Los Angeles herald., 1892-06-27
TOOLS USED BY CROOKS.
DETECTIVE WILL SMITH TALKS OF
BURGLARS KITS.
The Best Ono Made In Pittsburg-Littlc
Horace and His Methods-How
Watch Spring Saws are
Manufactured.

WAUGH spring saw III Cuo jail, Wu0Io ~
had been secreted by Paddy LAWN, is
another proof Of the fact that the ''cy-
clone burglar" as he is styled in the
east, is kingpin brakeman.
LAWN made an attempt to break Jail
with the saw. He attacked the steel
walls of the middle tank, by rolling up
piece of paper and using it as blow
pipe, projecting the fame of candle
against the metal to destroy its temper;
but his efforts were unavailing, and he
went into court the next morning and
took his Cruel meekly in the shape of a
five years. dose at San Quentin.
Some superb kits of burglars' tools
have been brought to California from
the east at different times and fallen
into the clutches of the law officers here
and in San Francisco. Talking with
HERALD reporter, Detective Will Smith
Of the Southern Pacific reeled off from
his book Of varied experiences In deal.
ing with high-fyer crooks, more partic-
ularly with reference to burglars tools.
"The best burglar tools made in Amer
ica," said Detective Will Smith, ''come
from Pittsburg. There is steel-worker
there who has worldwide reputation
in this respect, and has grown rich by
furnishing high-rolling safe. breakers
with their outfits. / have seen kits of
tools made by this steel-worker
that must have cost several
thousand dollars. OF course I am now
referring to the elaborate outfits OF the
kind used by the perpetrators of the
Northampton bank robbery or the Man
haitian bank affair. "Sheeny Mike"
and Red Leary's gang of gopher workers
we're connoisseurs in the matter of fine
tools. These are made of the highest
and best grade of crucible, or tool steel
metal that in the unworked state
would be cheap at So pound. The
maker of burglars tools in Pittsburg,
of whom l spoke, takes this steel and
gives it the requisite temper and then
turns it out in the shape of ''jimmies" OF
all shapes and sizes, likewise braces and
extension drills and bits that will go
through wrought iron as if it were fire.
wood. Some of the shrewdest of bank
robbers who do night work only use
their tools on the inner doors of safes.
They use an air pump if they can find
any opening and pump plenty of high
grade powder back of the outer door
and blow it off.
Little Horace" a famous eafe blower
who is now doing time in French pri-
son for $150,000 robbery on the other
side of the pond, stands in the foremost
rank of safe breakers. Horace is
natural born mechanic of high order
of genius, which, if applied to honest
purposes, would have made him
great wealth and fame. He Is
also natural born "crook, !"
and that means that he is irreclaima-
BILE. His method of working differs
from the majority of safe blowers. He
has purchased dozens of safes in his
time from safe manufacturers and made
a comp rehensive study of their inner
mechanism and generally winds up
by knowing as much about their
strong and weak points as the manu-
facturers themselves. Whenever a
"new burglar proof" safe was put on
the market ''Little Horace" was i'm
mediately numbered among the first
purchasers, procuring the safe of them
through ''stool pigeon" and in a
week or two he was master of its pecul-
iarities, and was ready for operations.
"The making of fine watch spring
saws is an art in itself. These are made
30 small that they can be coiled up and
hid in minute compartment cut in the
crooks shoe sole, or else fastened under
the arm pit. If the owner thereof is
put in police station or a Jail where
wrought iron or the ordinary grades of
steel are used, it is only a question OF
time until he cuts his way out to liberty.
When gang of safe-workers are max
ing tour of the country, and the route
| is always laid out prior to the start by
an experienced crook, who acts as an
avant courier and picks out the soft
places for work, they don't carry any
tools with them. They are sent on ahead
by express, and the tools are never kept
| at the same hotel or lodging-houses
where they may be stopping. They
take no chances of being caught "dead
to rights" with kit OF burglars tools
in their hands. Sometimes, however,
they are caught mapping. / have on
hand plenty of such tools, that have
been picked up at odd times, and the
infinite amount of work which has been
done on them would do credit to bet.
ter undertaking. A number of years
ago the best burglars tools used in the
United States were imported from Shef.
| field, England, and from Liege, Belgium
but of late years this Pittsburgh steel.
worker has had a monopoly on this eide
OF the water, and he is a good one in
! that line of business"