The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-25
EXPERT THIEVES.
HOW SAFE ROBBERS PLY THEIR
TRADE SUCCESSFULLY


Before Beginning Work-The Tools
rsed-How Buildings are Watched
and Entered-Work on the Safe
"reminiscences of a Detective.
From the Washington Star.
eThe safe-blowers are having a pretty
rood thing of it." remarked detective to a
reporter.
in what way!" asked the reporter.
"Why," he answered, 'they are break
ing safes all over the country. II was
only few days ago that they paid visit
n this city. Then they visited Nor
folk. Va, only last week and made big
haul"
How do they manage to commit these
robberies and then get away so safely!"
asked the reporter.
Easily enough" replied the detective.
"Persons who dosuch work are not 'chumps'
nv anv means When they select place to
rob they know from careful study almost
where
EACH POLICEMAN WILL BE
Of the hour they select, and you'll never find
him in the neighborhood when the safe is
blown. Then when the plumber is secured
they always have a place to secrete it where
thepolice would hardly thinkof looking for
it until they have a chance to jump town
with it."
when they reach town in which they
intend to do a job, how is the scheme
workedF' asked the reporter.
They first walk through the town." re-
Piled the detective, land select a business
house. One of the gang goes into the place
during business hours and asks questions of
one Of the clerks While doing so he is
carefully watching all the interior arrange
ments, and takes particular notice of the
safe to see whose make it is. If he cannot
learn whether any amount of money is kept
In the safe or not he will ask for the change
of a large note, say a $50 bill. Then he
notices the surroundings, and when the final
visit is paid he knows exactly the lay of the
land In the meantime, for two or three
nights. he and his companions will pipe off
the policeman on the beat or the private
watchman They learn the habits of the
latter and know when the policeman 10
changed, or when he is on another portion
OF the beat. After talking the matter over
the burglars are satisfied that the place can
be worked and they wait for good oppor-
tunity.
RAINY OR WINDY NIGHT
is usually selected The members of the
gang, say four in number, will visit the
neighborhood. They know about where
the policemen are and while three OF their
number keep guard, one man forces an en-
trance. which can usually be done by means
of a Jimmy. After an entrance Is effected,
spool of fine black Irvine plays the next
important part.
TIE TWINE SIGNAL.
If the building is situated on the corner
the Irvine is run through the keyholes of
both the front and the side doors. The end
in the store is attached to one of the men
at work. while the other end crosses the
street and is held by one of the men on guard.
If any person, whether an officer or a citi-.
zen. approaches the, confederate pulls the
string and warns those inside of the dan
ger. Operations then cease and the opera
tors conceal themselves while the cop or
citizen walks over the string When
the danger is over, the string is again
pulled and operations on the safe are re-
newed.o
How about the tools used by the burg
larsF' queried the reporter.
"A first-class operator needs but few tools
to enter any building and open safe. In
the first place large jimmy is needed to
force an entrance to the building. They
usually carry also what is called a sectional
Jimmy. 1t is made is several pieces, and
when put together is very heavy. Each can
carry a portion of it and put it together
when the premises to be worked are
reached, and it will then open any door ever
hung to building. Once in the build
ing It is necessary to have brace, with
the various sizes and shapes of bits, to assist
in
DRILLING THE SAFE,
and he must also have the necessary steel
punches. The man who does the drilling is
a mechanic and knows the weak points in
H. ,alyo ~ hos 10
them study. The hole is usually drilled
above the lock, for the mechanic always
knows where to strike an important fasten-
ing After the hole is drilled through the
safe door one of the punches is used, and
with the assistance of the sledge hammer
the lock is made to give way and drop to
pieces. The wedges are then used until an
opening large enough for jimmy is made,
and the burgl are able to open the
safe without the use of an explosive In
many instances, however, this mode of get
ting into the safe fails and then it is neces-
sary
TO USE THE EXPLOSIVES.
Many burglars prefer the use of an explo-
sives possibly because they are not well
enough up in the business to open SAFE with
out them. In such cases the hole is drilled
so that the explosive can be placed against
the lock. The hole thus drilled is filled with
the explosive, dynamite beng generally
used, and then the cap, which is about the
size of a 42-caliber cartridge, is inserted
and set off. This cause the locks to fall,
and the jimmy is then used to force open the
door.
RIPPING SAFES.
Sometimes safes are opened by what
they call ripping" continued the detective.
The operation is commenced with a very
fine wedge, and larger wedges are used I'M
til the ripper can take hold and rip the
strips Of binding about the door, and the
operation is continued in this way until the
door is ripped to pieces. A job worked sue
ccessfully in this way requires good deal of
time and labor, but the operation makes
but little noise and there are less chances of
being detected"
A CLEVER ROBBERY.
II remember" continued the detective,
zone of the cleverest safe robberies ever COM
mltted There was an immense safe kept in
The office, which was in the rear of large
establishment. There were large plate
glass windows and doors, and there was APP
parently no way of entering the office I'M
less the large windows were smashed or the
door broken in, and there was a private
Waterman on the outside who could see
everything in the store The Office was d.
vided by frame partition, and stained
glass so that from tie outside the safe could
not be seen. The burglars forced an en-