Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1886-07-21
Practical Locksmith and Safe-opcner.

up in front of the door was the sign:
.'''''''..'.. ..........,. ....,.......,..',
: Practical Locksmith and Safe-opcner.
| ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. ,................"'
"Do you make profession of break
ing open safes?" asked q reporter.
II open safes when nobody else
can" replied the smith. THAT is, I
open safes when the locks are out of
order or the combinations lost. Some
times man will oil the lock of his safe
and IL gets gummed up so that the
tumblers won't work and he can't get
it open. Some men arc forgetful and
lose their combinations. Safes arc sold
at sherifls' 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 opcnp"
mo. If the lock is broken 90 that
it won't work, / lrill little hole
alongside the dial and pick tho lock
with small piece of wire. II the lock
is all right and only the combination
lost, 90 to work and find it and don't
deface the lock at all II takes me
from three seconds to ixlDurs to open
Il safe, according to the kind and the
method l employ"
but how can you fiud the combina-
tionP Does it not take long time"
by testing. AS TO time it depends
upon circumstances. II / know the
man who sets the combination can
find 1t in q very few minutes; If don't
know him it takes longer. You see, ]
study the character of the man, and If
/ know him pretty well / can strike
his combination through his character.
When q stranger comes to me to say
he has lost his combination, make q
study of him, and in nine cases out of
ten hit it the second or third time.
But II he did not set the combination
himself it Is more difficult. Then I
study the look instead of the man, and
I'm sure to get 1t 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
my door at all hours of the night, and
there's generally one somewhere
around. No, ! couldn't teach you
how to open safes. And you might
not find it easy to learn. There is q
kind of association between me and
locks-.-an understanding, as it were.
We have the same way of thinking"
Gould you open a burglar-proof
time-lock" asked the scribe.
II 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.
Just take q hammer and break the
knob off and can get into the safe in
about three seconds.
What do you get for opening
safes?n
"For little thrcc-sccond safe j get
ten dollars. For large safes like those
i'm banks and brokers offices and where
they don't want the lock injured l get
two hundred and fifty dollarsP"
Gould you open the great safe in tho
United States Treasury
Easily. | could get rid of the time
lock and every thing else i'm six or
seven hours ami wouldn't make any
| particular fuss about ii either. No safe
was ever made but il had II weak point
known to the maker so that he could
get into il in casc the lock should re-
| fuse To respond. II there wasn't they
| would have 10 break the concern all to
pieces in case the lock broke. Now,
know where to find this weak place. l
can strike within u quarter of an inch
of il every time. IL is generally COW
cred by thin piece Of steel or boiler
iron, and by cutting away block
three or four inches, which is easily
done, 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 rs do"
Has your knowledge of locks ever
gotten you into trouble with the po-
| lice?'
"No; not seriously; though, AS say,
| they always watch me. Down i'm Oil
| CITY, though, created quite an alarm
one night and came near being capt
| ured as burglar. Some fellows got
tampcring with the safe in large
hardware store there, and somehow
got the combination changed so that
no one knew how to open it. The pro-
prietor sent Scr me and told him
| could open it, but, as was quito busy.
l should have to wait until evening. I
closed my store little after dark and
went TO work on the job. had
been working couple of hours when
some ono banged at tho door and called
on me to surrender without resistance,
| If did not want 10 be shot. The pro-
prctor was fortunately in the store at
the time and opened the door There
was a squad of policemen, armed. The
house was completely surrounded and
/ could not escape. Tho patrolman
had seen me at work on the safe and
gone of and reused the town and the
l whole police force had been called out
to surround the building. The propri-
etor explained and l went on with the
| Job. IN Y Mail and Express.
"A Santa Rosa (Cal) fruit-seller