The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1883-03-15
3he Burglar and His Methods.

The methods of the American thief
are very comprehensive and Skillml;
more 30 than are those Of the profession,
for such has thieving become, of other
countries. 1t is commonly acknowl-
etged among tho first police officers
Ia tho world that, for D. fine job, the
American thief is far ahead of the other
nations. Why should they beP That is
somewhat OF n mystery, unless to the
training ne has received under tho
tutelagc of the best Of English thieves ho
adds tho peculiar daring, GOODNESS, cum
hing and skill that scem to be inherent
in the fully develo. ed American; but no
matter for what reason, the fact rcma MS
unchallenged that he stands at the head
of the craft A consideration of his wa s,
gentle and otherwise, will be interest
ing 10 read. He i divided in many
families, but first and foremost among
thieves is the bank burglar, or "high
tobyman." ut is tho King bee in the
criminal hive. and Affects TO be gentle
man when not engaged on clay.
The history OF nearly every large and
wealthy city aboundS in instances o. The
bank robbers daring rogunry, Jlr
BONES bnd lca3cs inySlcriously, and his
presence would not have been felt had
he not LETT "kit' Of Lcautiful tools be-
side Il wrecked sac ar I,3:;E vault. and
taken im exchange grccnback3 and
bonds that may be thousands, but more
often is millions. This in his peculiarly
sportive moments he might term Il fair
exchange, and does; but no amount Of
Bportivc wit Gait prisH;idr tho bank on
eerS into thus regarding the visit
BanN burglars are not in the habit
of working alone. They ira: cl in
gangs. and have at ther beck and
call crowd Of conf"deratoI- cap
jtaliss, laycrs-out aMh 90 o.bctwccns,
The first named "Stakc' the cracks
man when he is broke, furnish
tho funds for his expeditions, and
when he is in trouble look generally 10
his interests. The layer. out is the
brains of the gang, plans its cxrcdi,
tions, often furnish tile finds, and, ait
tr Il success. shares the spoils. The 90
between is he who acts rs agent for the
return Of non eligible bonds or securi-
ties Of any kind, for, although these
papers have no real value to the
burglars. the bank people arc pinchcd
by the same wise, and between the two
tnconvcniencca, both ore willing to
sacriiice something in the interest Of
harmony and the rest. tank burglars
tools are generally Of n very SUPERIOR
order, gathered with care and piece
meal until the kit is made up. 4 fiji
kit Of the best order is worth $4,000.
This may all 60 in the event Of Il fa;l.
ure Of u OBJ y disturbance, and gcu-
trally does 90 when a successful piece
of work is accomplished, rs the booty
is heavy enough to carry away in Itself,
90 that tools are left behind. Mcrhan-
les OF superior class exist in larger
cities who make speciality of fashion,
ing burglars tools. In the absence OF
such ne hanic thc tools are collected
III parts. but rs this is Il risky way OF
obtaining them it is avoided if posi-
BILE. Kits Of the tObyman's tools are
kept on hand for hire, and good col
lection Cnn be obtained in the ceutor<
of the business for from S1OO to 5000
These toOl-rcnicrS are generally tool.
| makers, also, but often the fchc9 ha,
| them OH hand, and it is part OF the busi,
hess Of the old cracks nan to keep them
Fifty per cent of the noted burglars ar,
practical smiths and thoroughly under
stand the temper and capacity OF thei
own tools. Sometimes u wanw. cacl
owning implements OF different kinds
pool their possessions, ana thus max
up full exit The tOOi-makcrS hay
their spccialtic'. Some are far.ous TO
chiscls, others fOrpunche5 and iimmcs
and one maker has malc Il national rrn
utation for II sic lge of lead and crppc
that entirely superseded that formrrl
used Of steel, because If the dun, al
most noisclcsS. blow it strikes
The latest great Improvement is il
drills that cut into the hardest steel lik
Il knife into wood, especially thc double
rachel drill OF Howard, the bur. :lar win
was murdered by his comrades som
years ago for trcachery. This drill i
said to be able to bore Il hole through
solid block of steel rs easily rs does
gimct in one OF wood. Another too
called il Sa(c-opCncr, made on the prin
ciplc OF the domestic oyster -opcncr, vii
cut the front out OF II safe when once
gets hold. But the u o t powerful an
destructive instrument used BY burglar
is the safe drag. originally made in I'm
gland. 1t weighed at first about -
pounds. but American ingenuity has nc
it down 10 q little over 100 in weigl
and improved its qualities. An cxpcl
can tear II strong safe literally TO p,ecC
with this terrible machine - Cictchn,
| WcIUld.