Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-01-21
How Burglars Work.

| fortunate having Deen DufgIar1ZeQ. crime
is disease, and, like many other disor-
ders, appears to be epidemical. The nu-
merous successes attained by the gentle.
men of the "pick" and jimmy" seem to
have given the ruffians the greatest con-
| fidence in their own powers, and, no long
er satisfied with "cleaning out" the
| peaceful citizen, they have actually
gone through" the terrible police ser
| geant. To anyone acquainted 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 actu-
ally built with the intention of aiding to
| the utmost the efforts of any person de-
sirous of efecting an entrance. Veran-
das that serve no earthly use run along
the fronts of hundreds of our houses, and
1t is quite easy, having gained the veran.
da, 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 resist
ance TO the burglar. Many people, when
they lock their door at night, have hab.
1t of leaving the key in the lock, under
the impression that it will prevent any
person from using 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 seizing the extremity Of the key
opens the door with single turn of his
wrist. Then, IL you leave key in the
lock, let it be one that does not open the
door.
There is but little difference between
the tools of first class burglar and those
OF an honest locksmith, for the latter is
often called on to pick locks and to open
safes when keys are lost and time is
pressing. There are some instruments,
N course, such as darklantern and re-
volver pistol, not required by the honest
tradesman in his business, that are all
important to the professional burglar.
A frst-class outfit comprises dark
lantern, silentmatches, wax taper, re-.
volver, large pruning knife, useful for
cutting out door-panels, palette-knife,
thin and plant, for opening windows (by
insertion between the sashes, so as TO
push back the spring fastening). jimmy
or small crowbar about q 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 q center-bit This is
complete set of ordinary tools and
may be carried with ease in small car.
pet-bag
Hall-door locks are large, massive, and
usually take q very large and apparently
complex warded key; but the burglar is
well aware that many of these wards are
III hn fo fnr
such lock he cuts out blank key in
tin, one side 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 on the wax From
this impression key is easily forged
out of strong iron wire. OF course it is
much simpler than the original. Some.
times doors are opened with pick-lock,
which acts by working outside the wards,
reaching the bolt that way; but it re.
quiTes more dexterity than the other,
and is successful only in the hands of a
practical thief.
The success of the burglar when oper-
ating on warded locks caused them at
length to be discarded from banks and
money-houses, In favor of the lever or
keys found themselves bent to no effect
in endeavoring to open them. So the
locksmith had to be circumvented by
fresh means, and the jack-in- the box was
invented. Its object was to force the
lock of or rend the case so that the bolts
might be drawn back. This was ac-
complished by inserting T-shaped bolt
of iron in the lock, and then by means
Of the jack ian adaptation Of the princi-
pie 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 long while
ut the safe-lock, they at length discov-
cred 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 thief-proof 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 this trial the safe-makers
counter-sunk their hinges, and at the
present time we may safely say that the
| thief has the worst of the battle
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 fine saw. Now
an instrument called panel-cutter is
| used. A strong stem with gimlet point
is thrust into the center of the panel.
Through this stem slides cross. bar, car
rying at one extremity sharp-cutting
tool which can be adjusted to move at
any required radius. At the head of the
stem is double.armed lever which
works the whole machine. This instru.
ment will make hole in few minutes
large enough to admit the burglars arm
or the body of small boy, and the door
is quickly unfastened. The only safe
guards are to have the door lined with
sheet-iron or studded with nails irregu-
larly disposed.
Everybody knows that the thief seldom
IL ever breaks into house on the par
ticulars concerning which he is not well
posted. He knows how many people
live in the house, and the rooms they
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