The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-09-01

nv an Old Locksmith.l

OAO a0y Al thO "a "a 49, "Aso
was working as an apprentice to q prom
inent Boston locksmith, a man came into
the shop to get Mr.. Searle. my employer. to
open a safe, one of the keys of which had
been lost, and the possessor of the other
being away for some days.
Mr.. Searle questioned the man concern
ing the make of the safe and the style of
key used. and by his replies understood the
character of the lock, and what tools and
method must be used to open it, and being
himself. just then, too busy to attend per-
sonally to the job, he called me. gave the
necessary directions, and told me to accom-
pany the messenger.
/ was at this time seventeen years old.
had been some two years at the trade. was
apt and had acquired unusual skill in it for
so brief a period, and Mr.. Searle. pleased
with my progress and interest in the bust
ness, had confided much of his own secret
knowledge of the craft to me, and particu-
larly of his method of ascertaining the in
terror mechanism AND arrangements of
locks of rival makers by which he was gen.
orally enabled to pick even the most diff
cult of those then In use.
/ was apt, as / have said, and soon be-
came nearly as proficient as he in this
branch of the trade, except with some of
the more improved patterns of locks. So,
collecting my tools together, / went with
the man, who was amessenger in a brokers
office on State street, where the lOcked-up
safe was, and on arriving proceeded at once
to my work. Several persons, besides the
proprietor. were present, n all watched
with much interest my movements. for
-Lc.I Is1 - 49, 49, H. I'D
interfere with my space and light: for even
q locksmith could learn nothing of the Sc
crets of my method by watching.
will only say that for lock-picking the
senses of touch and hearing are the most
important, and in both these, and, in fact,
in all my senses / was very keen at that
period. The safe was one Of the best fire.
proof makes of that time, and the lock an
excellent one of the 'lever' kind, so-called;
but in less than half an hour l had fitted a
key to it, roughly made, but sufficient to
unlock it, and great were the expressions
Of wonder and admiration at my skill
Now, without making an effort to do SOL
had. during the operation, noted the vari-
one young mar who said very little, but
watched my efforts with marked interest;
and whom, from the fact that he had. at
s see diIe %sTt;cle of fr tns tb Ss0 asst t RRrSiIp66s sa T rs.
quested to facilitate my work, l judged to
be a clerk In the Office. He was
not over thirty years of age, was
of medium height. of light COM
his general appearance to distinguish him
from ordinary mel but as on one occa-
sion hs turned his head aside to answer
some Question of the brokers', i saw a
small, bright-eyed mole on the back OF his
ear-or, rather, there were two moles join
ing so as to form an outline of the figure 8.
inverted. 1t was not particularly notice
able; nor would his friends, probably.
think of it as a characteristic mark. but as
certain trihes will often affect certain midi
viduals. SO this apparently Insignificant
mark attracted me, and frequently after
came up to my minds eye.
i had been taught by Mr.. Searle that In a
job of this sort my work was accomplished
with the picking of the lock, and that it
was no part of the locksmith's business to
afterwards open the door unless at the GUS
toners request: Therefore, arose and
There, sir. 1t is unlocked. You can
now open it,"
He at once did so, and revealed the con-
tents of the safe. which consisted princi-
pally of papers and books, as usual, but l
noticed in addition-laid in one corner
where there were no shelves-a small steel
box or chest. which / recognized as one
which l had about a month before fitted a
key to at the shop. However. L did not
wait, but after the broker had given me an
order to make a suitable key for the safe,
which L could do, of course, from the skele-
ton | had made in unlocking it, / went
back. to the shop-but the mole on the
clerks ear still haunted me.
About a fortnight later | was one night
returning home from the old National
Theater on Merrimac street. where / had
delightedly witnessed the burlesque of the
Forty Thieves" The streets were not as
we'll lighted then as now, and assaults on
late-out honest people were frequent in
some quarters, and had just turned from
Haymarket square into Cross street and
gone a few yards when. in a dark part, /
felt myself firmly seized, a cloth bandage
thrust over my eyes. and a rough voice, in
suppressed tones, said:
Make no noise. boy. We don't want ter
hurt We, but I'll hev ter # yer don't com
along quietly. We've got a little job for We
ter do fore We go home, m theirs a knife
stickin' right towards We + We make the
least trouble"
1 had already ceased what little resistance
/ had attempted at first, for l was neither a
large nor a strong lad of my age. and 1 felt
that / was in the grasp of at least two
strong men; so / allowed them, one on each
side. to hurry me along. The right was a
cloudy one, and the stores were all closed,
SO that the streets were darker thar usual,
and / new there was little likelihood of
any one interrupting our progress.
/ knew that we had not turned, and
direction 1 was at first moving. that is,
toward Salem street. and was aware when
we crossed that thoroughfare, and that we
passed Hanover street without turning, and
that the next street would be Ann, which
had not then been rechristened North
street. Then / feared / was being kid
naped. to be taken to sea. / had heard of
such things occurring to boys.
Gentlemen" l began, what have I
donef Where are
b your yawp,, y~onngker, or yer a
goner," q voice breathed in my ear, and /
felt something pointed pressing against my
side. mo harmH come to We. tell We. if
We mind"
We passed Ann street. still on Cross, but
after proceeding a few PAGES further, it
perhaps occurred to my captOrs to confuse
my steps a little, for we stepped off the
sidewalk on to the cobbles and took sew
eral turns before regaining the bricks; and
when we again went straight on / knew by
the slope of the sidewalk that the build
ings we're still on my right, but whether on
she same side of the street OF in the same
street / could not determine. Presently,
however, we turned a corner to the right,
and as we proceeded the occasional sounds
of coarse laughter and drunken voices and
violin playing issuing from places we
passed, showed that / was on Ann street,
OF one of it's equally ~disreputable intersec-
tiOns.
We now crossed one more street, and had
proceeded, perhaps, a hundred PAGES when
my nostrils were assailed by q peculiarly
disagreeable but familiar odor that enlight-
ened me at once as to my locality.
/ often had occasion. in my employers
service. to visit q hardware store on Com