The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1875-02-06
HOW A BURGLAR WORKS.

Sister .Johr.
how A BURGLAR WORKS.
HIS TcoIs and HIS nbstacIcs- How to
Nab HIM.
The San Francisco Call thus treats Of
. subject which has q degree OF inter
est in these brad times, when thieves
have so multiplied
Nearly every day we take up our
morning paper now, We read of some
unfortunate having been burglarized.
Crime is Q disease, and, like many other
diseases, appears to be epidemical. To
any one acquainted with the ekill and
audaoity of the class Of men who take
to house breaking for living, it is q
matter Of s1rIY;fe, not that so many
burglaries are committed, but SO many
more are not attempted. In our cut
districts the houses seem to be actually
built with the intention of aiding to
The utmost the efforts of any person de-
sirous of effecting an entrance. We
randaa, that serve no earthly use. run
slong the front of hundreds of our
houses, and il is quite easy, having
gained the veranda, to lift up q window
sash and thus effect An entrance. The
locks on the majority of those doors are
of the poorest descr 'piion, and offer
little or no Resistance to the burglar.
Many people, when they lock their door
ut night. have q habit Of leaving the
key in the lock, under the impression
that il will prevent any person using q
pick or skeleton key to open the door,
and so it will. But in this case the
thief uses neither of those instruments,
He introduces into the key hole very
strong. though Light, forceps, and seiz-
ing the extrs nifty of the key, opens the
door with . single turn of his wrist.
Then, il You leave . key in the lock,
Jet it be one that does not open Ire
door.
THE BURGLARS TOOLS.
There il but little difference between
the tools of o frst-class burglar and
those of an honest locksmith, for the
latter ID often called upon to pick locks
and to open safes when keys are lost
and time is pressing. There are some
instruments, of course. such as dark
lantern and q revolver pistol not re-
quired by the honest brakeman in his
business, that are all important
to the professional burglar. A first
class outfit comprises q dark-lantern,
silent-matches, wax-taper, revolver,
large pruning knife, useful for cutting
outdoor panels /; palette knife. thin
and plant, for opening windows Cby in
sertion between the sashes, 90 as to
push back the spriug-fastening),
jimmy or small crowbar about foot in
length, and splayed or crow-footed at
one end skeleton keys with wards at
each end, called "double-enders
wires to lift lock tumblers, and center
bit. This is . complete set ct ordinary
tco.s, and may be carried with ease in .
small carpetbsg. Hall-door locks are
large, massive, and usually take very
large and apparently comple1-warded
key but the burglar is we'll aware that
many of these wards are superfuous.
II he wants to make q key for such
lock he cuts out q blank key in tin, one
hide of which he covers with wax.
Wards being simple distractions fixed
in the locks, he has only to carefully
insert the blank and turn it gently to
receive an impression Of them out OF
them on the wax. From this impression
key is easily forged out Of strong iron
wire. OF course, it is much simpler
than the original. Sometimes doors
are opened with the pick-lock, which
acts by working outside the wards,
reaching the bolt that way; but it re-
quires more dexterity than the other,
and il successful only in the hands of
the practical thief.
SAFES.
The SUCCESS of the burglar when OPP
ersting on varded locks, caused them
at length to be discarded from banks
and money-houses, in favor Of the lever
or tumbler-lock, and the thiefs skele-
ton keys found themselves bent on to
effect in endeavoring to open them.
$50 the locksmith had to be circum-
vented by fresh means, and the jack
n-the-box was invented. Its object
was to break the lock o1 or to rend the
case 20 that the bolts might be drawn.
back. This was accomplished by in
serting T shaped bolt of iron in the
lock, and then by means of the jack Gan
adaptation of the principle of the lever
and screw, rending open the lock.
This plan was prevented by introduce
ling very small keys, and placing the
numbers. etc, above the key-hole.
Having been defeated for long while at
the safe-Iock, they at length discovered
h new plan. which was to attack the
hinges, pressing them OF by means of
powerful levers. In this manner the
afe of q large firm in London was
|ppened, and an immense amount of val
mables stolen. The firm brought an
action against the safe makers who had
sold them tle sefe as thief proof, to re-
|pover damsses; and for the defensc,
khe burglar who had been captured
md sentenced, was placed ON the stand,
md deposed that there was no safe
made that conld resist an attack prop
erly made on IFS hinges. After this
Sriai the safe-makers counter sunk their |
hinges, and at the present time we may
lately say that the thief has the worst |
bf the battle.
THE PANEL CUTTEP.
After the lock has been overcome the |
burglar has often to remove door bolts. |
To do this it is Sometimes necessary to
but out one OF the panels. This used to
be effected by means of fine saw.
Nov, an instrument called panelcut-
jer is used. A strong stem with gim-
ct point is thrust into the centre OF the
PANEL. Through this stem slides a
ross-bsr, carrying ct one extremity
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