The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1878-05-15
BURGLARS TOOLS.

changes in preventive inventions. The
hydraulic lack to force in safe locks, the
cylinders Of compressed oxygen and by
drogen to burn through steel, and the
other scientific as we'll as ingenious APP
pliances used by the big operators show
this. The first and simplest tool in a
burglars outfit is a window knife. This
is q thin, very flexible, broad-ended
knife, more resemblinga paint knife than
anything else. With it, in two seconds
the clumsiest burglar can turn back the
simple catch so generally used through
out the city to fasten windows. The thin
blade can be easily twisted up between
the two sashes, and a light pressure
throws the catch to one side or the
other. and leaves the window free to
open. This is as useful as it is simple,
and the wonder is that that style of fas-
tening is 50 generally used. Lately,
however, a new brass catch, which
works up and down. and is fastened by
a pin, has been invented, and is proof
against the knife. The art of window
opening, however, makes necessary in
some cases a diamond to cut the glass.
This brings into requisition " sucker"
"a disk of wet leather with a string
tied to it, such as boys use as a play
thing. This is first fastened to the up
per pane and the cutter run around it
in a circle, When the glass is severed
it clings to the leather and the riece is
removed to the outside without noise or
fracture of the contiguous glass.
Another and simple method in avoid
ing noise, utilized in breaking into
stores with thin glass windows, is to
paste a large sheet of stout paper over
the glass till it adheres firmly in every
part, and then break the glass. The
pieces cling to the paper and no iingling
or noise of any kind is made, and the
window can be neatly taken out in frag-
ments. This next article in the outfit is
a skeleton key. These are as old as the
invention of tumbler locks. Before
that invention it needed little skill or
practice, by aid of crooked wire, a
notched knife-blade or anything else
that came handy, to pick the simple
lock. The new invention, however,
brought skeletons into vogue. A skele-
ton is simply the simplest shape of key.
The shank is filed down thin so as to
enter any lock easily, and the ward of
the key is the same size as that of any
key. but consists only of small "T''
shaped piece Of steel or brass as the
case may be. This is the simplest va.
riety, and will suit the largest number
of locks. There are some, however, in
which the wards are trife more com
pick, which suit different brands of locks.
No respectable thief, however, is with
out two or three kinds.
The next implement is pair of nip
pers, Or "nips," as the police abbrevi-
ate it, which are used when a key is
turned and left in the lock. Chips,
are pairs of pinchers which are inserted
to grasp the end of the key. The clutch.
ing portion is so small as to easily enter
lock, and when closed the end appears
like hollow piece of steel no thicker
than key shank. The ends are notched
however, just as pair of pinchers ar
roughened, so as not to slip when thu
end of the key is grasped, and as mos
keys are pointed at the end, the opera
ton of grasping it is facilitated. Som
originality is displayed by thieves il
getting up these, and some years ag
the work of burglar named Winter
since killed in fight, was always detect
ed by a pair of "nips which he used
Instead of having little notches a
around the end, he had only four, equaI
ly distant from each other, and the mark
a on the brass key which his instrumer
, left were thus always detected. Th
q "nips are largely used, and are effet
tive, the only prevention against thel
? being something that will make the Ike
immovable. OF these preventives th
best is thick bent wire, in the shape
a hairpin that hangs down from I'll
a shaft of the door knob and pass,
: through the ring of the key.
= The commonest burglarious instrl
e ment is the Jimmy" and its uses al
O | nonifo1l tt 10 n hor of cIoo1 oro ~,
e of which is curved at right angl
!, Sometimes one end is sharpened to
i point and sometimes both, or one
e fiattened out and sharpened like a Gro,
a bar. They are of various lengths an
n weights, and q well-to-do burglar gel
1t orally has several. They subserve 9
20 the uses of a crowbnr and drill. Wit
Ie them it is no trick at all to force open
Of wooden door, breaking the lock or twis
h ing it out of place by main force. 1t
n also very successful tool in pryil
q open the iron door of building or
g. safe, being used in the latter case VIII
g, partial entrance has been made. Bull
t, eye lanterns, so loved by dime nov
Iy writers, have passed out of date, smi
10 candles being used. This calls to mil
to the fact that the work of Root al
er Schacht, the champions, was alwa
is spotted by the candle grease viii
r they left behind them, their custom
d, ing to use the small Christmas tree ca
al dies. Masks are rarely used, and
,g worn are usually of the simplest &C
'ir struction, a piece of black cloth wi
is, eye and mouth holes serving both
nd purposes of disguise and terror, in c,
he a startled individual awakes at night
nd find a ghost with candle, black ms
he and revolver bendino over him w