New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1878-07-31

The appliances of the tirst-class burg
lars are changed to meet almosot all tho
changes in preventive inventions. The
hydraulic jack to force in safe locks the
cylinders of compressed oxygen and by.
drcgen to burn through steel, and the 9th
er scientific as we'll as ingenious applian-
ces used by the big operators show this.
The first and simplest tool in a burglars
outfit is window knife. This is thin
very flexible, broad led knife, more
resembling paint knife than anything
else. With it, in two seconds the clum
siest burglar can turn back the simple
catch so generally used throughout the
city to fasten windows. The thin blade
can be easily twisted up between the two
sashes, and light pressure throws the
catch to one side or the other, and leaves
the window free to open. This is as use
full as it is simple, and the wonder is that
style of fastening is SO generally used.
Lately, however, a new brass catch, which
works up and down, and is fastened by
pin, has been invented, and is proof
against the knife. The art of window
opening, however, makes necessary in
some cases diamond to cut the glass.
This brings into requisition a sucker
"a disk Of wet leather with string tied
to it, such as boys use as a plaything.
This is first fastened to the upper pane
and the cutter run around it in a circle.
When the glass is severed it clings to the
leather and the piece 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 pert,
and then break the glass, The pieces
cling 70 the paper and nojingling or noise
of any kind is made, and the window
can be neatly taken out in fragments.
The next article in the outfit is a skeleton
kew. These are as old as the invention
of tumbler locks. Before that invention
it needed little skill or practice, by aid
of a crooked wire, a notched knife-b blade
or anything else that came handy, to pick
the simple lock. The new invention.
however, brought skeletons into vague.
A skeleton is simply the simplest shape
of key. The shank is filled down thin SO
as to enter any lock easily, and the ward
OF the key is the same sieze as that of
any key, but consists only of the same
size as that ola small C 7" shaped piece
OF steel or brass as the cas- may be. This
is the simplest variety, and will suit the
largest number of locks. There are some,
however, in which the wards are trife
more complex, which suit different brands
of locks. NorespectaDle thief however,
is without two or three KEYS.
The next implement is pair of nip
pers, or ''nips," as the police abbreviate
it, which are used when key IS turned
and left in the lock. "Nips," are pairs Of
pinchers which arc inserted to grasp tic
end Of the key. The clutching portion
isso small as to easily enter lock, and
when closed the end appears like a hol
low piece of steel no thicker then key
shank. The ends are notched, however,
just as a pair of pinchers are roughened,
so as not to slip when the end OF the kew
is grasped, and as most keys
are pointed at the end, the operation of
grasping it is facilitated. Some original
ity is displayed by thieves in getting up
these, and some years ago the work of a
burglar named Winter, since killed in a
| fight, was always detected by u pair of
| "nips" which he used. instead Of having
little notches all around the end, be had
only four, equally distant from each 9TH
| er, the marks on the brass key which his
instrument left were always detected. The
'snips" are largely used, and are effective,
the only prevention against them being
something that will make the key i'm
movable. OF these preventives the best
is thick bent wire, in the shape of q
pin that hangs down from the shaft Of
the door-knob and passes through the
ring Of the key.
The commonest burglarious instrument
is the 'sjimmy,' and its uses are manifold
1t is bar Of steel, one end Of which is
curved at a right angel. Sometimes one
end is sharpened to a point and sometimes
both,o one is fattened out and sharpened
like a crow bar. They are of various
lengths and weights, and we'll TODD
burglar generally has several. They sub
serve all the uses of a croWbar and drill
/ With them it is no trick at all to force
open wooden door, breaking the lock OF
twisting it out of place by main force II
is also very successful tool in prying
open the door OF building Or a safe,
being used in the latter case when par
tial entrance has been made. Bulls eye
lanterns, so loved by dime novel writers
have passed out Of date, small candles he
ing used. This calls to mind the fact
that the work of Root and Schacht, the
companions, was always spotted by the
candle grease which they left behind
them, their custom being to use the small
/ Christmas frno candles