The west Tennessee star. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1888, 1888-10-12

Eenious ''HOtel Workers" ''Ixey Fit
tcrs" and "yerands Climbers"
"Burglaries run in streaks," re- |
marked Lieutenant Elliott of the city |
detective department, complacently, |
while he was speaking Of the recent |
numerous depredations Of the crooked |
fraternity. There are not many pro-
fessionals in Chicago who work scpa- /
rately, and most Of the old-time pro- |
fessiOnal craclIsmen are doing time |
What gives us the most trouble are the |
gangs, and it takes time to locate |
them"
To adopt tho well-l1nown thief
takers expression, the professional
crook is far from being the tough and
rowdy usually pictured by the agitated
fancy OF the alarmed citizen. The
most successful burglars are not Of
the Sykes class, so graphically de-
picted by Dickens fertile pen. They
arc intelligent and not infreQuently
ingenious mechanics who would COM
mand the highest wages in honest pu--
suits. and those members of a gang
whose lob" it is to reconnoiter the
ground have the bearing, appearance
and manners of well-to-dO business
men whose presence around banks and
great mercantile establishments would
not excite the least suspicion. The
practical safe-breaker studies the
latest mechanical inventions in his
limo with as much intelligence and
application as the safe-builder, and
experience teaches that the cracksman
frequently outwits the inventive genius
of the legitimate mechanic. While
the work of the burglar must of
course be adapted to the circumstances
of each particular job, there arc GER
tain peculiarities Of noted cracksmeu
by means OF which experienced &C.
tectives are enabled to say with almost
absolute certainty who perpetrated
the crime. There are burglars who
would never enter a house by any
other way than the scuttlc in the roof,
choosing an adjacent vacant or partly
occupied building as n starting point;
others will sneak into a house and
keep themselves concealed until the
time for their work has arrived; still
others prefer entrance by the base
mcnt or some rear window not Suf-
flciently secured with grating. Doors
which are merely boltcd from tho in
side offer not the slightest obstacle to
the professional burglar. a simple
and noiseless trial will at once show
him the location Of the bolt. With
fine bit he bores a hole not more than
an eighth or "a sixth OF an inch near
the bolt, pushes through loop of Thin
but strong silk or fishing line, and by
means of a pliable steel tap, usually
watch-spring material, he knows how
to fasten the loop around the knob of
the bolt. A quick pull is sufficient to
move the bolt in the slot. This opera
tion is for fine work in hotels or fash
iOnable residences.
The safe-breaker does not associate
with those who crack store for the
purpose Of stealing bulky goods. He
represents the aristOcracy of the pro-
fessiOn, and uses force only when it is
absolutely necessary. Combinations
of safes have often been learned by
this class of crooks through obtaining
access to the promises after business
hours. removing the dial of the COM
binations, fitting a sheet of tin-foil
over the latter and replacing tho dial.
The legitimate opening or clos
ing of the saso makes tho
impressions Of letters or numbers
on the soft foil sought to be OBJ
tanned by the burglar. At n second
visit the dial is readily removed, and
for the expert one glunce at the foil is
sufficient to apply the combination,
which opens the safe without force.
Disordoring the combination after the
robbery. 50 that the safe can not be
opcned again for hours, is a favorite
method of the burglar to gain time for
escape. If force is required, the mo
chanical burglar has quite formida-
bic array of tools-his "kit," as he
calls it. The complete kit contains an
air-pump. putty, powder or dynamite,
fuse. sectional jimmy, steel drills, dia-
mond drills copper and steel-faced
sledqes, lamp and blow pipe, jack
screw. wedges, syringe, brace with
box slide. feed screw drill, steel punch
es, small bellows, sl1eleton keys. nip
pcrs, dark lantern, Irvine and screw
eyes. The most dangerous OF this out
tit lis the second power i'm mechanics
the screw. The method used In break
llAA open AAAt Netlt Aat AAN.tAt W A-AA-f~ ~
Co.'S establishment. for instance, is "a
practical Illustration Of the power of
the screw.
la this case the burglars first rugged
brace against the vault door Then
They drilled hole through the door
near the diat cut "a thread into the
hole. and inserted what is termed lc-
male screw. Into the latter they fitted
the jock-screws, provided with a ham
die large and strong enough for two
men 20 work az the turning. The
jacS-screw went in until il struck the
combination. Then the tremendous
force OF the formidable burglars tool
came into nloy. Tho entire combina-
ton was broken or I'm some cases
the force Is not directed against
the combination. bat against the
back plates Of the safe door,
usually the weakest port OF the entire
structure. Something must give
when the screw comes into play. and