The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-06-30

clean-Shaved, ciaan-cut, penetrating.
looking man, who was standing in a
locksmith's shop. All around the shop
were bits of broken locks, old keys,
drills, odds and ends Of wire, and hung
up in front of the door was the sign:
Practical Locksmith and safeopener.
:...... NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. ........... ....:
"Do you make profession OF break
ing open safesp" asked reporter.
"a open safes when nobody else
can, /" replied tho smith. 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 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 sherltfs' sales sometimes, and the
owner being mad won't give up the
combination. When any thing of that
kind happens they send for me-"
do you blow them openp"
"No. If the lock is broken so that
it won't work, l lriil little hole
alongside the dial and pick the lock
with small piece of wire. II the lock
is all right and only the combination
lost, l 60 to work and find it and don't
deface the lock at all. 1t takes me
from three seconds to six hours to open
a safe, according to the kind and the
method employ"
"But how can you fluid the combina-
ton? Does it not take q long time"
"By testing. As to time it depends
upon circumstances. If l know the
man who sets the combination l can
find it in very few minutes; if don't
know him it takes longer. You see,
study the character of the man, and II
know him pretty well can strike
his combination through his character.
When stranger comes to me to say
he has lost his combination, l make a
study of him, and in nine cases out OF
ten hit it the second or third time.
But if he did not set the combination
himself it is more difficult. Then ]
study the lock instead. OF the man, and
I'm sure to get it open in few hours
Oh, no! 1t wouldn't do tn tell you how
Safe-opencrs are dangerous to the
community. They are always watched
by the police. They keep an eye OF
me all the time. l have them tryinl
my door at all hours of the night, ant
there's generally one somewhere
around. No, / couldn't teach 20,
how to open safes. And you Nigh
} not find it easy to learn. There is 1
kind of association between me and
locks-an understanding, as it were
We have the same way of thinking"
7 "Could you open burglar-prOo
> time-lockp" asked the scribe.
II can open the best lock that wa
: ever made in five or six hours. Thes
r little office safes l wouldn't put tina
much time ON. They don't pay enough
Just take hammer and break tn
knob off and can get into the safe !
about three seconds"
What do you get for openiu
safes?"
: 'For a little three-second safe ! e
g ten dollars. For large safes like thOs
s in banks and brokers' offices and wher
= they don't want the lock injured l g
two hundred and fifty dollars?"
Gould you open the great safe in til
- United States Treasury"
Easily. could get rid Of the time
! lock and every thing else in six {
/. seven hours and wouldn't make an
n particular fuss about it either. No sal
!, was ever made but it had weak poil
= known to the maker so that he coul
. get into it in case the lock should r.
= . fuse to respond. If there wasn't the
u would have to break the concern all
V pieces in case the lock broke. Now,
know where to find this weak place.
J can strike within quarter of an inc
of it every time. 1t is generally co
!. cred by thin piece of steel or boil'
J iron, and by cutting away bloc
. three or four inches, which is east
. done, l would drill into the best sa
j. that was ever made. 1t would not
: any trouble for burglars to get into Il
= treasury safe if they understood loci
y as well as do"
u HAS your knowledge of locks ev
gotten you into trouble with the p
:. lice?'
y "No; not seriously; though, IS l sa
+ + they always watch me. Down in {
y City, though. created quite an alar
:; ~ one night and came near being car
~ ured as a burglar. Some fellows g
- tampering with the safe in lar
=. hardware store there, and s0meho
- got the combination changed so tn
- no one knew how to open it. The pr
" prietor sent for me and told him
- could open it, but, as was quite bus
10 should have to wait until evening.
y closed my store little after dark al
10 went to work on the job. l h
W been working couple Of hours VIII
10 some one banged at the door and call
10 on me to surrender without resistant
:. if did not want to be shot. The pl
70 prietor was fortunately in the store
Nv the time and opened the door. The
"a was a squad of policemen. armed. T
81 house was completely surrounded q
~ l could not escape. The patrolm
., had seen me at work on the safe a
III gone off and reused the town and {
III whole police force had been called 9
"a to surround the building. The prop
~ etor explained and went on with I
~ iob."-N. T. Malt and Express.
- A Singular Meteor.
~ An account has just been given
no. some remarkable phenomena obsery