The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1884-11-15

HOW AN EXPERT CAN OPEN THE MOST MTRr
GATE COMBINATIONS IN EXISTENCE.

1
HOW AN EXPERT CAN OPEN THE MOST rsTBI-
oArs, COMBINATIONS IN EXISTENCE.
Washington Star.
"Locks9 Locks won't burglars out.
Why, can open any kind Of lock
that has ever been invented, without
key or combination" The speaker
was a closc-shaved, clean-cut, pene-
trating,looking man. He stood in a
locksmith's shop on Four and-One-
Half street, dangling the dial of a
combination lock on the end of bent
wire.
"They open if he looks at EN-"
said youth, who stood by interested
| " examining the bits of broken lock,
old keys, drills and odds and ends Of
wire, brass and steel which were scat
tered about the shop. The sign in
front Of the door read practical
Locksmith and Safe-Opener."
"Do you make practice of break
ing open safes?' asked the Star man.
II open safes when nobody else
cam" replied the smith, giving the
scribe keen, inquiring look, which
might have opened him had he been
lock. "That is, l open safes when
the locks are out of order or the com
binations lost. Sometimes man will
oil the lock of his safe, and it gets
gummed up so that the tumblers won't
work, and he can't get it open. Some
men are forgetful, and lose their com
bination. Safes are sold at sheriff's
sale sometimes and, the owner being
mad, won't give up the combination.
When anything of that kind happens
they send for me-
ado you blow them openW
"No If the lock is broken 80 that
it won't work l drill 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, | go to find it and don't deface
the safe at all. II takes me from three
seconds to six hours to open safe,
according to the kind and the method
| employ"
"But how can you find the combi-
nation7 Does it not take long time"
"By testing. AS to time, il depends
upon circumstances. If | know the
man who set the combination | can
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 can strike
his combination through his character.
When u stranger comes to me to say
he has lost his combination make Il
study of him, and in nine cases ont of
ten hit it the second or third trial,
But if he did not set the combination
himself it is more difficult. Then
study the lock instead of the man, and
I am sure to get it open in a few
hours. Oh, no it wouldn't do to tell
you how. Safe openers are dangerous
in a community. They are always
watched by the police. They keep an
eye on me all the time. | have them
trying my door all hours of night and
there's generally one somewhere
around. No, l couldn't teach you to
open safes. But you might not find it
easy to learn. There is a kind of as
sociation between me and locks-an
understanding, rs it were. We have
the same way of thinking"
"Could you open a burglar proof
time lock3n asked the scribe.
~ can open the best lock that was
ever made in five or six hours. These
little Office safes | wouldn't put that
much time on. They don't pay
enough. l just take hammer and
break the knob of, and can get into
the safe in about three seconds"
"Wbat do you get for opening
safe?"
"For little three.scond safe get
$40. For large safes like they have in
banks and brokers' offices, and where
they don't want the lock injured,
get $780,"
"Could you open the great safe in
the United States Treasury2"
easily. | could get rid Of the
time lock and everything in six or
seven hours, and wouldn't make any
particular fuss about it, either, No
safe was ever made but it had some
weak point known to the maker, so he
could get into il in case the lock should
fail to respond. If there wasn't, they
would have to break the concern all
to pieces If the lock broke. Now, III
know where to find these weak places.
| can strike within quarter of an
inch of it every time 1t is generally
covered over by thin sheet of steel
Or boiler iron, and by cutting away
block three or four inches, which is
easily done, / could drill into the best
safe that has ever been made. II
would moi be any trouble for burglars
to get into the Treasury safe If they
understood locks as do"
4Has your knowledge Of locks ever
gotten yon into any trouble with the
policein asked the Star man.
aNn, not seriously, though, as
say, they always watch ne. Down
lin Oil City, though, ! created quite
an alarm ono night, and came near
being captured rs a burglar. Some
feIlows got to tanpering with the safe
| ID large hardware store there, and
someIlow gothic combination changed
so that no one knew how to open IT.
The proprietor sent for me, and ! told I
him could open II, but a. was busy
should have to wait until evening
cIosed my shop little after dark
and went over to the store and got to
work ou the job. 1 had been work
ing 4 compile Of hours, when some
body banged Al the door and called
for me 10 rusrcnder without resistance