During his lifetime, little was written about Ivan Dmitrievich Putilin, a talented detective of the 19th century. Articles appeared only in official reports and in his personal file—even though his name was widely known. People spoke of him as “the Russian Pinkerton,” calling him Lecoq and Sherlock Holmes. For his indefatigability, purposefulness, and unpredictability, he was nicknamed the “black detective,” and it was noted that he possessed “a hound’s sense that baffles the mind.”