The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-01-05
BURGLARY ASAFINEART
MECHANICAL SCIENCE AS DIS
PLAYED BY TIE CRACKsMAN.


breaker-A Full Set OF Harness
The Machinist Els Best Friend and
Accomplce.
CC0Du4ght 1891
NEW YoRK, Jan. i The modern burglar
is like love in one respect. he laughs at
locksmiths. Yet he is not much Of ar
artist, although he is rapidly improving
The simple tools Of the burglars trade indi-
cate how easy the continuance made to bar
his progress are overcome. Yet these tools
give no mark Of great mechanical
genius. They are as crude as the
average burglar is. They are in
keeping with his practices Of force and
brutality The destructive power OF the
best pieces Of handiwork is their main ad-
vantage, and doubtless an Illustration OF
the houssbreaker's stunted idea, that the
best way to overcome obstacles IS, IN all
cases, to break them down.
That is j ID line with his uncouth disposi-
tion, and his burly fingers are employed to
better advantage on ponderous Jimmy
than they would be on needle-lock picker.
Ins9ector Byrnes is said 70 have once OBJ
served that criminals like water find their
level They drift into whatever branch OF
law-breaking is most cougenial TO their
natures The house-breaker and bank
robber is often painted as q sleek looking,
mild-mannered individual, with plenty Of
brains and ingenuity. An average Of
that kind can hardly be struck FROM an
inspection of those who come daily be-
fore the bar OF q criminal court. The men
of brains and ingenuity among the thievllg
classes do the planning and rest at ease,
while the burly ruffians do the work. So ne
fine feats If mechanical engineering have
been accomplished by bank-robbers; but it
is safe to predict that the engineer had no
hand in the stealing. Nevertheless, he
ALWAYS comes in for big share of the
spoils
The tools used by the housebreaker are
supplied to him. They are made by men
aft r his own heart and who make for him
what is most effective in his hands. No
doubt there are smart men engaged In the
business Of defying law and setting the
rights of honest people at naught. Some Of
the methods they employ mi 1t be used to
their credit in a commendable industry.
But there are men who are not burglars,
or even burglars S engineers, who could give
any Of that class points. Those are the
1ynx-eyed and deft-fngered men of the law,
who must know all about the burglars bust
ness and a little bit more In order to catch
them. There are several men on Inspector
Byrnes' staff who can open any burglar
or fire-proof safe in twinkling. while the
modern robber, generally speaking, will
work his clumsy old drill for hours in doing
the same thing. To give the devil his due,
though, it Is Just TO say that there are
few shrewd outlaws, who have studied
those questions as well as have the special
detectives
The most essential part of a burglars
outfit is the Jimmy Ii used to be manu-
featured in different lengths The long ones
were cumbersome trings, and a man who
carried them hazarded his liberty. This Oh
lection was overcome when the sectional
Jimmy was manufactured. That is made
in joints which fit into a socket and it
comes in all sizes, lengths and of any
diameter.
Those used for light work way be CON
cealed bandily about the person. The
heaviest one can be slowed away in an or
binary sachel. The Jimmy" is used for
every conceivable purpose that necessarily
Implies force. The impatient door-breaker
viii not stop TO figure out the construction
of lock, or the best means OF sliding b It,
If he can get the wedge end Of the jimmy
inserted between the door and the casing.
If this can be handy done, something must
give way.
There are places where the jimmy is abso-
lutely indispensable to the burglar. Front
doors, which house proprietor usually has
doubly bOlted and barred and supplied with
AluhlDFcu LUCAS, are Lub lAsb aDeTJQreS IN
the world night maurauder would seek to
enter. The chances of detection by the
police or passers-by are ten to one against
the intruder who tries to effect an entrance
by the front door, where they are not one
70 ten if be goes in by some other and easier
way.
1t must be an amusing thing to the
burglar to note the precautions taken to
prevent his entrance by the street door.
after be has Yalked through the skylignt
on the 70 t without the slightest resistance
or dropped through the coal hole, leading to
The cellar from the sidewalk, to find that
no doors bar his passage from there to the
rooms above. These are the popular ways
of getting into houses. The basement door
at the rear, if there is one, is another. In
each case t q jimmy is the magic wand that
opens the way. 1t is more useful to the
burglar than any half dozen of his other
implements, and is the first thing he pur-
chases when getting an outfit.
The burglar Is very methodical and bust
ness-ike, by the way, when buying the
tools for his trade. A fixed price Is put
upon each implement by the dealer If che
purchaser can get them below that price ne
will do so. He takes as much pride in add
lng TO his kit as carpenter does in stock
ing his tool chest. If the intending purchaser
is "broke," but has a promising Job on
hand, he confides his plans to the dealer. IL
the latter thinks they are gooi, he furnishes
the necessary implements in conside a.
ton of his getting the lions share of the
s'swag"
Skeleton keys are remarkable only for
their simplicity. They are carried In
punches Each pattern is made into all
sizes. Those that are hollo at the end, are
used for pin locks, with which bureaus are
commonly fitted. The other are capa-
BILE of twisting the spring of any common
door lock. When TIE burglar starts out
well equipped, several bunches of these keys
rest conveniently in compartment pouch
under his coat. The pouch is attached to
n belt that girds the waist. On this belt.
beside the pouch, hangs the "bulrs-eve, .
whose light can be flashed and cut off at
will. On the other side, leathern bag is
attached to the belt. Il is used for carry
ing sections of small jimmy and various
other things. To tighten the load, the belt
or ''harness" hangs depended from strap
which crosses the shoulders
What robbers term soft snap" is the
finding of key inside Of a locked door.
1t is just as handy TO them there as if it
were on the outside. The fine steel nipoers
can be inserted in tho keyhole, gripping
the key at the end A single twist Of the
wrist and the lock-spring flies back. If
at he then found that tho door is held
tight with bolt, the key is pushed ous aud
allowed TO drop inside on the floor, A
moment is waited to see If the occu-
pant of the room is disturbed, and if SO, the
intruder waits while longer TO allow the