New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-02-11
The News OF Brooklyn
BURGLARS TOOL OR NOl.
THE PUZZLE IN MECHANICS WHICH
JURY MUST SOLVE.
GEORGE W LOOMS WILL GO TO PRISON " II
BE DECIDED AGAINST IIiM-A hh'"i'D
WHICH THE POLICE POINT TO ~

RE DECIDED AGAINST HIM-A RECORD
WHICH THE POLICE POINT TO ~
GROUND FOR SUSPICION.
A problem In mechanics will to-day pe sNe. "
q Jury in the County Court for solution u my
decide it one way. George W. LOOMS VIII - "
prison for carrying burglars tools Il '"eS u"
eide the other way. he VIII be Tree MAJ"
Ioom,s the police say. Is bank burglar OF
ren,,s He has record in other cities, and
when. a few months ago, he was captured win
IN ,ld instrument in his possession. the me-
cbanical experts Of Police Headquarters dec'ueu
that a. WAS the most effective apparatus FOR OPEN
,ng the combina tion lock on a safe that they had
ever
Loomis was placed on trial in the County court
yesterday for having the Instrument ueio''''
mated burglars tool In his possession ne W.
clarei that he was inventor. ana 'h"' u'o
prosecuting officers entirely misunderstood 'he
object of the implement He is tall good-iooKi"s
and well dressed His record Is the prM''p"'
thing against HIM
HOW HE WAS TRAPPED
Tho manner Of his capture was told yesterday
nv o c. Crane a machinist in the employ OF 'he
Brady Manufacturing Company. at YORK anu
Washington SITS. MI Crane SAD lhat i'oo'N''
gave the contrivance to him TO be repaired and
ton of James Brady the head Of the company
who did not like its looks and informed the police
The next day. when Loomis came Tor MS ma
chine, he arrested
lanes II Roche. detective sergeant or Ponce
Headquarters explained 10 the jury the way
in which the tool could be operated IL consists
of a fiat plate of steel with round hoie taper
ing off in the centre, and four set screws
at the corners There is also a drill between TWO
Of the set screws. Detective Roche SAID that the
knob Of a combination lock was put through the
hole. the set screws driven into the iron OF the
safe door to hold the tool and the drill then sent
through the bolt that held the lock in place 10y
means of a scale any one of four different makes
OF locks could be fitted. The detective had
vale lock for a Marvin safe. and he showed how
the tool would work on that
TILT WITH LAWYER.
He was cross-exam.ned by Lawyer J. Grattan
Mcmahon, counsel for the defence. You think
Won know all about what you have been telling
US. don't your
Yes sir; do" replied the witness
well we will about that when get
through with YOU" said the lawyer
The detective testified that he had tried the tool
on safes in the Sprague Deposit Vaults the
Franklin Trust Company and the Long Island
Trust Company, and 1t had worked successfully
What would you do If YOU saw that tool in my
mouse OH my pdiioi eo0'e' "EN' $3.50
Of The witness. .
''If saw that tool in your house. said Mr.
Roche ~ should certainly ask you some ques-
tons about IT, and If you were an honest man,
Won would have no difficulty in answering them
II an honest man had the tool would not arrest
him. but II burglar had II would arrest MIN
and let him prove his innocence afterward.
but this is an innocent tool, isn't II! coaXed
Mr. Mcmahon.
mo, don't think It's very innocent" was the
reply.
Mr. Mcmahon then went on to demonstrate TO
the fury what he said the real object OF the
Invention. The sample in court was but NINA
ture he said and the final instrument was to be
much larger and was TO be used in jonting rails
ten-!nch rails.
THE MACHINIsTs SMILED.
Mr. Mcmahon tried to explain TO the jury how
The rails were TO be Joined by the tool but the
court looked much mystifed and the machinists
IN the rear Of the courtroom smiled broadly
Finally, Mr. Backus the Distrct-Attorney, asked
the lawyer whether he testfying or not, and
then ne turned TO other subjt els.
James Brady head Of the manufacturing COM
pany and several OF his employees were called.
Each said that he could see no possible use FOR
the tool except to break the combination locks on
safes The prosecution rested and. as the de-
fence was not ready TO proceed. the trial was ad-
tourned until this morning Some time to-day
the jury will be taken into the DstrictAttorney $
office TO witness the operation Of the tool on a
safe.