Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1884-11-22
USELESS LOCKS.
Hcw AN Expert can Openthe Most Intricate
Combinations in Existence.

that has ever been Invented. without
kew or combination" The speaker was
a close-shaved, clean-cut, penetrating
looking man. He stood in locksmith's
shop on Four-and-one-half street, dang
ling the dial of combination lock on
the end of bent wire.
'They open if he looks at EN-" said
a youth, who stood by interestedly ex-
aiming the bits of broken lock, old
keys, drills and odds and ends Of wire,
brass and steel which were scattered
about the shop. The sign in front of the
door read: "Praticcal LOcksmith and
Safe Opener."
"Do you make practice of breaking
open safest" asked the Star pan.
Il open safes when nobody else can"
replied the smith, giving the scribe a
keen, inquiring look, which might have
opened him had he been lock. That
is. open safes when the locks are out of
order or the combinations lost. Some
times man will oil the lock of his safe
and il gets gummed up SO that the tum-
blers won't work, and he can't get it
open. Some men are forgetful and lose
their combination. Safes are sold at
Sherif7s sale sometimes, and, the owner
being mad, won't give up the combina-
ton. When anything of that kind hap
pens they send for me-"
"Do you blow them open?'
"No. If the lock is broken so that
won't work drill a little hole alongside
the dial and pick the lock with small
bit of wire. If the lock is all right, only
the combination is lost, 60 to work to
find it and don't deface the safe at all.
1t takes me from three seconds to six
hours to open safe, according to the
kind and the method 1 employ"
"But how can you find tie combine
ton? Does it not take long timer"
"By testing. AS to time, it depends
upon circumstances. If / know the man
who set the combination 1 eau find it in
a very few minutes. If don't, it takes
longer. You see, study the character
of the man, and if know him pretty
well l can strike his combination through
his character. When a stranger comes
to Inc to say he has lost his combination
/ make study of him, and in nine cases
out of ten / can hit it the second or third
time. But if he did not see the combina-
ton himself it is more difficult. Then l
study the lock instead of the man, and l
am sure to get it open in a few hours.
Oh, no! 1t wouldn't do to tell you how.
Safe openers are dangerous in a commu
nifty. They are always watched by the
police. They keep an eye on me all the
time. / have them trying my door all
hours of the night and there's generally
one somewhere around. No, couldn't
teach you to open safes. But you might
not find it easy to learn. There is kind
of association between me and locks-an
understanding, as it were, We have the
same way of thinking"
"Could you open burglar-proof time
lock?" asked.
81 can open the best lock that was ever
made in five OF SIX hours. These little
office.safes wouldn't put that much
time on. They don't pay enough. Just
take hammer and break the knob off,
and can get into the safe in about three
seconds"
"What do you get for opening safe?"
"For a little three-second safe get $40.
For larger safes like they have in banks
and brokers' offices, and where they don't
want the lock injured, get $3.50"
'Could you open the great safe in the
United States treasury"
Easily. Icould get rid of the time
lock and every thing in six or seven
hours, and wouldn't make any particular
fuss about it, either. No safe was ever
made but il had some weak point known
to the maker, so he could get into il in
case the lock should fail to respond. i
there wasn't, they would have to break
the concern all to pieces if the lock broke
Now, know where to find these veal
places. | can strike within a quarter o
an inch of it every time. 1t is generally
covered over by thin sheet of steel OF
boiler-iron, and by cutting away bloch
three or four inches, which is easily done
l could drill into the best safe that Ina:
ever been made. 1t would not be any
trouble for burglars to get into the Treas
ury safe if they understood locks as
do"
'Has your knowledge of locks ever 90
you into any trouble with the police?"
"No, not seriously, though, as l say
they always watch me. Down in Oh
City, though, / created quite an ALARM
one night, and came near being capture,
as burglar. Some fellows got to tam
pering with the safe in large hardwar
store there. and somehow got the com
bination changed so that no one knew
how to open it. The proprietor sent 70
me, and / told him could open it, bu
as l was quite busy, ] should have +
wait until evening. closed my shop
little after dark, and went over to tn
store and got to work on the job. ! ha'
been working couple of hours, whel
somebody banged at the door and callet
or me to surrender without resistance
did not want to be shot. The proprie
tor was fortunately in the store at tn,
time, and opened the door There was
squad of policemen armed, and the hous'
was completely surrounded, so / coulC
not escape The patrolman had seen me
at work on the safe and gone Oft anC
reused the town, and the whole police
force had been called out TO surround
the building. The proprietor explained
and | went on with my job"
"But locks don't do much good against