Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-05-03
nurrieer asa fin-ineSs.

liza = - isu~iitfNG.
a man must be- good mechanic
"a be burglars safe-blower." re-
marked an old detective. He must
layc good tools and know how 70 use
them. Now, if You had drill and un-
der!O0k TO drill hole through that
stovepipe there you would probably
make mess OF it. How, then. is an
unsklliful man going to make out
when he has to drill through the hard
est steel? An expert burglar must be
good mechanic, know how TO usa
MS tools, and where to work on a safe.
tic has to do his work quickly, and
use blow-pipe or some other means
OF softening the steel. The tools used
by expert burglars, the men WHO rob
banks, are of the finest workmanship,
and kit costs $1,000 or more. It
takes some capital for one to get a
start as a burglar But these men
. ho tried to blow the safe the other
night were 'chumps. Whenever there
IS q successful safe burglary it is all
ways folloaed by other attempts.
The lower order of thieves say we
can do something like this, and 90 of
and try it,"
"Do these burglars get much of the
proceeds OF their sklll?' asked the re-
porter.
Nov, said the detective. eve will
suppose burglars rob bank safe in
Washington and get, we will say,
800, 600 in negotiable bonds Chicago
and Northwestern, or something like
lhat-bonds that are not registered,
but are numbered. The bank has
list Of the numbers. They can not,
you see, dispose of the bonds in open
market; but they will take them To
man who will give them about one
third of their value. If the bonds are
worth par, he VII give them, say $780,
600 cash. That is all thev get. Now
the man that buys the bonds calls in
another man skilled in his line, who
goes over them and alters the num-
bers. For this lie receives 10 per cent
The man who bought the bonds has
paid out for them so far $1,000 He
may figure, YOU see, rs a respectable
broker and easily handle them him
self After the bonds are altered he
calls in q man known as a layer
down 1t is this mans business to
dispose of or lay down the bonds For
this he gets onC-half of the profits.
He sells tlem at the full market value,
say 100000 and gets half of the
500, 600 remaining. after the money
paid to the burglars and to the man
who altered the numbers is deducted. u
"But thieves who get diamonds and
jcwelry?'
"Wcl, suppose said the detective,
"that thief has got into mans
house aud taken the mans watch,
worth, say $3.50, his diamond stud
worth 500, his wifc's diamond ear
rings worth, say $500, and perhaps n
diamond ring, too, making the value
ef all about $1,000. He goes to a
.euce, who looks at the watch. calcu-
fates how much the gold cases will
amount to when melted down, says ne
Will to have a new plate put on the
works, so as to alter the number of
the watch, and finally gives $25 for it.
He takes the diamonds from the set
tings, examines them and weighs
them, and gives perhaps $50 for the
SLUut pluO lVl lut SlOutS rum lut tul-
rings, and so on, making in all about
$3.50 for the lot That is all the thief
will get for his job. The settings of
the stud aud earrings will be thrown
aside 1t is the stones that are yalua-
Die, and, except in the case of very
large and valuable diamonds that are
registered, no one could swear posi-
lively to them after they ar reset
The fence, of course, has to take risks,
and many have to keep the stolen
diamonds for six months or more. If
a fence becomes known, thieves won't
put anything away with him. If it is
a choice between two. and one of the
two conducts his business so quietly
that he has not been discovered, the
;h;ef will go to him. though he knows
he will get much smaller sum for
what he has to dispose of. Tasbing-
Inn Syyr