Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-07-31
a-Aou 70 the black

The burglar, after securing the
to saw in twain the long
of the sledge hammer and after
he entered
MR.. BATES STORE
through q window in the rear. He broke
the pane Of glass nearest the window
catch and after pulling out the catch
raised the window and entered. The safe
in the store room proper, near the
west end and directly ID front OF a window
looking ont upon an alley. A railing
the office enclosure and il the
thief had made o light il might not have
been seen from the street. The window
into the alley is nearly obsoured by o
high desk. Once inside the burglar
found himself we'll hidden and he might
have worked all night without
being disturbed. He first drilled
q hole in the outside
sale door just to the left of the box which
enoloses the combination machinery,
using q drill a quarter Of an inch IN
diameter. The iron door drilled through
is seven-eighths OF an inch thick. The
location OF the combination plates was
found by the operator with astonishing
accuracy, the drill going straight
through and making q clesn cut hole.
After making the hole the burglar in.
serted d punch and by blows with the
sledge hammer upon the punch,
FORCED THE COMBINATION PLATES
out of place and the lock fell into son.
fusion and with n turn OF the outside
handle the safe doors were opened and
Its contents exposed.
The money box was located near the
top of the safe, and with o ehisel the
front of the iron box was torn off and
the two drawers located in the box
we're removed. The drawers contained
coin and paper money, and ONE papers.
The burglar considerably left all the
papers, but no money. Checks to o
considerable sum were also left. One of
the drawers contained considerable small
change and she burglar carried the
drawer away with him. The papers were
| picked over and examined and lef.
scattered over Mr.. Bates
desk. A portion of the
money taken belonged TO the city, but
$500 was Mr.. Bates own. 1t was in bills
and coins of various denominations and
would be hard to identify.
TOOLS FOUND,
Charlie Sphinx found the sledge, q
chisel, a file, screw driver and brace in
the weeds back OF the Brown school
house this morning, the burglar having
thrown them there away after the JOB.
Two of the bits were found beneath the
window where the thief entered but the
saw and the bit used in the drilling are
yet missing. The officers are inVestigat'
ing the matter, but clues to the burglar
are very scarce.
HOW SAFES ARE OPENED.
With the purpose Of obtaining in
formation upon the subject of safe
cracking, George Wagner, locksmith. on
Third street vas seen.
"Can o safe be opened by boring a sln-
gle small hole through the door near the
combination knobP"
"Yes," said Mr.. Wagner, "any OF the
ordinary safes, such as are common in
Offices and stores, can be opened that
way-but the hole must be drilled in the
right place."
Where is the right placer
"That depends upon the kind of safe.
In one make is ia n place
and in another make il is in
another place. The operator must be
an expert and know where to put the
hole in the particular safe he is working
apon. In making the hole the drill
must not be held at right angles to the
Surface OF the safe door, but, put ct ar
angle which will slant the drill towards
the combination plates inside the door
When the opening is made a wire car
be passed through and pressed against
the combination plates. The knob OF
the outside is tarned until the wire
drors into a notch. The knob is ther
turned the other way until the wire
dropssinto another notch, and agar
with o reverse motion until the thirc
notch is found. The safe is then un,
! locked and can be opened in the usua
way"
"How long does it take to drill th
the hole through the ordinary sat
door,"
Probably about Eve minutes, wit
{ the right kind of a drill. The operatio'
D is perfectly noiseless,'
From this it will be seen that the or
binary office safe 10 not much OF an OF
stsele to the operations OF skilled burg
lars. The expert oraoksm 9 needs cnl
to study the different makes OF safes !
. order to locate the spot where the hol
q is to be bored. This much learned an
his way into she treasure box Is easy.
h In the affair at ihe city treasprer's Of
/. fcs the hole bored in the safe dot
]. isa little to the left Of the combinatie
knob and Giants towards the combiul