Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-11-12
A MAN WHO LAUGHS AT LOCKS.


How Combination Safes Yield up Their
Secrets to an Expert A Chat With q
safe DEMONSTRATING Combinations
Through the Character of the Man Who
Devised Them.
From the Washington Start
"Locks? Locks won't keep burglars
cut. Why, can open any kind of lock
that has ever been invented, without
kew or combination. The speaker was
a close-shaved, clean-cut, penetrating
looking man. He stood in locksmiths
shop on Al Street, dangling the dial of
combination lock on the end of bent
wire.
"They open if he looks at 'em," said
youth who stood by interestedly exam
ming 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, practical Locksmith and
Safe Opener"
"Do you make practice OF breaking
open safes?" asked the Star man,
"I open safes when nobody else can"
replied the smith, giving the scribe O
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.
Sometimes a 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 combinations. 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-"
do you blow them open?"
mo. If the lock is broken SO that it
won't work I drill little hole along
side the dial and pick the lock with a
small bit of wire. Ii the lock is all
right, only the combination is lost, /
go to work and find it and don't deface
the safe at all. It takes me from three
seconds to six hours to open safe, &C
cording to the kind and method en-
ploy"
"But how can you find the combina-
ton? Does it not take long time?"
"By testing. AS to time, it depends
upon circumstances. If I know the
man who set the combination I can
find it in very few minutes. If [ don't,
it takes longer. You see, [ study the
character of the man and If [ know him
pretty we'll [ can strike bis combination
through his character. When stran-
ger comes to me to say he has lost his
combination I make a study of him,
and in nine cases out of ten [ can hit it
the second or third trial But if he
did not set the combination himself it
it is more difficult. Then study the
L. Il go H.
to get it open in few hours. Oh, no!
1t wouldn't do to tell you how. Safe
openers are dangers in community.
They are always watched by the police.
They keep an eye on me all the time.
I have them trying my door at all hours
of th night. and there's generally one
some where around. No. I couldn't
teach you how 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 the scribe.
Il con open the best lock ever made,
in five or six hours. These little Office
safes I wouldn't put that much time on.
They don't pay enough. I just take a
hammer and break the knob off, and can
get into the safe in about three sec
onds."
what do you get for opening a
safe?"
"For little three second safe I get
SO. For large safes like they have in
banks and brokers' officers, and where
they don't want the lock INJURED [ get
$3.50.
could you open the great safe in the
United States Treasury"
Easily. I could get rid of the time
lock and everything in six or seven
Lar fuss about it either. No safe was
ever made but it had some weak point
known to the maker, so he could get in
to it in case the lock should refuse to
respond. Ii there wasn't they would
have to break the concern all to pieces
If the lock broke. Now know where
to find these weak places. can strike
within quarter of an inch every time.
1t Is generally covered over by thin
sheet of steel or boiler iron, and by cut
ting away block three or four inches.
which is easily done could drill into
the best safe that has ever been made.
It would not be any trouble for burglars
to get into the treasury safe if they un-
derst God locks as l do"
"Has your knowledge of locks ever
got you into trouble with the poice?"
asked the Star man.
mo, not seriously, though. ss say,
they always watch me. Down in Old