The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-07-24
SCIENTIFIC BURGLARY.
How the Professional Lock-Picker
Does His Work.

Years of Close Study Necessary First-Open-
ing safes-Beating the Combina-
ton - Throwing Bolts and
Lifting Bars-A Lock
Expert.
A young fellow with a bright face, a
tattered hat and a much-worn suit of
clothes, has visited almost all the
downtown business offices during the
past week with the model of a door in
his hand, the door being equipped with
a strong lock, bolt and a steel key. A
little sachel strung from strap over
his shoulder was generally pulled around
in front of him as he deposited the model
of the door on The desk of the person he
had selected as his victim. and while the
latter was regarding the door model
and the impudence of the man the Young
fellow selected from a bundle of brass
wires in the sachel one or two particu-
lar ones, with which he first elected the
steel KEY from its place in the lock and
then threw back the bolt, finally turning
the lock and opening the door, which
being placed between himself and his
vis-a-vis illustrated more quickly than
words could tell how easily an expert
lock-picker can enter ones room. after
the door has been bolted and locked and
the key left in the lock. should he desire
to do so.
If the victim of this harmless burglar
should be an inquisitive man, as was the
case with 2 reporter last week, he will
find the loc&-eXpert an interesting per-
son. He will show YOU how easy it is
for man who is familiar with locks to
open a door. no matter how thoroughly
the door may be secured. With the
brass wires he has in his sachel he will
pick any lock in the house. throw back
any bolt or lift up any bar. Further
than this. he will guarantee to open any
safe. pick any combination lock or get
into any room, closet or vault without
the aid of powder or jimmy.
The business of picking locks is as
fascinating TO me-" he said, las the
study of chemistry, geology, botany or
astronomy is to scientist. l take
more delight in mastering combina-
ton than a mathematician does in solv-
ing an intricate problem"
Why do YOU not burgle. Them the
reporter asked, laughingly.
Because I've got better business. :"
he replied Now, I've got little thing
here I'd like TO sell you"
well. but talking about lock-picking.
Does it require IS much study as geolo-
gv or any other science"
More. And besides. one can never
be a success unless he has special fac
ulty for the business. The public be-
lieve that burglar is a thug, a man all
Drawn and no brain, who has no knowl-
edge of letters and no mental strength;
that he is in fact a desperate animal.
The very reverse is the case. / know
burglars who are fine conversationalists
and apparently well-cultivated men.
just little thought will enable Won TO
see that burglar must be man-that
is, successful burglar-must be man
of good mental quality as well as of SUI
perb courage
And the safe-blower?"
..ls invariably a well-informed man.
OF all the fraternity of lock-workers.
the combination safe-worker is the most
expert. His is a life of study. and he
proceeds TO fsthom the mystery of anew
piece of mechanism of this sort with
about the same sensation that good
newspaper man would follow I'D the
mystery of crime. Of the capabilities
of these men an incident that occurred
short time ago may interest you. The
cashier of the Wayne County Bank in
Wooster, o., counted over its securities
in his possession one evening, and, find
ing them correct, closed the safe door
with bang and went home. The next
morning by some freak of mind the
combination which would only let him
into the fire and supposed burglar-proof
safe had slipped from his mind. In
vain he endeayored to conjure up the
magical numbers, and in vain the di-
rectors and officers of the bank worked
on the turning knob. There were So
600 worth of bonds and money behind
that invulnerable door, and for two
months the bank men fretted and strug-
gled to reach them. One day q stranger
sauntered into the little town. and the
first thing he heard of the dilemma OF
the bank
He strolled leisurely up to the build
ing and quietly informed the cashier that
he could open the safe in a short time.
The cashier. who had fretted aud fumed
for two months at the same job, looked
upon the stranger as q lunatic, but as the
case was desperate one he told the
stranger to go ahead and do it. The
man walked over to the ponderous door
and on one knee began to turn the
tcombination knob. The click of me
chanism pleased him. for he smiled
and in few minutes, rising to his feet
gave the door pull, and it swung slow
" on its hinges, and revealed the strong
boxes the bank officers for eight weeks
30 earnestly longed to see.''
They must have paid him well?f
They did; but, to show YOU wha,
human nature is, let me tell YOU another
incident which happened to this same
happy lock-pieker. He came across {
close-fsted merchant in Reading, Penn,
who was unable to open his safe. NJ,
friend plsyfully dangled the combine
ton knob few minutes, and ther
swung open the heavy door. Ten dol
lars. SAID he to the merchant