“By going undercover as a rich lady, KATE WARNE, the FIRST FEMALE DETECTIVE in the United States, helped to UNCOVER THE ASSASSINATION PLOT to kill Abraham Lincoln on his trip through Baltimore, Maryland, to his inauguration in Washington, D.C.”

“Fact # 6 on 15 Famous Detectives to Investigate, 5,000 Awesome Facts, National Geographic

Born in Erin, Chemung County, New York circa 1833, Kate Warne became a widow at the age of 23. The details of her husband’s death are not known.

At 23, she saw an ad in the local newspaper. She walked into Allan Pinkerton’s “Pinkerton Detective Agency.” The agency was hiring detectives.

Upon walking in she was told “It is not custom to employ women detectives.” In return she claimed that “women have an eye for detail and are excellent observers.” She was hired.

According to “The Spy of the Rebellion” by Pinkerton, he described her as a “commanding person.” She was of slender build, self possessed, and graceful in her movements, he wrote.

The Adams Express Company

Her very first case was the embezzlement case of the Adam Express Company. A Mr. Maroney, which was an expressman, stole $50,000 from the Adam Express Company of company funds. Kate went to work. She then gained the trust of Mr. Maroney’s wife. The two attended various social functions. At these events, Kate gained important knowledge. The authorities used this information to charge Mr. Maroney. He was sentenced to a 10 year prison term in Alabama. $39,515 was returned. (https://strongwomeninhistory.com/2021/06/01/kate-warne-the-detective-who-refused-to-quit/)

After this, Pinkerton was impressed. He organized a new department in 1860 called “Female Detective Bureau.” He put her in charge.

Abraham Lincoln’s plot

In 1861, March 4, Abraham Lincoln got into a carriage. The carriage was to take him to the United States Capitol. There, he would be sworn in as the 16th president. He almost didn’t make it.

Plot uncovered

A major plot was uncovered when Samuel H. Felton, president of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad, found out about a plan to sabotage his railroad. He hired Pinkerton to investigate the threats against the railroad. There were also rumors of an assassination plot of president-elect Abraham Lincoln and the train. So Pinkerton decided to stay and monitor the situation regarding the death threats against Lincoln.

Pinkerton then hired Kate Warne, one of 5 other detectives, to go and find out information about the assassination plot. She went under the alias Mrs. Cherry and Mrs. M. Barley and changed her northern accent into a southern one. She pretended to be a wealthy southern belle visiting the area. This guise made it possible for her to infiltrate many different groups who did not believe in Lincoln.

Lincoln’s travel schedule

Lincoln was traveling from Springfield, IL by train. The train would stop at various major cities before he would travel to the Capitol. He had to make one transfer on the train at the Calvert Street Station and travel by carriage to the Camden St station. The plot was when he was traveling from station to station. A row fight was going to happen which would be in need of police. That would leave Lincoln alone to fend for himself against the secessionists where the plan was to murder him. A small steamboat would be waiting for the murderers to flee and take them to the state of Virginia.

Lincoln didn’t take much to the plots against him. For some reason, he found this one threat significant. But he refused to give up any of his ceremony events that were to happen. These events included raising the American flag at Independence Hall. He gave three speeches and attended a high profile dinner, all in Harrisburg, PA. He was then to travel to Washington D.C. by train and carriage.

Diversion

Everything went as planned except for the last part of the dinner. He was interrupted. Then, he was whisked away to change out of his suit for a “traveling suit”. He also exchanged his signature tall stovepipe hat for a soft felt cap. Then he took a shawl and threw it over his arm to take the mention of being an invalid. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Warne)

Pinkerton made it possible for the telegraph lines to be interrupted so his change of plan wouldn’t be made public. He was to board a different train than the written plans which was to bring him to safety.

From Harrisburg Kate Warne entered the sleeping car through the back entrance along with Pinkerton and a disguised Lincoln. She acted like he was her brother and she insisted he must sit next to her in the train car. From there they took a special Pennsylvania train to Washington D.C.

No sleep for Kate

Kate Warne did not sleep at all during the all night entire trip. This contributed to the motto “we never sleep” by Pinkerton’s agency.

The train safely reached the Capitol, allowing Lincoln to become the 16th president of the United States due to the foiled assassination plot with Kate Warne’s help.

Kate Warne went on to do many other investigations. During the civil war her and Pinkerton were used as a covert war intelligence-gathering bureau. She was able to penetrate many Southern social gatherings. At times she would pose as Pinkerton’s wife in undercover operations, and it was rumored that their relationship became intimate.

Kate Warne was buried on January 28th, 1868 in the Pinkerton family lot in Graceland, Chicago, IL. Her name is misspelled as of “Warn” and the reason of death was “congestion of the lungs.” She died of pneumonia at the estimated age of 35.

Kate Warne has rarely appeared in popular culture. There were a few attempts to tell her story but never materialized. However, in 2021 Pinkerton and Warne were the subjects in a graphic novel entitled “Better Angels – a Kate Warne Adventure” by Jeff Jensen.

Hopefully, we will learn more about this brave female detective who isn’t fully recognized today.