The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-11-02

GUSTAV LIE ROY, ALIAS KIEDT.
thing has to give, the front generally being
ripped out. This apparatus, in addition to
its simplicity and quick work, has the adj
vantage of being noiseless.
Probably the most skillful of crooked
toolmakers in the country is French Gus"
LIE Roy, alias Kindt, now serving a five
year sentence in the Eastern penitentiary
at Philadelphia for forgery. LIE Roy has
long been regarded as one of the foremost
burglars and toolmakers in the country.
His talents, had they been directed in an
other path, would have made him indie
pendent. He is the man who invented the
lever system of locking cells, by which one
man, throwing back a bar, locks every cell
in u prison. In 1869 LIE Roy was arrested
for a robbery committed near Sing Sing.
He was sentenced to 10 years imprison-
ment, but escaped two years later.
In 1872 he was again arrested for a series
of remarkable robberies. A big jewelry
manufactory was being regularly plundered
in u most mysterious fashion. The safe had
been unlocked and gold taken out. There
were no marks of violence, and the detect
ives We're in aquandary. Happened, how
ever, that lie Roy was seen near the place
and arrested as a fugitive. When his room
was searched, the stolen gold was found
there. He finally told how he had effected
the robbery. BY boring a hole through a
partition in an out of the way place he had
been able to see the safe. He secreted him
self, and when in the morning the custodi.
an of the gold went to the safe to take IT
out he watched him through a pair of field.
glasses and in that way got the combina.
ton. The rest was easy. s.a
For this job LIE Roy was sent to prison,
and while there invented the lever lock
system, now in almost universal use. He
communicated with the governor and of.
fered to turn over his invention if he should
be pardoned. This was refused, and so LIE
Roy set himself at work to escape, which
he did not long afterward.
Some 10 years ago the police all over the
country were startled by numerous bur
glaries. That they were the work Of profes
| SIGNALS there was no doubt. But how they
| did it WAS a mystery, for so expeditions AM
neat were the criminals that it seemed a.
though they had only to look at Il safe fol
it to fall apart. Finally a collection O.
strange tools, totally unlike anything thu
police had handled before, fell into theil
hands The kit was the property Of Joh1
| Walsh, alias Warren, alias Whitney; Jane.
Dollard, alias Murray, and Milky Mellon
| aid, all of them notorious thieves. They
were nearly captured in Denver and lief,
| their tools behind. Then the police under
stood. There had been IA complete chang
in burglars tools, and the modern method!
We're UNNECESSARILY superior.
Neither of these three men was the in
ventor of the new way to force a safe, thu
| doubtful honor lying between u German
burglar who was located near Buffalo ant
"French Gus" lie Roy. Whoever it was
he made n few sets and parted with Thu
surplus ones to his trusty cronies. One o
these was captured from Walsh's "mob.'
This man and Dollard went to England II
1888 and "fell"-that is, were caught a
work. They were sentenced to five year,
each, and on being released returned t.
this country, whero they have since com
mitted several big robberiGs.