The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-11-24

strong stocking filed with sand. The advan-
tage Of this primitive affair, If such things
can be said to have any advantages, is that
the moment after it has been used, the
sand can be thrown away and the empty
stocking kept without exciting any suspicion.
Similar in principle to this is the contrivance
used by French sailors, who tie up a half
pound OF sand in a stout handkerchief, nap
kin or towel and use it as billy or slungshot.
''More efficient are these sandbags which
are made in the shape of clubs, or, as some
facetious person calls it, in the form of Bo-
logna seusages. In making these the robber
has exercised every sort Of ingenuity. So
far as the material employed is concerned, he
has used cotton and WOODEN cloth, bed tick
ing, crash, heavy silk, sausage skin, eel skin,
leather and even snake skin. A number OF
famous sandbags, which have been captured
by the police, are worthy Of mention. One
was a handsome eel skin, filed with sand
close up to the end, and thence with bird shot
to the end itself. This arrangement gave the
effect Of n slungshot TO the affair, and added
to the strength of the arm which welded 1t
the awful effect Of a swift rotary motion.
Another, owned by French murderer, was
of silk, handsomely embroidered and finished
with siIk-wound leather thongs. A third, Of
Spanish origin, was of fine sheepskin, 30 care
fully finished as to be as soft as the best
chamois.
''In giving weight to slungshot, equal
variety has been shown by the malefactor.
The last ono caught i'll New York, Il negro
Desperate named James a. Jackson, had in
closed in his sandbag piece Of lead pipa
The weight was such that, when welded by
a muscular arm, it would shatter human
skull like an egg shell. Stones, bullets, shots,
pieces of metal and balls Of tinfoD have been
put to the same purpose The heavier the
contents of the bag, the smaller it can be
without diminishing its efficiency. At the
same time the wrongdoer'5 safety is greatly
increased.
"A highwayrnan bearing what looks like a
fair sized club in his hand would attract the
notice of passersby and particularly Of the
police, while on the other hand he could carry
a heavy, small affair partly III his hand and
partly in his sleeve without being detected By
ANYBODY Even when seen it would produce
the visual impression of an injured wrist or
forearm.
''This necessity for concealment has given
rise to two varieties Of sandbags which are
very ingenious. In the one case the bag is
sewed almost across its width every inch or
two. When filed with sand or shot it forms
a series of compartments somewhat similar
to the arrangement used in ordinary life
preseryers. This shape does not impair its
usefulness as a weapon, and on the other
hand enables the owner to fold it or oil it.
and carry it in the pocket. Moro original
was the utilization of one Of the rubber life
preservers which are inflated with air and
fastened around the neck. They vary from
ten to fourteen inches III length and one to
two inches in diameter when fully inflated
The rubber cloth of which they are made is
extremely strong and flexible. The sand
Dagger fills it nearly full with water, seals
the end, and has bag which can not be ex-
celled for deadly work. The water being
fluid, yields much quicker than does sand
and inflicts even deadlier blow.
''The sandbag, notwithstanding the fact
that it is found every now and then in every
American community, Is essentially foreign
Its rare to find any one who ID Gldllful IN tts