Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-06-01
A COOL SCOUNDREL.

- - ~ ~ ~ ~ S1Ax4A.
Ny profession isn't q popular one.
There is considerable prejudice against
1t. L don't myself think it's much
worse than good many others How
ever, that's nothing to do with my
story. Some years ago me and the gen.
tleman who was at that time connected
with me in business-he's met with re.
verses since then, and at present isn't
able to get out-was looking around for
Job, being at that time rather hard
up, as you might say. We struck
small country town. ain't agoin' to
give it away by telling where it was or
what tho name Of it was. There was
one bank there; the president was q
rich old duTer; owned the mills owned
the bank; owned most of the town.
There wasn't no other officer but the
cashier, and they had boy who used
to sweep out aud run on crrands.
The bank was on the main street,
pretty we'll up one end of it-nice. snug
place, on the corner OF a cross street,
with nothing very near it. We took
our observations, and found there wasn't
no trouble at all about 1t. There
was an old watchman that walked
up and down The street nights,
when he didn't fall asleep and forget it.
The vault had two doors; the outside
one was chilled iron aud had IA threo.
wheel combination lock; the inner door
wasn't no door at all; you could kick
it open. 1t didn't pretend to be moth
ing but Gre proof, and it wasn't even
that. The first thing We done, Of
course, was to ct a key to the outside
door As the lock on the outside door
was an old fashioned Bacon lock, any
gentleman of my profes sion who
chances to read this article will know
Just how easy that job was and how we
done it. may soy here that the gen.
tlemen in my line of business having at
times great deal Of leisure on their
hands, do considerable reading, and
are particularly fond Of 4 neat bit OF
writing. In fact, in the way of litera.
ture, | have found among them-how.
ever, this being depression, | drop il,
and go on with the main Job again.
This was our plan; After the key
was fitted was to go into the bank,
and Jim-that wasn't his name, Of
course, but let it pass-was to keep
watch on the outside. When any one
passed he was to tip me q whistle,
and then l doused the glim and lay low;
after they got by, goes on again.
Simple and easy, you see. Well, the
night as we selected, the president hap
pened to be out of town; gone down to
the city. as he often did. I got inside
oil right, with q slide lantern, breast
drill, small steel jimmy, bunch OF
skeleton keys and green baise bag to
stow the swag. / fixed my light and
rugged my breast-drill, and got to work
on the door right over the lock.
Probably . great many Of your read.
ers is not 20 we'll posted as me about
bank locks, and may say for them that
three-wheel combination lock has
three wheels in it and . slot In each
wheel. In order to unlock the door
you have got to get the three slots
opposite to each other, at the top Of the
lock. OF course, IL you know the num-
Der the lock is sst on, you can do this /;
but il you don't, you have to depend on
your ingenuity. There is in each OF these
wheels 3 small hole. through which
you put wire through the back OF the
lock, when you change The combina-
tion. Now, II you can bore n hole
through the door, aud pick m those
wheels by running wire through thoso
holes why you can open the door.
hope ] make myself clear. | was
boring that hole. The door was chilled
iron; about the nestest stuff I ever
worked on. / went on steady enough