The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-04-24


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ment and anger when it was found that
| the box contained nothing but a shoe
makers "last" or pattern for making the
! shoes of the deceased.
Avaricious and greedy people are
! always wild with delight the moment
we succeed in reaching their treasure.
| Nearly every one uses the same express
| sion of joy: THANK heaven, it is all
| therel"
! 1t is a little singular but it is neverthe-
| less true, that about eighty out of 100
| men use the same combination to open
| their safes-such numbers as 35, 46, 81, or
| common words that can be easily remem-
| bered. The numbers nearly, always run
! between 30 and 60 This helps the safe
| opener in his work.
! Again, in the case of a dial lock the last
letter in the word is always *" and
| that helps US in finding the missing word.
1t has been said that burglars who
''crack banks as it is termed, are skill
| full because they have been locksmiths
| Let me remove this stigma from my trade.
| The statement is incorrect. Burglars
learn nearly all they know about safes
from the safe manufacturers.
This is the way they do it: One or
| more of their number visit the different
| establishments. They pretend they are
connected with such and such bank out
west or down east; that their institution
wants to purchase new safe; they would
| like to see the different styles and have
| explained to them just how they are bur
| glar proof
OF course the seller cannot doubt their
word, for burglars-real, first-clasS burg
| lars, who ''burgle'' in big banks-are well
dressed, pleasant and intelligent men.
Going from one manufacturer to an
other in this way they obtain some points
from one, some points from another, with
out exciting the suspicion of any one.
HOW A MEAN MAN PAID THE PRICE.
! The earnings of an expert professional
safe opener will probably average about
| 5000 a year.
The charge for opening box safe or
| vault varies from s. to $50, depending on
| the size of the safe and the difficulty of
| the job.
A very mean man once came to me-a
! jeweler-and wanted to know how much
l would charge to open his safe.
told him S. He groaned at the price,
! but told me to come along.
went to his store and in a very few
minutes the safe was opened.
You did that very quick" he said
! Here is 81 So / think that is enough for
! such short time"
| l refused the money, seeing at once that
! he was going to cheat me out of my pay
! He had just taken one tray of jewels from
! the safe when / quickly closed the door.
! Then he was very sorry, and promised
| TO pay me at once if / would reopen it. l
| told him it would cost him SO, payable in
advance. He was obliged to agree to my
| terms.
| After I had gone to my shop he sent
| word to me that he wanted to know the
| combination, which | had not given him
| at his store, and which he had forgotten
to aclr / epfNt nd hat
! cost him 81. So he sent the 81, and | sent
| him the combination. Then he notified
me that had sent the combination, but |
! had not sent the technical way of work
! ing it. l told him that would cost him 81
more. Of course he was obliged to send
| this last payment in order to gain the in
/ formation, which was absolutely neces-
! sary.
| To pick an ordinary lock is an easy mat
! ter; many boys are able to do that. 1t is
done with a curved or crooked wire. The
| effort is to raise the lumber inside the
| lock and draw the bolt back. There is
only one tumbler in an ordinary lock,
PICKING A YALE LOCK.
But there is an intricate Yale lock on
my door have lost my key and as l
stand without, propose to open the door
from the inside. l remove the screws
| from the outside handle of the door. Then
| by the use of a piece of catgut and bent
! wire | get a loop over the knob of the
! lock inside, and, turning the knob l can
| open the door.
This is a difficult piece of work and can
only be done by skilled locksmith
Timid persons need have no fears that
this general description will result in
many doors being opened in this way.
In a certain sense, one of the finest
pieces of work l ever did was at Tx
| bridge Mass. on a Sunday morning,
where / opened a powder-charged safe
! ii. e., charged with powder so as to injure
any burglars who might attempt rob-
| berry,.
worked at it with sledges weighing
| fifty-four pounds each, as well as other
| tools. and | did not disturb a prayer
meeting that was in progress in the room
overhead. And / might add, incidentally,
did not get blown up.
WAS ALARMED.
And one of the funniest Incidents in my
long career was when / went to Norfolk,
| Va, and mysteriously told a colored man
at the depot with whom l had become
acquainted, that was going to crack a
| safe in the town, but he must keep it
dark. gave him my bag of tools to
! carry
OF course honest fellow that he was,
| he informed the authorities, and very
soon | found myself followed by a small
army of detectives The mayor notified
the police marshal to put on an extra de-
tail of officers for that night, and to espe-
cially guard every bank and prominent
store.
l was obliged to do some work in
ueighboring town before fulfilling my en-
| gagement in Norfolk. When l returned,
with the aid of the people who had en-
ployed me, l explained the situation. l
also proved the truth of my statement to
the colored man that / had come to the
place for the purpose of opening a safe,
and had opened it.
| Turpentine Operators Blue-A Church
Bell Flowed Up.
Waycross, Ca, April 22.-Mr. Peel, of