Baltimore in 1861, around the time that Allan Pinkerton was just building his own detective agency. The younger man made his mark as a secret service agent in the late 1800s. But reputation didn't mean money, so Burns went off on his own in 1906 and then formed his own company in 1909.

The next year, Burns hit the big-time. On October 1, 1910, a bomb went off outside the offices of the Los Angeles Times, killing 21 and injuring scores of others. Burns just happened to be making a speech in L.A. the next day. Mayor George Alexander decided the detective was just the man to find the bombers, so he went outside his own police force and hired Burns.