The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-04-26
CONFESSIONS
SCIENCE APPLIED TO HOUSE
BREAKING.
SCIENCE
A Converted "Crib-Cracker' Tells in
the Salvation Army War Cry How He
Carried On His Profession.

The Salvation Army War Cry is pub
fishing a series of Interestingly written
articles, THE Confessions of a Burg
lar" Among some of the things the
burglar now a Salvation Army soldier,
says, are the following:
II was never defeated or disappointed
in gaining access to a house." said Mar
tin, when once l had matured my
plans and made every arrangement. To
the burglar who has made up his mind
to break into a house there is no such
thing as a burglar proof house.
Suppose | came to a window strong
ly protected by iron bars in front 1
would get my portable screw-Jack to
work. The movable, extending part of
this instrument could be placed into
very narrow space. Placing it in be-
tween two iron bars, ] would work the
screwiack from the center, and bend
the bars away from each other and
create a diamond-shaped space big
enough to pass a body through.
THE next thing to be done would be
to push back the window fastener in
the middle. l used to bore a gimlet hole
in the woodwork right through the
fastener push a length of umbrella rib
through with an eye hole in the end
through which l had first fastened a
piece of strong Irvine. l used to wriggle
this threaded needle about until the
window fastener, when l would grip the
steel rib and string in my hand and
pull the fastener down towards me-
thus releasing the window. 1t was easy
to push the window up or down after
that, and gain admittance.
Sometimes l came to a window that
was barred inside with wooden shutters
and secured by an iron bar inside again,
which dropped into a catch or holder,
and again fastened. In this case l would
get my brace and bit to work and bore
a round hole in the shutter about the
size of a penny. / would bore another
hole in close proximity to the other, and
then a third hole near the other two,
after which l could take strong knife
and cut away the wood connecting the
holes, and in a short time l had hole
in the shutter big enough to allow my
arm to pass through and unfasten the
bar inside, which held the shutters l
had a straight road in front of me then.
Il sometimes carried a dark lantern
but l found that a clear glass bottle
filled with sweet OIL containing some
pieces of phosphorus, was most conve-
nient for my purpose. / could carry it
in an inside pocket and when it was
shaken up it was luminous and emit
ted local dull light for a few minutes.
OF course it had to be shaken occas-
ionally to revive the light, but it was
very handy
Sometimes 1 used to remove a slate
or two from the roof, and press myself
through into the attic. OF course, l
always knew where I was going. I
would then cut a round hole in the
plastered ceiling, just big enough to
push an umbrella through. Then 1
would open the umbrella and suspend
it from it's handle and cut a hole in the
ceiling big enough to pass my body
through. The lime. plaster and debris
would drop nosilessly into the open UNI
brella and then l would draw it up
and empty it into the attic. Once that
was done, / was in possession of the
premises, and could go and do what
! liked"