New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-09-06
Burglarx IL 2 zinc Art.
A PERFECT SET OF TOOLS.
lFron tho Philadelphia Telegraph !


An assortment Of burglarious tools recently
came into the possession of police authorities.
They were captured in New York, by detectives
George H. Smith and Taggart, at the time that the
notorious Roberts rnd Mason were taken in Gus
tody in that city. The history of these desperate
men is not without romantic interest Roberts is
an American, who was well known to the police
of this city fifteen years ago, About that time he
forsook this country for England, where he prose
cuted his calling with success for time, but
finally fell into the hands of the authorities, and
was transported to Van Dieman's Land. Obtain
ing ticket-of-leave, he returned to England
where he organized gang of kindred spirits for
operations in his native land
One of them Thomas Baskerville by name, is
now serving out term in the penitentiary for the
robbery of q shoe store at Eighth and Filbert
streets another is still at large and has thus far
eluded the vigilance of the police, while the other
John Mason, is keeping company with Roberts in
Moyamensing prison. But little is known about
the previous history of these Englishmen, except
that one of them belonged to the Manchester, and
another to the London mob. That the whole gang
comprised the most skiful and energetic burglars
who have ever cursed the United States with their
presence, is abundant@ proved by the success
which has attended their operations up to the time
of their capture.
When Roberts and his colleagues crossed the
ocean, they brought with them the most perfect
set of tools that our detectives have encountered
But at the very outset of their els Atlantic
they came to grief. In an attempt to force an
entrance into the safe of a country bank, they
ing likewise short of funds, they found it neces-
saTy to resort to the petty burgaries of March
and April last. In these they were entirely sue
cessful and with the funds thus secured they pro-
Ceeded to replenish their supply of instruments,
and were about entering upon some gigantic en-
terprise, which would have astonished the country
and amply repaid them for all previous disappoint-
ments when Messrs. Smith and Taggert suddenly
pounced down upon and put an end to the
scheme.
In their possession were found the tools with
which they had intended to operate. Among them
were some fifty or sixty skeleton keys OF the most
varied and intricate construction. They were
likewise provided with little cakes of white wax
on which they took the impression of keys OF
mics, taps and bits without number were also in
store. Some of these bear the trademark of -
Buck, London" and are probably portion Of
their original stock. But the most formidable anC
ingenious piece of mechanism which they pos
sessed, and the construction of which showed tina
they were consummate masters of their art wa!
an instrument for opening safe in a quiet way
The instrument watch they imported from Eng
land and lost in their first essay atits'use, weighed
about one hundred pounds.
In the construction of the new one they madt
some improvements, besides reducing its weigh
to Sc pounds. This machine, the like of which
was never before seen in America consists simply
of q bar iron one inch in thickness three nche
in width, and three or four feet long. By mean
of wooden trestles placed at either end and Sc
cured to the floor with screws this bar is held il
place before the safe. Midway in the length o
the iron bar there is threaded hole through
which the drill is worked by means of a crank
The drill itself is very ingenious, and has all tn
necessary appliances for keeping the bit presse
hard againstthe safe door. When the outer coat
ing of the safe is once perforated, the bit is re
placed by tap, by which threads are forme
around the aperture.
At this point the drill is laid aside and a threa
ed belt inserted in its place. Blocks of wood ar
then placed against the trestles to prevent theI
from being drawn in against the safe, and every
thing is ready for the final operation. This is no
as easily understood as the preliminaries, but ii
result is the gradual forcing outward of the exit
Tior surface of the safe door. Taken altogether
the whole operation is one of the most ngeniou
ever devised There are probably not more tina
two or three safes in the United States that coul
resist it successfully.