Los Angeles herald., 1891-12-21
CLEVER CRACKSMEN.
Two Safes Tapped by Visit
ing Crooks.
A Spring-street Dry Goods
House Robbed.
The Thieves Also Find the Right
Place Stores.
Burglars Getting Bo1der Day by Day
Citizens Unconsciously EncOur-
aging Them-The Police
Disguised.

A gang of cool headed, clever cracks
men is at work in the city, and IS
achieving highly remuneratiye success.
Two safes were cracked some time be-
tween midnight and dawn yesterday
morning, and the crooks got away with
at least several hundred dollars apiece
in coin or its equivalent. No particular
science was required to open the safes
which were cracked, because they were
of simple and not particularly strong
nature; but the ingenuity of the thieves
was demonstrated by the fact that they
picked out the points OF least resistance
to accomplish their nefarious purpose.
According to the opinion of the de-
tectives, the first place burgarized was
James Smiths fancy goods store on
Spring street, between Second and Third
streets. The owner OF this store had re-
Gently invested in a lot of jewelry for
the Christmas trade, and had it locked
up in a small Mosler safe of very ordi
nary pattern. The back door of the
store was closed by means OF a crossbar,
and had no lock. This set OF circum-
stances was windfall for the burglars.
Soon after O'Clock Yesterday morning
they calmly sawed little square out OF
panel of the back door, one of them
inserted his hand and lifted the bar, and
the thieves had gained an entrance. A
small steel handdrill was the only
tool necessary to open the
safe, the cast-iron tumbler-plate OF
which sprung to pieces at the first tap.
The burglars at their convenience cleaned
out the safe, filling their pockets
nit nd D0nnh thew
really profted by their little enterprise
is not known. Mr.. Smith at first placed
the figure at 5000, but gradually con-
cuded that his loss was nearer 81 900.
After the cracksmen had completed the
Job to their satisfaction, they went to
neighboring saloon, where the Sunday
law was being violated, and spent
small percentage of their ill.gotten
gaines for copious libations, in discuss
ing which they dropped disparaging re-
marks about the rustic innocence OF Los
Angeles business men.
They then packed up their parapher-
MALTA and repaired to the Fright
Place" stores at No. J01 East First
street, where an open transom bade
them welcome. Not much time was
lost in deliberat!on, and few minutes
sutficed to let the jolly cracksmen add
further increment to their swag. They
drilled through the door of the small
Mosler safe exactly in the same manner
as at Smiths, and, though the bit OF
a drill was broken, the gates OF the
strong box promptly stood aiar. The
thieves captured about $75 in silver and
nickels and a Southern California rail
way pay-check for SIG S5, payable 10
the order of w. p. Coulter, dated De-
cember 18th, 1891. On this check pay
ment has OF course been stopped.
On account of the fact that jeweiry
was stolen at Smith g, there is chance
for the detectives to capture the burg
lars. Mr.. Smith last evening prepared
as good description of the lost articles
as was possible from his recollection and
from notes in his possession. The pay
check taken at the Fright Place" store
was the only means of identification at
that end of the story, and it will proha-
bly, never be heard from again. The
nickles and small change will hardly al
ford clue.
Chief Glass and his front-ofice staff
are disgusted with the whole matter.
The detectives say that not only is
the city flooded with clever eastern
crooke, but that the citizens OF Los An
geles seem fairly to try to make things
easy for our unwelcome visitors. Mer-
chants with Woolly western hospitality
allow strangers to examine safes, doors
and windows at their leisure, and then
leave everything in such shape that any
small boy with burglarious talents could
clean out the place in jlfIy The city
is getting metropolitan, and the police
want the citizens to lend their assist
ance to the force by exercising at least
q reasonable degree OF caution.