Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1882-12-21


st. Paul, and they cut in on the trade
little. but NOT mach. There's plenty o
work. and it S a special branch of tn,
business. keeping men busy all tn,
time. I've got over dozen safes il
town now t. attend to, and two OF
three outside. Sometimes I can oper
one in a few minutes. and arain hav,
to work hard for several DAVIS before Il
opens. The hardest Job | ever had va,
up ut Des Moines 1t took me eight
days, and then had to break the saf,
all TO pieces. People don't under.
stand the combination business. They
should change the combination al
least every three months. for il
wears ont quickly. Then when they do
change. they should remember il. or
there will be trouble. More than half
OF my work comes from people forget
ting the combination They don t
want to write it out for fear some one
would get it. so they commit it to mem
DRY and get it mixed. | once had a
ease at Sigourney. Iowa, where bank
er forgot, and YOU ought to see the
depositors around that bank when got
there. 1t had been closed tor two diys
because the cash and books were in
that safe, and they thought it was a
case of break | went at it and il was
a 'brea(, for it took me two DAYS to
get the door oil; then we found that no
one knew the right combination at all.
There was a county clerk out at Boone.
Iowa, who locked up his Office Satrr-
day. after setting new combination.
and when he tried to open the SAFE on
MONDAY he could not. | got there
Wednesday and found hundred farm
ers in town and the roor clerk in the
hands of the men on his bond. They
all wanted to know where the sum of
$50, 900 was. IL took me three da :.
but finally succeeded, ard you ought
to see that clerks face brighten up
when the none was found untouched.
tie swore he had the right comb nation,
but when we got at it showed him he
was mistaken. The old time safes are
easy enough to open. but some of these
new ones-the burglar boxes a. we
call them-are enough TO wear a man
out II a bolt is broken we drill
through and raise it. but some
times we have to destroy the whole
door before We get in. can OF On any
safe in Chicago in forty Eight hours at
the utmost, and many OF them in twoor
three hours. Yes. sir. the burglars o.
casonally try TO blow one open and leave
the work for me to complete. DESTROYING
the safe SO that it won work. l had a
case down at Springfield several wears
ago where the burglars left off work
when they m ght have got about $40, 900
II they had kept at it half an hour
longer. They had all but one bolt open
when they either gave up work or were
frightened away. Time locks are not
much protection against burglars. They
are principally designed to prevent oSs-
honest bank officials. cashiers. etc.
from openn,, the doors when they have
no right to do SO. A cracksman can
ieal as quickly with me-lock safe as
any other. and there is a good deal of
trouble when the clock inside runs
Town or gets out OF order. Then You
nave to bore and drill away the door.
md it's n Job, tell you. Idon't like
EN- Tor that, though many of them are
N use just now. Yes, Eve had thieves
ry TO get me to work. but never did.
knocked one fellow down. He got
Icquainted with me and it was six
months before knew what he was I'D
o. He used to talk great deal about
ny work AM my tools and what sa es
had worked on. AMI finally he pro-
'osed to open SAFE upon Madison
treet- No, sir. I'll eat honest breai
n | won't eat any. And there an
ther thing about the same subject.
lou never heard of man in my line
ding any burglar work. not one. The
My thing approaching it was in that
northampton bank rub ~. and then
he sa e man that was in the lob was an
gent OF firm, and knew all about the