Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-07-08
Practical Locksm,th and safe-opener. :

Practical Locksmith and Safe-0pener.
:
'.Do you make a profession of break
ing open safes?" asked q reporter.
81 open safes when nobody else
can,'" replied the smith. ''That is,
open safes when the locks are out Of
order or the combinations lost Some
times 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 gel
it open. Some men are .forgetful and
lose their combinations. Safes are sold
at sheriffs' 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 opena"
mo. 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, I go to work and find it and don't
deface the lock at all. It takes me
from three seconds to six hours to open
safe, according to the kind and the
method l employ. "
''But how can you fluid the combina-
ton? Does it not take long tlme''
by testing. As to time it depends
upon circumstances. II / know the
man who sets the combination I can
find it in very few minutes; if I dom
know him it takes longer. You see, I
study the character of the man, and if
l know him pretty well 1 can strike
his combination through his character.
When stranger comes to me to say
he has lost his combination, / 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 1
study the lock instead OF the man, and
I'm sure to get it open in few hours.
Oh, no! 1t wouldn't do to tell you how.
Safe-openers are dangerous to the
community. They are always watched
by the police. They keep an eye on
me all the time. / have them trying 2
my door at all hours of the night, and
there's generally one somewhere
around. No, l couldn't teach you
how to open safes. And you might
not find it easy to learn. There is a
kind of association between me and
locks-an understanding, as it were.
We have the same way OF thinking
''Could you open a burglar-proof
time-lock?" asked the scribe.
81 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.
1 just take Il hammer and break the
knob off and can get into the safe in
abou. three seconds"
What do you get for opening
safes?''
''For little three-second safe 1 get
ten dollars. For large safes like those
in banks and brokers' Offices and where
they don't want the lock injured l get
two hundred and fifty dollars?"
Gould you open the great safe in the
United States Treasury?'
Easily. l could get rid of the time
lock and every thing else in six or
particular fuss about it either. No safe
was ever made but it had a weak point
known to the maker SO that he could
get into it in case the lock should re-
fuse to respond. If there wasn't they
would have to break the concern all to
pieces in case the lock broke. Now,
know where to find this weak place.
can strike within a quarter of an inch
of it every time. 1t is generally COW
cred by thin piece of steel or boiler
iron. and by cutting away a block
three or four inches, which is easily
done. I would drill into the best safe
that was ever made. 1t would not be
any trouble for burglars to get into the
treasury safe if they understood locks
as well as do"
HAS your knowledge of locks ever
gotten you into trouble with the po-
lice?'
'.No; not seriously; though, as l say,
they always watch me. Down in Oil
City, though. l created quite an alarm
one night and came near being capt
ured as burglar. Some fellows got
with the safe in a large
hardware store there, and somehow
got the combination changed SO that
no one knew how to open It. The pro-.
prietor sent for me and told him
could open it, but, as was quite busy.
[ should have to wait until evening. /
closed my store little after dark and
went to. work on the job. had
been working couple of hours when
some one banged at the door and called
On me to surrender without resistance,
# did not want to be shot. The pro-