The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-09-12
BOLTS AND BARS.
HOW THE PROFESSIONAL LOCK-
PICKER DOES HIS WORK.
Years of Close Study Necessary First
Beating the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Jobs
Which Pay How Safe-Blowers
Manage Matters ''Roughers."
rst. Louis alobe.Democrat.l

sacuTsd 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 viii guarantee to open
any safe, pick any combination lock or get
into any room, closet or vault without the
aid OF powder jimmy.
THE business of picking locks is as fasci-
mating to me-" said one Of these gentlemen
to an inquisitive reporter, "as the study or
chemistry, geology, botany or astronomy Is
to a scientist. I take more delight in master
ing combination than a mathematician
does in solving an intricate problem. The
public believe that burglar is a thug, q
man all Drawn and no brain, who has no
knowledge of letters and no mental strengfhi
that he is In fact desperate animal The
very reverse is the case. / know burglars
who are fine conversationa1ists and appar-
emily we'll cultivated mon. Just little
thought will enable you to see that a burglar
must be mau-that is, a successful burglar
must be a man of good mental quality as
we'll as of superb courage. The safe blower
is invariably a well-informed man. Of all
the fraternity of lock-workers the combina-
ton safe-worker is the most expert.
His is a life of study, and he pro-
ceeds to fathom the mystery Of a new
piece OF mechanism Of this sort with about
the same sensation that a good newspaper
man would follow up the mystery Of a
incident that occurred short time ago may
interest you The cashier of q bank in
Ohio counted over it's securities in his pos
session one evening, and, finding them cor
rect, 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 burg
Iar-proof safe had slipped from his mind
In vain he endeavored to conjure up the
acrio mn
and officers of the bank worked on the
turning knob. There were $50, 900 worth Of
bonds and money behind that invulnerabls
door, and for two months the bank men
fretted and struggled to reach them. One
day stranger sauntered into the little
town, and the first thing he heard Of was
the dilemma of the bank.
"He strolled leisurely up to the building
and quietly informed the cashier that ne
could open the safe in a short time. The
cashier, who had fretted and fumed for two
Tuonths at the same job, looked upon the
stranger as a lunatic, but as the case was a
desperate one he told the stranger to go
ahead and do it. The man wal led over to
the ponderous door, and on one knee began
to turn the combination knob. The click
Of mechanism pleased him, for he smiled,
and in a few minutes, rising to his feet,
gave the door a pull, and it Swung slowly
On its hinges, and revealed the strong boxes
the bank officers for eight weeks so earnestly
Ionged to see."
"They must have paid him well"
"They did; but, to show you what human
nature is, let me tell you another incident
which happened to this same happy lock-
picker. He came across close-fsted mer-
chant in Pennsylvania, who was unable to
open his safe. My friend playfully dangled
the combination few minutes and then
swung open the heavy door. Ten dollars
said he to the merchant. oh, no. said tho
merchant; do you think I'm going to pay
that much for few minutes workr Very
WELL said my friend, quietly closing the
safe door and giving the combination knob
few turns Just excuse me; I've got bust
hess down town. In half minute he was
walking out of the store, leaving the safe as
securely locked as it had been before.
This was something the dealer did not bar
gain for, and he fastened after the lock ex-
pert, but he had to pay $26 before the safe
was opened again.
@You asked me moment ago about safe
blowers There are very few safe-w workers
who resort to the use OF powder to open a
door. Having acquired mastery over one
combination, safe blower is too shrewd to
Jet his secret out After entering the build
ing in which the safe is located, he can by
his senss OF touch or sound, open the COM
bination and then secure his plumber. Then
he begins the work of safe-bloWing. He
first locks the safe door and then fills all the
cracks with putty, and through little ORR
fee made in the upper cr&ck fills the safe
with powder by means of little bellows.
He then flls the hole, attaches slow match
to small orifice made in the lower crack,
and walks off leisurely with the fruits Of his
crime. In half hour the fuse has ignited
the powder, and the safe door is shattered
from its hinges. Then the police rush in,
and the next day report at headquarters
that the robbery was accomplished by blow
ing the safe.
Some of the foremost experts never begin
operations until the 'Roughers' a name
given those who force open the building,
stand ready to brain an officer, and do the
blowing business after the lock expert has
riled the safe and started on his way with
the booty. Within two years one of these
robberies occurred in New York The safe
was blown through the roof, and the witch
man, in detailing the circumstances, said
the roof and safe went up like huge
rocket; the safe fell about block away.
The Waterman hurried after it, and, when
relating the story afterward, said he saw
three men pry open the inner door and de-
camp with their booty. The truth was,
after beating the combination the thieves,
TO conceal how it was done, determined to
blow the safe. In their hurry to get away
they overcharged the safe and treated the
@sIchman to pyrotechnic display that q
less drowsy fellow might not have enjoyed.
1.-THE robber masters a combination with
almost mathe NAUTICAL accuracy. Just as the
music teacher is trained to detect one false
note in a large chorus, SO the safe-robber
studies the click of the rachets within the
lock and marks the drop. The expert safe
worker is as scientifically familiar with the
relative resisting power Of the differ
emit makes of vaults and safe doors as he is
with the expansive force Of the differentex
plosives He keeps himself posted by
reading scientific and trade papers.
When he is puzzled he writes to the ex-
planstory columns Of the scientific journals,
and solves, in q round about way, those
problems too much for his previous educa-
ton. He estimates to grain the quantity
of the explosives necessary to blow open
safe door,"
Fashions ON the Pacific Side.
iHeppner (Ore.) Gazette
l..