Mexico weekly ledger., 1878-06-13
THE SCIENCE OF BURGLARS;
AN INSIGHT INTO IT'S PEcULIARrrRs, AND
DESCRIPTION OF THE TOOLS
Ttt - Z.--@i EMPLoYED. a~
From the San Francisco Po.t.l

The appliances Of the first-class
burglars are changed tos meet almost
slithe ehangesFin preventive inyen.
tons. The hydraulic jack, to force
Unsafe locks, the cylinders Of COM
Pressed oxygen. and hydrogen to burn
through steel, and the other scientific
al we'll as ingenious appliances used
by the big eastern operators, show
this. Here, however, the old tools
are depended upon. The first and
simplest tool in a burglars outfit is a
window knife. This is a thin, very
flexible, broad ended knife, more re-
sembling a paint knife than anything
else. With it, in two secords, 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 be-
tween 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 fastening is 80 generally used.
Lately, however, a new brass catch,
which works up and down, and is fas-
tened by a pin, has been invented,
and is proof against the knife.
The art of window opening, howev-
er, makes necessary in some cases a
diamond to cut the glass. This brings
into requisition a "sucker," disk OF
wet leather with a string tied to it,
such as boys use as a plaything. This
is first fastened to the upper pane and
the cutter run round 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 tract
ureof the contiguous glass. Another
and simple method in avoiding 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 jingllng or
noise of any kind is made, and the
windows can be neatly taken out in
fragments. The next article in the
outfit is . skeleton key. These are as
old an the invention of tumbler locks.
Before that invention it needed little
skill or practice, by aid OF q crooked
wire, a notched knife-blade or any
hing else that ca ne handy to pick
the simple locks. The new invention,
however, brought skeletons into vogue.
"A skeleton is simply the simplest
shape Of key. The shank is filed
down thin so rs to enter any lock cas-
lily, and the ward of the key is the
same size as that of any key, but con-
sists only Of a small "l'''t shaped
piece Of steel or brass sasethe case
maybe This Is the simplest variety
and will suit, the largest number of
Jocks. Therenare some, however, in
which the wards are trifle more COM
pick, which suit different brands of
locks. No, respectable thief, however,
ID. Without tive or three kinds. The
NEXT implement 10 q pair Of nippers|
6rasnips,S' as the police abbreviate it,
which are used when d key is turned
and LEFT, In d lock. l,''i ,.' nom
''rssNlps'' are pairs Of pincher which,
are inserted to grasp the. end Of the
key The clnthing portion is SO small
as to easily enter a lock, and when
closed the end appears like a hollow
piece Of steel no thicker than a key
shank. The ends are knotched, how
ever, JUST ms a pair-ef pincers are
rohghened, 90 as not to slip when the
end Of the hey is igrasped, and, as
most keys are pointed at the end, the
operation Of grasping it il facilitated.
Some originality is displayed by sthiefI
In getting up these, and some years
ago the work Of burglar named Win
Ter, since killed In q. fight, was always
detected by q peculiar pair of 'snips''
which, he used. Instead of having lit
tie inotches all around the end, he had
only fur, equally distant from each
other, and the marks on the brass KEY
his instrument left were thus
detected. d The 'snips,, are
largely, nsed, and are, very effective,i
the only prevention against them be-
lrg sornsthing that viii ,Make the keyl
iimmovabIe. or these preventiyes the
best is q thick bent wire, IN the shape
q hair pin, that hangs down rom
shat of door-knoh and paases |