The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1869-07-07


oueh to admit mans arm or even his
body can be cut in any wooden door.
The door-forcer has short, stout
metal arm, rfveted at the lower end to
a plate; through this arm or pillar
runs a screw; the plate is attached
firmly to the jamb of the door with
thumb-screws, and the screw is turned
forward with resistless force. This
machine can be applied to the lock
hinges. or wherever there is a bolt.
If there are no bolts, and the key has
been left in the lock, there is no neces-
sity to use any of these forcing ma
chimes, for the bolt of the lock can be
pushed back from the other side by
turning the key with a long, slender
pair of nippers; this can, however, be
prevented by hanging bent wire,
similar to lady's hair pin, over the
shank of the inner knob and through
the bow OF the key.
On iron doors, such as those on safes
and vaults, drills arc brought to bear.
Of these there are many kinds, from
the common breast-drill Of the gas fit
ter to beautiful pieces of mechanism ;
but all have the same end in view--to
bring the machinist's drill to attack the
iron plate. Almost all of them, too
require keyhole in order to be APP
piled. But now that safes are made OF
such impenetrable material, drills arc
not much used in entering them. It il
stated, however, on good authority.
that drill has been devised which
will penetrate any known MATERIAL
1t is simply a tube of any desirable ai.
ameter; around the edge of one END
are set small diamonds, which will cut
the material, steel or iron, and in a few
minutes any safe can be trepanned.-
But only burglars with large means
can procure this implement. And
since the best locks are now made
without keyholc, the drill cannot b.
|
applied, nor can the lock be blown t.
pieces. The usual method now is to
tear the safe open by means of wedges
driven between the door and frame o
at the back and to pick the lock-
Now, let us leave the Doctor for /;
time. Almost everybody will remem
her the prestige of the Bramall ant
other English locks previous to tile frs
Worlds Fair in 1851, in London how
a reward was offered to any person
who would pick lock which was con
sidered improbable, and how Hobbs
IN American, easily opened it and thu
secured notoriety. Hobbs was YER
skillful, and afterward invented a loo
which in turn was picked. Gradnall
experts began to see that the principa
weak point was ir the keyLole, and
therefore. the kcyhole by degrees grew
beautifully less, until at last it becam
a mere slit abont as long as this das
- and about twice as wide Thi
slit would seem to be too small to worl
through, but it was done and then il
succession were inverted all that cate
CORY Of combination and permutatiol
locks having no keyhole at all, and ca
pable of countless changes. Now
what was the lock picker to do
What he did do was to invent the mi
crometer, an instrument Impossible +
he described without diagrams. En-
ongh be it to say that one end of lie
yer is placed on the knob of the lock
ut the other end is dial. The kno
is carefully turned, and by the almos
imperceptible catches Of resistances {
the machinery within, the dial hand
moved. 1t measures one ten-thou
sandth part of an inch, aud sn perfect
~ indicates the positions of the clio,
in the tumblers inside that the comb
nation can he. discovered. With thi
Instrument an expert can pick most {
the combination locks; but it ntterl
fails when applied to Yale's doubl
combination, which is tire last hes
lock invented. To understand th
piece of mechanism requires genin
and to explain it is superhnman. Sui
J fce it to say that it is unpickab1e. l
: conjunction with the niicrometer, tn
3 is the study of the most clever burg
f lars. They will pay $1,000. for sal
with certain lock and master it; the
I, they will open &. like safe m son
, bank, abstract the vaInables, chang
the combination, thus gaining tim,
s and then decamp. Not to say that I'll
robbery Of tire bank at New Windso
!, in Maryland, was effected in that wa,
l So much for locks but any safe ca
e be broken into If the burglar has tin
E enough, and it is therefore the on
e hope of the shoemaker to detain Il
: craftsman longer time than he us,
!, ally las for work.
Ia DETECTIVES EXPERIENCE