51.04

Sign

1940 Approximate

Property Sign. Material: metal. Size: 7 3/8" W. x 10 1/2" L. Description: dark blue with white print - signage imprinted: "Subscriber to Farmstead, Stock and Home, Protected by the William J. Burns International Detective Agency, Inc., Offices in Principal Cities of the World, A Reward for Information Leading to Arrest and Conviction of Perpetrators of any Crime Against this Subscriber on this Farm" - subscriber number is stamped in upper right corner: "3391" - narrow white border around sign - one hole in each corner for mounting.

(Burns Detective Agency). The William J. Burns International Detective Agency (IDA, Inc) was founded by Burns after leaving government service where he had served as a detective for the Secret Service. His agency successfully competed with the Pinkerton Detective Agency, his hated rival. According to information in Burns' biography, "William J. Burns and the Detective Profession, 1880-1930", by William R. Hunt, "no other detective in our national history was more successful or better known than 'America's Sherlock Holmes'. " Burns went on to head the Federal Bureau of Investigation (1921-1924) and was the immediate predecessor of J. Edgar Hoover. He was well respected until he was forced to resign because of his role in the Teapot Dome Scandal. This discarded sign was found in the waters of Loon Lake, Waseca, Minnesota.