The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1873-08-21
How Safe are the Safest Locks.

Probably no lock IN the world enjoys
the public confidence more completely
than that known as the Victor Lock,
used upon the celebrated safes of Hall
4 Co, OF Cincinnati and Chicago, and
upon thousands upon thousands of the
vault doors. protecting vast private
and public treasures of the land. Yet
this climax of the ingenuity Of CEN
turies applied to door fastenings, with
its absence Of all keys and all key
holes, with it's ten thousand combina
tions, opens like the doors of fabled
temples to the magic touch Of human
skill, in one brief hour, About three
months ago Messrs. Leibrock 4 Vau-
pell, well known merchants of this
city, purchased and placed under the
counting desk Of their store one Of the
finest Of Hall 4 Goa safes. It had the
usual Victor burglar proof dial lock /.
All worked we'll for q time. About
two months ago Mr.. Vaupell changed
the combination. The lock worked
all right for some months after, but
finally concluded to respond no longer
to the usual knock Of its master. The
books and papers Of the store, and
portion of its funds. were only too
safely stored behind the solid iron
doors. The combination upon which
it was locked was given to whoever
nj, IN trx h;o Il, -;
familiar with the lock, among them
Mr.. KelIner Of the county treasury,
the president and cashier of the Ma
tional Bank, Mr.. Young, local agent
'of the safe, oil put what burglar skill
they possessed to the test, to DO pur-
pose. Messrs. L. & V. telegraphed to
the makers Of the safe to know what
was to be done, and received the rather
startling reply, I'VE have man who
can open it for you" Tuesday even
ing about five o'clock the man arrived.
Mr.. Chas. Zschuppe, q plain German
mechanic. something over forty; \
little above the average height and
weight; with large nose and keen
eye; fine head, little bald on top,
his whole countenance and demeanor
indicating q plain, thorough intelli-
gent man of business with q mechan-
ical turn of mind. and an entire ab-
sence Of the light, hashy, dexterous
character popularity acquainted with
lock picking. His card names his
business as that Of locksmith, and
announces his professional willingness
to "open safes.' After satisfying
himself that the safe could not be
opened according to the combination
upon which it was locked, he seated
himself coolly before it, and, with a
little machine brought for the purpose,
drilled hole about one sixteenth Of
an inch in diameter, through the edge
of the dial and through the plate of
the door until the machinery OF the
lock was reached. Then with a sim
pie wire about the size OF a large knit
ting needle and the aid of the light OF
tallow candle, the tumblers were
quickly so manipulated as to click out
.plainly-as Charley Knecht can
swear-"If that's Zschuppe out there,
we give 'er up - and the door came
open. The whole matter was accom-
plished with less than an hours labor.
The difficulty was discovered to be
the absence of an important screw.
either omitted originally or lost when
the combination was changed.
Are there not plenty Of other men
of equal skill with Mr.. Rschuppe. aud
vastly less conscience Whose safe Is
safe? Can any man fasten door that
no other man can open -Eik0der
Journal.
Mrs. Swisshelm claims that the ed
ucated Indians who return tn their