The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-05-31
NEW STYLES IN BURGLARY.
Up-to-date Safe-crackers Would Be
Ashamed to Use Old Methods.
From the San Francisco Chronicle.

From the San Francisco Chronicle
You see, there are two styles of safe
crackers, as we know them, the new and
the old, said a safe expert. That's how the
police get a clew in working up a case.
The old style cracksman used powder
He first drilled a hole beside the lock and
then blew it off with 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. The
burglars of to-day are more considerable
than they used to be. If they couldn't
get in in the days of yore they wrecked
the safe just for satisfaction. / recollect
a singular affair in the little place called
Smartsville, up in Yuba county. One
night burglars broke into the general
store to tap the safe that was supposed to
contain at least so, 600 worth of gold de
posted by the miners the day before. 1t
was an iron affair weighing about 700
pounds. The rascals were afraid to blow
it open for fear of arOusing the town, so
they simply packed it off into an adjacent
canyon, blew it open and took everything
in sight. They only got a few hundred
dollars, though, the gold having been
secretly sent to Marysville, where it was
banked.
Several years ago the safe of a whole
sale commission house in this city was
rifed, and it was several hours before
anyone could find out just how the job
had been done. You know il is common
thing for men working in an Office to put
their memorandum on the side of the
safe Well, this one was simply covered
on one side with pieces of paper. The
burglars got in one night and soaked off
one of the papers and cut into the safe
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 / was called
in to solve the problem of how the safe
had been looted without touching the
door lifted up a book and saw the hole
from the inside. Then one of the young
men employed remembered having seen
some white dust on the floor beside the
safe the day before the money disap-
peared. He had thought nothing of it.,
and the safe-cracl1ers had an opportunity
to do the second nights work.
Nowadays, continued the expert, mer-
chants do not place the confidence which
they used TO in steel vaults. They 90 to
the safe deposits with their valuables.
In many of the large houses the safe is
4
them from fire. To save the box from
mutilatiOn by burglars they post the com
bination beside the lock and label it dis
tinctly. In several places the notice
reads:
"This is denomination. Do not break
the safe open, but follow the instructions
written hercon, and you will get in with
out trouble
| zone gentleman has posted thus card:
our valuables are in the safe deposit.
| Please don't get mad and have fun with
/ the safe"
Others do not lock their safes, even.
/ They simply shoot the bolt.
When the building on Market street
/ next TO the Nucleus was being constructed
a shirt manufacturer doing business in
! the latter structure was much disturbed
over the safety of his wealth. he had a
/ safe but he was not at all confident that ID
could not be entered. one night he had
4 81 800 on hand and was al loss whet to
/ do with it. A bright idea struck him.
lie rolled the money, which WAS all in
J silver up in a bundle and placed 10 be
meath the safe Sure enough that very
night the steel vault was opened and the
4 burglars got away with iew dollars boa
/ change. The mass Of silver WIS found All
] right under The CRACKED s-ir.