The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-01-21
HOW A BURGLAR WORKS.
His Tools and His Obstacles - How to
Nab Him.

His Tools and His Obstacles 80 How tC
Nab Him.
The San Francisco Call thus treats of 8
subject which has a degree of interest in
these hard times, when thieves have sc
multiplied:
Nearly every day we take up our morn.
ing paper now, we read of some unfortu-
nate having been burglariZed. Crime is q
disease, and, like many other diseases, ap-
; pears to be epidemical. To any one &C
quainted with the skill and audacity of the
class of men who take to house-breaking
for living, it is matter of surprise, not
that so many burglaries are committed,
but that many more are not attempted. In
our out 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. Verandas,
that serve no earthly use, run along the
front of hundreds of our houses, and ii
is quite easy, having gained the veranda,
TO lift up window-sash and thus effect an
entrance. The locks on the majority OF
those doors are of the poorest description,
and offer little or no resistance to the bur-
glar. Many people, when they lock their
door at night, have a habit of leaving
the key in the lock, under the impression
that it will prevent any person using a
pick or skeleton key to open the door, and
so it will. But in this case the thief uses
neither of those instruments. He intro
duces into the key-hole very strong,
| though light, forceps, and seiZing the ex-
| tremity of the key, opens the door with a
| single turn of his wrist. Then, if you
leave key in the lock, let it be one that
! does not open the door.
THE BURGLARS TOOLS.
There is but little difference between the
tools of first-class burglar and those of
an honest locksmith, for the latter is often
called upon to pick locks and 10 open
safes when keys are lost and
time is pressing. There are some
! instruments, of course, such as a
| dark-lantern and revolver-pistOl not re-
qured by the honest tradesman in his
| business, that are ali important to the pro-
| fessional burglar. A first-class outfit
comprises a dark-lantern, silent-matches,
wax-taper, revolver, a large pruning
knife, useful for cutting outdoor panels ;
pallette-knife, thin and plant, for open
| ing windows (by insertion between the
| Sashes. so as to push back the spring-fast-
| ening), jimmy or small crewbar about a
| 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 a center-bit.
| This is complete set of ordinary tools,
and may be carried with ease in a small
carpet-bag. Hall-door. locks are large,
massive, and usually take very large and
apparently complex-warded key; but the
| burglar is well aware that many of these
wards are superfluous. If he wants to
make kew for such lock he cuts out a
blank key in tin, one side of which he
covers with wax. Wards being simple OBJ
structions fixed in the locks, he has only
| to carefully insert the blank and turn it
gently to receive an impression of them on
| the wax. From this impression a 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
requires more dexterity than the other,
and is successful only in the hands of the
practical thief.
SAFES.
The success of the burglar when operat-
! ing on warded locks, caused them at
| length to be discarded from blnks and
money-hOuSes, in favor of the lever or
tumbler-lOck, and the thief7s skeleton keys
found themselves bent to no effect in en-
deavOring to open them. So the lock-
smith had to be circumvented by fresh
means. and the jack-in-the box was invent
ed. Its object was to force the lock OFF or
to rend the case so that the bolts might
be drawn back. This was accom-
plished by inserting a T shaped bolt of
iron in the lock, and then by means of the
Jack ian adaptation of the principle of the
lever and screw), rending open the lock.
This plan was prevented by introducing
very small keys, and placing the tumblers,
etc, above the key-hOle. Having been
defeated for a long while at the safe-lOck,
they at length discovered new plan,
which was to attack the hinges, pressing
them off by means of powerful levers.
In this manner the safe of large firm In
London was opened, and an immense
quantity of valuables stolen. The firm
brought an action against the safe-makers
who had sold them the safe as thiefprOof,
to recover damages; and for the defense,
the burglar, who had been captured and
sentenced, was placed on the stand, and
depOsed that there was no safe made that
could resist an attack properly made on
its hinges. After thi trial the safe-makers
counter-sunk their hinges, and at the pre-
sent time Se may safely say that the thief
has the worst of the battle.
THE PANEL-CUTTER.
After the lock has been overcome the
burglar has often to remove dOOr-bOlts.
To do this it is sometimes necessary to cut
out one of the panels. This used to be
effected by means of a fine saw. Now, an
instrument called panel-cutter is used.
A strong stem with a gimle point is
thrust into the center of the panel.
Through this stem slides crOss-bar, car
rying at one extremity sharp-cuttng
tool, which can be adjusted to move at any
required radius. At the head of the stem
is a doubled-armed lever, which works the
whole machine. This instrument will
make a hole in few minutes large enough
to admit the burglars arm or the body of
a small boy, and the door is quickly un
fastened. The only safeguards are to have
the door lined with sheet-iron or studded
with nails irregularly disposed.
HOW THE JOB IS PUT UP.
Every body knows that the thief seldom
if ever breaks into house on all the par
ticulars concerning which he is not well
posted. He knows how many people live
in the house, and the rooms they sleep in,
and the hours they retire to rest. Women
and children watch during the day, and
this watch will be kept up for days and
nights until all necessary information has
been obtained. The burglars, who gen.
ally go in threes, select the time when the
police officer has just passed on his weary
round, to commence operations. If you
have a Watchdog, it is drugged; if you
have corrupt servant, he has been, per-
haps, bribed. A mold has been taken of
your house-key; a panel is removed or
perhaps entrance is effected through the
windows opening on your veranda. The
burglar. who has pulled on thick stock
ings over his boots, moves rapidly and
without noise. Plate and money are his
two great desires, but he will take al
most any thing rather than go empty
handed. So cleverly managed is the whole
affair, that the police officer may pass by
door out of which a panel has been re-
placed with sheet of painted or grained
paper provided for that purpose. Outside
comrade is on guard, and the burglars
are careful not to leave the house until the
signal that the coast is clear. Immediately
on reaching their quarters the thieves
change their clothes the next thing to do
is to get rid of the plumber, than which
nothing is easier if it be plate. Jewels
are also readily disposed of, but not so
profitably for the robbers.
With all that has been said there IL hut