The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-11-27
CRACKING A BANK SAFE.
An Experienced Burglar Describes Il
Robbery of an Ohio Bank.

Robbery of an Ohio Bank.
A renowned cracksman" has been reIat-
ing to a reporter OF the Kansas City Star
his story of the robbery of little bank in
a quiet Ohio town. The Waterman having
been got rid of by news of the sudden dis
appearance of his wife, who in turn had
driven eleven miles to the bedside Of her
mother, reported by the burglar to be dying,
the next thing was to enter the bank. Inc
thief tells how it was done.
"There was no way TO get into the build
ing except by the windows. SO we daubed
and painted pane of glass with molasSes
and then pasted the bed-quiit to 1t, smo 9th
and tight. The syrup was thick as glue,
and it took hold like terrier. When 1t was
pasted all right we took little hammer and
tapped along the edges next the sash and
broke out the glass. There was no noise,
cause the blanket killed the taps and the
mola-ses kept the broken glass from falling.
A second after We had unfastened the win
dow and were inside.
1.-THE next thing was the iron door Of the
vault. I've known men 50 clever III safe
construction, so sensitive as TO touch and
delicate of ear as to be able to unlock any
safe, no matter what the combination Is,
simply noting the sound made by the tum-
biers and other lock machinery as they
turned the com binati0n knob. But none OF
us were good enough for that
mot being enthusiastically good mechan-
ics-We laid for the vault door just in the
good old way. We set the feet of the
'puller' against the door and cllnched its
handlike fingers on the com binatlon knob,
and a half dozen turns Of the wheel brought
it out like an old tooth. So much for the
power of the screw and ArehimedeS. or
whoever invented it. There was fairly
smooth safeman with me in the gang, and
he reached in the hole with his two fingers
and pushed the tumblers around until we
had the door unlocked.
"When we got inside the vault we found
about $500 in one package and portion OF
another; the balance WIS in little, com
pact, all-steel, burglar-proof safe which set
inside the vault. 1t was powerful safe,
and in its strength seemed to sit and blink
al us in the glare of the dark-lan terms in a
sort of serene confidence as 10 its ability to
defy the NEST potent tools in our kit.
1--WE went STRAIGHT TO work, for time was
pressing. The night-watchman might come
back. We clapped the 'puller on the safe
front and tore out the combination. Oar
vault door, but the intervals were too COM
Lets take the short and noisy cut,
said Canton Jim. and blow it. What in the
name of boom and blaZes do we carry this
fuse and powder for if we amt never to
blow something's
" 1t seemed all right. There wasn't one
chance in hundred Of any one hearing the
row, and not one in thousand that they
would locate it then. So we started in. We
puttied up the crack all around the door SO
that it was air-tight. Then we made a
little hole at the center of the top crack and
applied the sucker of an air pump. Next
we opened a small hole similar TO the first
through the putty near the center of the
crack at the bottom of the door. Then,
holding tin pan with its edge against the
safe SO as to cover this bottom hole with fine
rifle powder, with hich We heaped the pan,
We commenced on the air-pImp and sucked
in about half pound of powder in a
minute. We fixed the fuse and wrapped the
whole safe in gunny sacks and bed-quilts,
set the fuse. afre and jumped out OF the
vault and closed the door. We heard the
fuse spit and sputter a minute and then
BOOM duh and distant, like cannon miles
away.
I'VE opened the door and as soon as the
smoke got out we went in. 1t was a sue
cess. the Goor was loose and shackley.
Five wedges of steel and as many taps OF
our lead-filled copper-cased maui to each and
the door was lifted to the floor. There was
$4,000 in packages stacked inside-S50O
each, pinned and amount marked on the
band.
side still 10 hear from. The jar OF blowing
the door had net loosened it and il
was tightly riveted to the, upper in
terror Of the safe. Workmen such
as we never cried, "a day done and
work in sight | took a cold ehise
and cut place for wedge Then we
brought wedge to work and few taps
started the box loose on its rivets half an
inch. suppose the power of a steel wedge
of proper angle driven with 500 pounds OF
force is half thousand tons; 1sdon't know.
II was enough for that money-bOx, anyhow.
"AS soon as had it started / took sec
ton jimmy made In four parts, best wrought
steel, slim as fish pole and as accurate in
its quartet of parts as a Geneva watch.
Joined these parts aud so made it four feet
long. l inserted it where the wedge had
been and strong pry tore loose the box
That jimmy would have moved stone
church.
I'VE took box, bag of bills, tools and all The
rest and crept away. Carrying our plum
der, we walked in silence down the center
OF one of the tree-arched streets OF the little
town. 1t was only IL o'clock. -Four block:
away in vacant lot stood double team
and a three-spring wagon. 1t took us
twenty-five miles before daylight. and suffice
it, that we got safe away with the money
The money-box yielded over $1,000 add.
tfonal -Four of US divided it, and it gave
each nough to live on several months with
out further work"