Bucholz and the Detectives

"Bucholz and the Detectives" by Allan Pinkerton is a detective novel written in the late 19th century. The narrative centers around the mysterious murder of a miserly old man named Henry Schulte, whose background and financial dealings create intrigue in the village of South Norwalk, Connecticut. The story follows his servant, William Bucholz, who becomes the prime suspect in the investigation, as well as his relationships with the townsfolk and the unfolding suspense surrounding the crime. The opening of the novel sets the stage for the plot through a detailed portrayal of the village of South Norwalk and the arrival of Henry Schulte, introducing him as an eccentric and reclusive character known for his peculiarities and miserly behavior. On a fateful night, after returning from a trip to New York, Schulte is violently murdered, with Bucholz leaving in a panic to alert the townspeople. The narrative quickly establishes the ensuing chaos and fear among the villagers as they confront the horror of the crime, setting up the intricate layers of suspicion, investigation, and the eventual hunt for the true murderer amidst mounting evidence against Bucholz himself. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Allan Pinkerton was a Scottish-American cooper, abolitionist, detective, and spy, best known for creating the Pinkerton National Detective Agency in the United States and his claim to have foiled a plot in 1861 to assassinate president-elect Abraham Lincoln. During the Civil War, he provided the Union Army – specifically General George B. McClellan of the Army of the Potomac – with military intelligence, including extremely inaccurate enemy troop strength numbers. After the war, his agents played a significant role as strikebreakers – in particular during the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 – a role that Pinkerton men would continue to play after the death of their founder.