The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-01-17
VERY EASY TO BURGLE.
No Dwelling Proof Against the Hous,
TnnIs

No Dwelling Proof Against the House
Breakers Tools.
" The first burglary l remember of COM
hitting was when my father lifted me over
the fence into a neighbor's yard to steal flow
ers. l suppose he didu't think how bad it
really was, but the memory of that first
theft has chung TO me always. Subsequently,
when l took a notion to steal something
more than tlowerS-namely. to gut jewelry-
store-I fortified myself with good bracer
of whisky, worked the house with blush
and blamed my father for teaching me to
steal
Now, across the water it is not so easy
to gain access 10 house as here, because OF
the iron screens. In New York 1t is hardly
less difficult, IN my opinion at least, for the
same reason. However, out West it is not
considered a difficult leat to enter house,
take II where you may"
And You ascriOe that to
- 10 the way the house is built People
nave learned to protect their basement win
dows, as a rule, with bars, but still this is
not always the case. One would think that
man with his millions, perhaps, in bank !;
with his house loaded with costly art pieces
and fortune alone, may be in diamonds
and SiverWare, would take every precaution
10 guard against burglary, but he doesn't
He imagines because he has never been
| robbed that he never will be. That is about
as much sense as the man had WHO didn't
want his life insured because he had never
died.
Whenever l took notion to work q
house didn't stop TO 90 and look up the DO
lice record and see if the place lad been
worked before. | Immediately began iay-
ing my plans. \ man with good nerve and
clear head, who works alone, ought to be
successful always worked alone except
once. Then l was caught and my PAL
escaped. | was on the outside and he
doing the job. | took my sentence like a
man and never 'peached' on him. Had |
been operating alone l don't think / would
have been caught.
About making houses burgar-proof |
should first recommend that people put locks
on their doors that can't be picked we'll
well, with a buttOn-hook. a burglar de-
ponds largely on skeleton key TO gain
access. Men OF means, however, now have
the lGtch-lock on their doors, and these can
not be pIcked-that Is, not readily To
guard against entrance by the doors they
should be heavy, should tit tight to prevent
Work with Jimmy should be double
locked with chain-lock on the inside and
boted securely at top and bottom. That
Will generally battle a sneak-thief W no does
not deserve to be called burglar. How
ever, when he finds the door effectually bars
him lie can go to the rear, climb on a shed,
| portco, or even skin up a water-ptpe or
| lightning-Tod to the seeOnd-story window
| such window is said to be the easiest place
| of all to enter a house. That is WHY there
are so many 'second-story workers. as they
! are called, but L never tried it myself. To
| prevent these fellows all expose windows
| L mean those opening on porch or shed
should be well barred. A .second-story
worker doesn't carry tools as rule. He is
q Sneak-thef."
The man spoke these words as if the
| profession" looked on sneak-IhieYes as
| Objectionable characters, who should be ex-
Guided from the society of honest crack sInen.
| But for iron bars and steel DOORS" he
| continued, IAN expert burglar has little
dread. Give him time and he viii 90 through
| anything. 1t requires q genius TO circum-
vent him, and even genius is not equal to il.
| AND Tor this reason, burglar or safe
blower has greater incentive for sur.
| mounting the difficulties in the way uf &C
| cess to treasure than has the inventor for
| creating them The one receives his reward
| In the shape Of salary, the other in working
| Tor fortune, perhaps, that lies just beyond
the barrier which he is endeaVoring to over
| come. The burglar gains a fortune for a
| lew hours labor, the inventor labOrs for a
| year, and at the end of that time gets barely
| the worth of his work 1t is a natural law,
| that where there is the greatest incentive
| there will be found the greatest results of
| labor. Thus it is you will find burglars as
smart as and even smarter than, inventors
For my part | fail to see how you could
make house absolutely burglar-proof.
\ on might make it so difficult OF access that
the burglar will find another to suit his DUR
poses as well. One thing is certain, how
ever, rich man is a fool not to have bars
on his windows. They cost little, but they
save much.-lnterview with Gail Ross in
Chicago News