The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1889-02-26
THE WAYS OF THIEVES.
Methods Adopted by Crooks In
Large Cities.
The Most Successful in the Profession Men
of Intelligence-Breakin a Safe-In-
genious "Hotel Workers" "E<ey Fit
tiers" and syeranda 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 sepa-
rately, and most of the old-time pro-
fessional cracksmen are doing time
What gives us the most trouble are the
gangs, and it takes time to locate
them"
To adopt the well-known 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
are intelligent and not infrequently
ingenious mechanics who would COM
mand the highest wages in honest pur-
suits, and those members of 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
line with as much intelligence and
application as the safe-builder, and
experience teaches that the craftsman
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 are GER
tain peculiarities of noted cracksmen
by means Of which experienced de-
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 scuttle in the roof,
choosing an adjacent vacant or partly
occupied building as 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
ment or some rear window not suf-
hciently secured with grating. Doors
which are merely bolted from the 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 q
6ne bit he bores hole not more than
an eighth or q sixth of an inch near
the bolt, pushes through loop Of thin
but strong silk or fishing line. and by
means of q pliable steel tap, usually
watch-spring material, he knows how
TO fssten 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
1onable 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 premises after business
hours, removing the dial of the COM
binations, fitting a sheet of tin-foil
over the latter and replacing the dial
The legitimate opening or clos
ing of the safe makes the
impressions of letters or numbers
on the soft foil sought to be OBJ
tanned by the burglar. At a second
visit the dial is readily removed, and
for the expert one glance at the foil is
sufficient to apply the combination,
which opens the safe without force.
Disordering the combination after the
robbery, so that the safe can not be
opened again for hours, is favorite
method of the burglar to gain time for
escape. If force is required, the me-
chanical burglar has quite a formida-
BILE array of tools-his exit, 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-faned