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for show. However, Pauline's was not. You see, Pauline served as a Union spy. After an average start in life, the war changed everything. Her real name was Harriet Wood, and she was born on June tenth of eight thirty three in New Orleans to a moderately wealthy family. She had one sibling, a brother. Their father was a successful Spanish merchant, and her mother was the daughter of a

prominent soldier in Napoleon's army. The children were very young when the family moved to Michigan their father started a successful trading post. At seventeen, she left home to pursue a career in acting, changing her name to Pauline. For a year, she lived in New York City, trying to break into stage work. Things didn't work out as planned, though, and Pauline moved back to New Orleans a year later. Her hometown is where she found love, marrying musician Charles Dickinson.

The happy couple settled down and had two children of their own. When the war broke out, Charles joined the army as a musician, hoping that would keep him out of combat and harm's way, and it worked sort of. Diseases spread quickly within the ranks, and soon after being discharged, Charles fell ill, probably with dysenterry. He died in eighteen

sixty two, leaving Pauline in financial straits. She sent the children to live with relatives and returned to the stage, finding work in Union occupied Louisville, Kentucky, at the Woods Theater. In April of eighteen sixty three, Confederate soldiers approached her after her performance in the Place Seven Sisters. They offered to pay her three hundred and fifty dollars to make a toast to the Confederacy during her next performance at

Staunch Union supporter. Pauline went to Union Colonel Orlando Moore for advice. He told her to take the money and make the toast, then report back to him. That night, she raised her glass on stage, toasting Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Her toast brought down the house. The theater promptly fired Pauline. Another job awaited her, though, Union colonel William Trusdale offered her possion is a spy and sent her to Nashville,

Tennessee to gather intel. Easing her acting skills, Pauline posed as a woman looking for her lost brother in the Confederate camps. While there, she carefully noted the size and location of the camps, the number of supplies, and whether they were building fortifications. She memorized at all notes would risk imprisonment or death if they were found. During one camp visit, she befriended a soldier who had drawn fortification maps. Unable to memorize at all, she stuffed the maps into

her boots and made her way to Union minds. Her risk didn't pay off, though she was captured and sentenced to death. No one rushed in to save her. As her execution drew near. Pauline fell ill at the Confederate camp her symptoms were on par with typhoid, and so when the Confederates left camp, they also decided that leaving her to die alone was just as fitting as a noose. But Pauline had faked her illness. She made it back to Union mines a few days later. Pauline Cushman hadn't

been a damsel in distress. Should become her own hero, and she wasn't the only one. I'm Lauren Vogelbaum. Welcome to American Shadows. Not much is known about Kate Warren's early life. Like Pauline Kushman, there are very few photographs, and Kate didn't write in a journal or diary. What we do know is that she was born to Israel and Elizabeth Hulbert in Aaron, New York. It's a small

upstate town originally settled by Irish immigrants. When Kate was born in eighteen thirty, the town's population was a scant nine and seventy six people. Like the others in the town, Kate's parents worked hard for their rather modest lifestyle. Education for the children in immigrant towns was minimal at best. The children in Erin squeezed in schooling around owned helping with chores, working, and caring for younger siblings. Opportunities were limited.

Like other Irish immigrant girls, Kate had a choice leave school and work to help support the family, or get married. At first, she wanted to become an actress, but her family didn't think theater was respectable work for a young lady. Unlacking a support system, Kate did as society requested of her. She married. When her husband died, Kate decided to follow her parents and brother to Illinois. She found work as

a housekeeper, but found it unrewarding. Determined to do something more with her life, Kate set her sights much higher. In eighteen fifty two, twenty three year old Kate walked into the Pinkerton Agency in Chicago and asked for a job. She had done her homework. The agency had a flawless reputation and was looking to expand. Alan Pinkerton was fourteen years her senior, a voracious reader with an insatiable thirst

for education. He had spent his earlier years balancing work and home life to become self taught, and when he was ten, his father had died, leaving the family in turmoil. He had been sent away to live with extended family. He learned to make wooden casks, barrels, vats, and buckets. Alan immigrated in eighteen forty two, settling in Chicago. At first,

he stuck to his trade, working in a brewery. After a while, he decided he'd never make anything of himself while working for someone else and relocated to Dundee to start his own barrel making business. He cornered the market by making a far superior product than his closest competitor. During his quest for better materials, Allen became embroiled in

a case surrounding counterfeiters. The accidental involvement sparked a new interest, and when he found he had a knack for investigation, Allen became the deputy sheriff for Kane County, and in eighteen fifty he served to Chicago's first police detective. He and Chicago attorney Edward Rucker formed the Northwestern Police Agency. Alan's brother, Robert, formed his own agency in eighteen fifty, called Pinkerton and Company. Robert specialized as a railroad detective,

protecting the rail companies and their facilities from theft. His business thrived and grew even larger once Wells Fargo contracted him to guard their stage coaches. With a new contract in hand, Robert asked his brother to join him. Alan shuttered the doors to his already failing agency and quit the police department. While other detective agencies were going under or developing seedy reputations, Allan brought value and a valuable lesson to his brother's business. Be better than the rest.

To do that, the brothers started with their employees. Instead of calling them detectives, which had garnered a violent and crude wrap, they called themselves operatives. They demanded their employees be well groomed and polite, and insisted on flawless record keeping. The brothers established practices that got consistent results. They were seen as more reliable than the competition. They expanded their services beyond detective work to include security and private military contracts.

Regardless of the client. They specialized in taking on counterfeiters and robbers. In their first few years, they solved a series of high profile train robberies, which brought Allen into contact with one George McClellan. In the early eighteen fifties, the future Union General was the chief engineer and vice president of the Illinois Central Railroad. It also brought Allen

into contact with the company's lawyer, Abraham Lincoln. Kate had really done her homework, but when she walked into Allan's office looking for a job, he assumed the young widow in front of him saw a role as a typist or perhaps cleaning the office. He informed her the company wasn't hiring in that capacity. Kate smile and shook her head. She informed him she was there for the job had posted in the paper Operative, and she was prepared to bring an offer to the Pinkerton agency that they couldn't

pass up. At first, Alan was flabbergasted a woman operative, Kate insisted he hear her out. She could do things the men couldn't. Intrigued, he sat and listened. Women, Kate explained, went mostly unnoticed in many segments of society, making them practically invisible in certain situations where someone might be trying to tail a mark or get information, and she'd be able to make friends with wives, friends, and mothers of suspects who certainly wouldn't share info with men or anyone

looking too official. Her time in the theater had taught her to develop an eye for detail, Her acting skills and ability to slip into character were certainly to her advantage, and she pointed out she knew men they liked to brag around ladies, a trait she was more than happy to take advantage of. It took some convincing, but he hired her. Two days later. He thought he had a case to test out his newest employee. The Adams Express

Company transported freight and cargo throughout the Southeast. Alan had received a letter from the president, Edward Sandford, explaining that someone had stolen ten thousand dollars from a locked money pouch somewhere between Montgomery, Alabama and Augusta, Georgia. In Alan's opinion, someone inside the company had taken the cash. Sandford didn't believe one of his employees would do such a thing.

Alan agreed to meet the president to talk further. By the time he arrived at the company headquarters, another forty thousand dollars had gone missing. Alan said he had a good idea of who did it. Nathan Moroney, the manager of the Montgomery office, had put the cash into a sealed pouch before sending it to New York. The pouch was empty upon arrival. A square hole had been cut into the side to get around the seal. Stanford hired the Pinkerton's to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Twelve managers were investigated. Alan still thought Moroney was their best suspect, despite his excellent references. They had been a veteran of the Mexican War and the community loved him. His reputation initially seemed flawless. However, they uncovered that a circus had managed had gone bankrupt. Unaware that the Pinkertons were watching, Maroney began spending large sums of cash with Gusto. When he was arrested, neighbors and citizens bailed him out,

heavily criticizing the Adams Express Company. To convict Maroney, the Pinkerton's needed evidence. Six operatives, including Warren, were assigned to the case. Kate slipped into character flawlessly. While in Pennsylvania visiting relatives, mus Moroney met Kate, who would take it on the identity of Madam Imbert. The two became fast friends.

To Hedge Allan's bets, he had a second handsome operative, playing the part of an attorney by the name of mister DeForest, wooing the bank exect wife, often taking her to dinner and paying her compliments. When Nathan Maroney was arrested a second time, the Pinkerton's set the trap. The agent, posing as DeForest told MSUs Moroney he could free her husband, but the price would be high. This put her in a dilemma keep the money for herself or free her husband.

DeForest tried to convince her to let him help, and so did Kate, posing as Madam Imbert. In the end, MSUs Moroney broke down Kate, spilling the beans to the woman she thought had become her friend. Her husband had stolen the fifty thousand dollars, but had done it to cover a gambling problem. Kate convinced her to not take the money and run, and Mrs Moroney led Kate to the seller where her husband had buried the money. Kate

then convinced her to turn the money over. All but four hundred and eighty five dollars was accounted for, which Moroney had already spent. In June of eighteen sixty, Nathan Maroney was sentenced to ten years in the Alabama penitentiary. No charges were filed against his wife, who moved to Chicago in the eyes of the Pinkerton's Kate had more than proven herself. Little did they know she was just

getting started. At two a m. On November six of eighteen sixty, a telegram notified Abraham Lincoln that had won the presidential election. Excited, he ran home to tell his wife. Within days, he and his new assistant were swamped with letters, and not all of them were very welcoming. The country was fractured before the election. Southern states had threatened to secede if Lincoln became president. Now it looked like they

were prepared to follow through. While most letters were nothing more than nervous citizens expressing concerns, others were vile and brutal, threatening violence in depth. Lincoln didn't take all of them seriously, though some couldn't be ignored. The state of things made planning the presidential inauguration difficult. Adding to the stress, Lincoln wasn't one for pageantry. He refused military escort, even if it meant securing his safety, even saving his life. Those

around him were frustrated with the new president. Rumors of a secessionist plot to destroy the railroad tracks connecting Washington to the rest of the country began to spread along with rumors of assassination plots. The president of the Railroads of Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore, Samuel Morris Felton, took the threats more seriously than Lincoln. He hired the Pinkerton Agency to gather as much intel about the rumors as possible.

Lincoln and Allan Pinkerton were already acquainted with each other, making the investigation more palatable to the newly elected president. Allen quickly had operatives embedded into Baltimore society. What he found alarmed him. Though had known the South's strong dislike of Lincoln and their threat to secede, the ideals Lincoln

represented had enraged them to dangerous levels. Harry Davies, a Pinkerton employee and native Southerner, took on the persona of an extreme anti Lincoln resident, offering his sympathies and cash to the South's interest. He met Otis Hillard, a devout and prominent secessionist who would go on to vouch for Davies. Now privy to meetings, Davies learned that the secessionists were not only well aware of Lincoln's route from Illinois, they were making plans for the present it and s arrival.

Alan also went undercover, disguised as a wealthy stockbroker. He was introduced to Captain Sarapano Ferandini, who openly revealed the plot the South must rule. The captain told him he reiterated his hatred for Lincoln and assured Alan that Lincoln would never make it through Baltimore alive. With Davy's intel, Alan couldn't dismiss the captain's threat. The railroad wasn't the target.

Lincoln was immediately Alan sent a warning to Lincoln. While Lincoln prepared his speech, the Pinkerton Agency piece together more of the captain's plans. Kate went undercover as a Southern lady, flirtatious of Baltimore's elite men. Her charm worked, and men easily confided in her. Some of them boasted they were in on the plot to assassinate the President on his way to Washington, d c. She learned that a large crowd would meet Lincoln at the Calvert Street depot in

Baltimore on his way from Piladelphia. A few would create a diversion for the police force assigned to the President. In the midst of the commotion, did have people in place to shoot the president and others to aid in their escape. Alan trusted Kate to come up with a plan while he convinced Lincoln the threat was real. Only a few people were allowed the details, as the plan hinged on Lincoln being alone with only one or two operatives for protection. If Kate's plan failed, the country would

suffer its first presidential assassination. The Confederate conspirators had spent months planning this attack. In Philadelphia on February eighteen sixty one, the train depot bustled with businessmen in long coats and ladies in wide dresses with their children. Endless rows of baggage awaited on the platform. At thirty pm, a train with a number of passenger cars arrived. A few business men checked their watches and adjusted their hats at odd angles.

Three well built men exit at a car, followed by a somberly dressed woman and a tall, lanky man in a dark suit and a broad brimmed hat. The woman informed the conductor that she and her ailing brother were on their way to a family party and tipped him half a dollar to reserve a private double door sleeper. Birth They stepped aboard Kate drew the curtains, and the well built men joined them in the cabin. Alan Pinkerton

was one of those men. Lincoln removed his hat and thanked Kate, then apologized for having put her in danger. Allan informed the president that Kate was one of his best and most competent operatives. When the train pulled into Baltimore, the crew spent a few nervous, sleepless hours while horses pulled the car through the city to the next station. Lincoln arrived safely in Washington, while the slew of conspirators waited in Baltimore, unaware that had been outwitted by one woman.

While Kate thought protecting Lincoln that night would be the highlight of her career, her work for the president was far from over. In Charleston, on April twelfth of eighteen sixty one, Confederate cannons fired on Fort Sumter, starting the Civil War. Allen wrote to Lincoln nine days later, offering his agency's services once more. Before Lincoln could reply, General McClellan asked Allan to work for him as military intelligence

under his command. By the end of July, Allen took Kate and two other operatives to set up headquarters in Ohio. The agency went on to stop several Confederate plots. As always, Kate slipped in and out of different covers easily. Ellen rewarded his star operatives efforts with a promotion to a new department that would eventually become the forerunner for the

Secret Service. Decades later. After the war, she worked with Allan to find a bank robber who had murdered a teller and it off with a hundred and thirty thousand dollars. Kate went into cover and befriended the suspect's wife, eventually solving the case. Though Pate was the first of her kind, she was hardly the last. Allan created a female bureau of the Pickerton Agency and appointed Kate as a superintendent.

At the time, women weren't allowed to be part of the police force, and Alan came under fire for his decision. He told prospective operatives that if they agreed to work with him, they'd go into training with one of his best Kate. She taught new women recruits everything they needed to know about the adventurous career. Sadly, Kate didn't live long enough to see the next wave of results in eighteen sixty eight, she died from a lingering case of pneumonia.

During the Great Chicago Fire. Many of the records at the Pinkerton Chicago office were destroyed, including hers. It's unclear whether any of her family members were still alive when she passed. Ultimately, Alan, who had long thought of Kate's family, had her buried in the Pickerton plot in Chicago. In her short thirty four years, she accomplished what took many a lifetime. Kate Warren took nineteenth century sexism and not only used it to her advantage, but paved the way

for women in law enforcement. In nineteen ten, women were finally allowed to join the force. Her obituary stated that Kate was a standout among her peers, with great mental power and an excellent judge of character. The reporter went on to say that she left a void in the female detective department which would be difficult to fill. She lived, as she died, a strong, pure and devoted woman. There's more to this story. Stick around after this brief sponsor

break to hear all about it. Not all women's spies were as fortunate as Kate Warrene. Tobacco plantation owners Archibald and Elizabeth Jenkins lived on a sprawling estate in the southern town of Waterloo, Maryland. In eighteen twenty or eighteen twenty three, sources are uncertain about the exact year. The couple welcomed daughter, Mary Elizabeth. She was the second of three children, and neither she nor her brothers wanted for anything. Their good fortune didn't last, though, and when Mary was

around five years old, her father died. Her mother inherited everything, but had difficulty managing the estate and three children. For years, Mary spent her time at Catholic boarding schools, not returning home until eighteen thirty nine. Once there, she met John Harrison Saratt, who was nine years her senior. His family was well known and established in the area, making him a financially sound match. His reputation was another matter, though.

John had fathered children out of wedlock and turned his back on both mother and child. He also drank excessively. Despite this, John and Mary wet, eventually having three children of their own, Isaac, Elizabeth, and John Jr. The couple settled on two hundred and thirty six acres that John

purchased from his father, naming his homestead Fox hall. Over the years, the couple acquired surrounding land and inherited property when John's mother died in eighteen forty five, and they also purchased property in Clinton, Maryland and built tavern and in there. The location became popular with travelers going to and from Washington, d c. Unfortunately, John's drinking problem caused the family to sell off land to pay his ever

increasing debts. Mary wrote to her local priest asking for help, disclosing that her husband was completely drunk every single day. During the Civil War, the Surrates hosted gatherings for Confederate sympathizers. Their son, John Jr. Became a member of the Confederate Secret Service, using the tavern as a stopping point or a place to hide messages to couriers. Before long, the

pub was a haven for Southern soldiers and spies. In late eighteen sixty one, the activity caught the attention of Union intelligence, and they sent one of their men to investigate. He confirmed that the tavern was a hotspot for Confederate couriers. While the Union made a few arrests, it barely made a dent in activity. John Senior continued to drink heavily every day until he collapsed and died in August of

eighteen sixty two. He had left his family in substantial debt, and Elizabeth quit school to help her mother run the family business. The effort of sorting out debts, selling land, and running a business while hosting Confederate spies and courier proved too much. When wartime shortages increased, Mary leased the tavern to a Confederate sympathizer and moved to a d

C town home. Though she had moved, Mary still helped run the tavern, causing historians to theorize that the deal helped draw attention away from her and John Junior's activities. By now, the pub also hid a cache of weapons, and in eighteen sixty four she had a regular who took part in Confederate meetings, John Wilkes Booth. Booth met with Mary on April fourteenth of eighteen sixty five, dropped off a package, and spoke to her about a plan the group had in place. That night, the plan went

into action, and Booth fatally shot Lincoln. He returned to the tavern, where Mary handed him back to package and supplied him with weapons before he fled to the countryside. Police arrived shortly afterward and questioned Mary. They reportedly found her confidence and arrogant, claiming ignorance to any plot to assassinate the president. A one employee had a different story and told them what he knew. The police promptly arrested Mary, along with Dr Samuel Mudd, a country doctor who set

Booth's leg. Late that night. Before daybreak, police arrested and imprisoned more suspected conspirators. Due to the nature of the crime an ongoing distrust between the North and South. Mary and the others were tried by a military tribunal. Though her priest and friends came to her defense, the evidence found at the inn, along with staff testimony against her, proved overwhelming. Mary was sentenced to death on June sixty. She would be the first woman executed in US history.

In July, she stood with her co conspirators at the gallows. Dressed in black from head to toe. Mary's arrogance was gone as she begged a guard to not let her draw. She stood alongside her co conspirators for ten four seconds before the supports were knocked from under them. Unlike Kate, who found her way to a family plot or Pauline, who was given a military burial. Mary was given a different sort of interment. She was buried in the prison yard not that far from the gallows. American Shadows is

hosted by Lauren Vogelbaum. This episode was written by Michelle Muto, researched by Ali Steed, and produced by Miranda Hawkins and Trevor Young, with executive producers Aaron Mankey, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. To learn more about the show, visit Grim and Mild dot com. From more podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Two fo