Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1893-04-14
SiU6oLARY noI1 lsAn.

~" ~ - - O - - A<AvyVA
~ mnsh ~ - Daas-Msnsss.
Tha three safe-crackiug episodes
following 90 quickly d upon the
other has convinced the police and
the agents OF all the safe mani
facCurers that there isa clever gang
OF burglars working the city. De-
tectiyes have been put on the scent,
and 1t Is confidently expected that ar
rests will be made ID q few days
The burglarics have started mer-
chants talking safe q great deal, and
many are examining their steel vaults
anxiOusly, because all the safes thus
far toyed with have Teen opened with
ease.
A clever safe expert talking OF the
burglaries recently said: 1.-THE work
seems to have been done by men who
thoroughly understand the beating
Of . combination bnrglar-proof safe.
You see, there are two styles OF safe
crackers as VIC know them. the new
and the old. That's how the police
get a clue IN working up q case. The
oid-style cracksman used powder. He
first drilled q hole beside the lock
and then blew 1t of with q charge OF
powder. The improved method is to
first knock of the spindle and then
drive the combination lock back into
the safe. Then all the burglar has
to do Is to open the safe door and
help himself. The Spike Hennessy"
style Of safe burglar Is going out OF
fashion. During the past ten years
only five safes have been blown open.
1t makes too much noise. All the
others have been touched in the
latest style. The Assessors safe was
tempered with a few months ago, and
It was as plain as day that it was the
work Of an amateur who had just
learned enough OF the quiet, easy way
Of breaking open q vault to knock of
The combination knob, but there his
knowledge OF the business ended.
Instead Of drilling ia a little to n
side OF the combination and driving
1t In, he thought 1t was necessary to
bore in through the keyhole, as it
was q key and combination safe.
That settled 1t He might have
worked a week that way and he
couldn't have got in. The result was
that he simply injured the safe and
caused the city the expense of having
1t opened.
1.-THE burglars of to-day are more
considerate than they used to be. Ii
they couldn't get in in the days OF
yore they wrecked the safe just for
satisfaction. / recollect q singular
affair In the little place called Smarts-
Vile, up in Yuba County. One night
burglars broke into the general store
to tap the safe that was supposed to
contain at least ten thousand dollars
worth OF gold deposited by the miners
the day before. 1t was an iron affair.
weighing about seven hundred pounds.
The rascals were afraid to blow 1t
open for fear OF arousing the town, so
they simply packed 1T off into an ad,
jacent canon, blew it open, and took
everything in sight. They only got a
few hundred dollars, though, the gold
having been secretly sent to Marys.
vile, where it was banked.
Several years ago the safe Of a
wholesale commission house in this
city was rifed, and it was several
hours before any one could find out
Just how the job had been done.
You know it IL a common thing fol
men working in an Office to put their
memorandum on the side of the safe.
Well. this one was simply covered on
n side with pieces OF paper. The
burglars got in n night and soaked
Of one of the papers and cut into
the side. They could not finish the
Job IN one night, so they pasted the
paper on again and came back the
next evening. Then they finished
the job. and pulled out everything OF
value In the safe. When l was called
In to solve the problem of how The
safe had been looted without touch.
ing the door, l lifted up a book and
saw the hole from the inside. Their
one of the young men employed re
membered having seen some white
dust on the floor beside the safe The
day before tthc money disappeared
He had thought nothing Of it, and
the safe crackers had an opportunity
to do the second nights work.
Nowadays" continued the expert
''merchants do not place the conf
dence which they used to in stee
vaults. They 20 to the safe deposits
with their valuablea In many O
the large houses the safe Is simply
kept to put the books in to protec
them from fire. TO save the DO,
IRON mutilation by burglars the,
post the combination beside the loci
and label it distinctly. In severa
places the notice reads:
This is the combination. Do not brea
the safe open. but follow the instruction
written hereon and you will get in withou
trouble.
's,ne gentleman has posted thi
card:
Our yaluables are in the safe deposit
Please don't get mad and have fun with th
safe.
sOthers do not lock their safes
even. They simply shootlthe holt.
"When the building on M3rke
street next to the Nucleus was bein
constructed q shirt manufacturer dc
ing business in the latter structur
was very much disturbed aver tn
safety Of his wealth. He had a safe
but he was not at all confident tina
1t could not be entered. One nigh
he had 81, 500 on hand aud was at
loss what to do with it. A brigh
! idea struck him. He rolled tn
money, which was all In silver, up j
q bundle and placed 1t beneath tn
safe. Sure enough that very night tn
steel vault was opened and the burt
lars got away with a few dollars
change. The mass Of silver wa
found all right under the cracke
safe."-San francisco Chronicle.
a New Remedy