The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-11-24
CRIMINAL BENEFAcToRs.
Many Inventions of Crooks Have
Proved Valuable to Honest Men.

Chicago Tribune)
Criminals as inventors of alibise and
aliases are well recognized, but Grim
inals whose thoughts are lightly
turned to crooked apparatus, which
afterward have been converted to eco
nomlc use in society. are without fame.
And vet the national mints of Ger
many. France and italy are using a
Coin-making machine which was orig
mated and perfected by Manchester
counterfeiter. whose best known alias
was Henry Harvey. Harvey neglected
10 patent his invention, however, and
instead of living suTp-uOusly On his
royalties he is spen ding a mOnOtOnOus
lie in prison at Portland England
1T was in 1895 that certain Manchester
nhmismatics began to take exception to
certain sOvereigns in circulation They
queTied the mint officials to know why
If sometimes such perfect coins as the
enclosed could be turned out. why not
1t all times? These pretty coins were
found to have beer made by Mr. Har-
vey mot Coin" Harvey. however,. and
the result was the imprisoning OF the
inventor and the exploitation of his in
vention.
Three years ago a certain Count
Ether was disturbing factor in po-
lice circles of continental Europe. His
name was not in the peerage. but
rather had come into slang use because
Of the persons faculty for disappear
ing. Fritz Won Schmidt was the mans
real name, and in three months of 1898
ne and his confederates stole $40. 000, 600
from the strong rooms Of Paris, London
and Berlin banks. In each case a hole
was found melted through the steel
plates until the arm or the whole body
of a man might pass through.
1t was u mysterious series of crimes
that almost paralyed European money
centeTs. Then one day Won Schmidt
appeared. seeking a patent on a new
substance called thermite-a substance
which steelmakers say win decrease
the cost of a battleship more than one
third from the present scale. In ex-
plotting this substance to the patent
office Won Schmidt showed what it
would do in melting holes in steel tenn
peTed sheets With an ordinary gaso-
line pot. such as IS used by painter in
warping paint. this thermite created a
heat that melted steel like wax, and in
the exhibition the Berlin police became
the most interested spectators, putting
the dreaded safe robber under arrest.
Years ago the police Of Paris raided
a school of crime, conducted by Du
Chaillou, and out of which following
of small boys with nerves of steel had
been preying upon the public purse.
The wonder was how such small gam
ms as Du Chailiou employed had nerves
for such work as they were found gull
" Of. Under stress of an inquisition,
the principal in crime confessed and
showed 10 the police the first hypoder-
mic needle. The man had been apt at
medicine, but wrong at heart. He had
sunk so low in the social scale as to
adopt a life of crime and he found
that stimulat ton Of certain drugs, in
troduced into the skin by this needle
nerved boys to any theft His crimes
were reDudiated. but the needle itself
is a boon 10 medicine and surgery.
@ g 9.
Deep sea diving has been made posi-
BILE by a bank burglar named Arthur
Johnston. Johnston had designs upon
one of the largest banks of London
He had kept his eye on the place for
years and for a time had been a porter
in the bank in order to make sure Of
his plans. When he had learned all
about the building he made ready TO
tunnel To the strong room. He rented
a house near by and began to work
But Johnston had discovered that a
spring ran just under this strong room.
feeding into q sewer, and through this
sewer he meant to save much labor.
But also he had to provide against the
chance of being drowned. and this pro-
vision was the pump and helmet, now
known to every diver. Johnston failed
in his scheme of robbery. but the he'll
met and pump still bear his name.
Every conjurer recognizes the value
of the Gladstone arm" in many of the
tricks of the trade. This arm is made
in imitation of flesh and of thin rubber
II is inflated with air, passed UP a
sleeve. and pinned to the shoulder,
leaving the real arm free in side the
conjurers coat.
Gladstone however was not q con-
jurer. He put on his false arm, and
with the real one inside his coat, would
ride around London. taking watches
chains, purses. and valuables until his
total theft reached $50. 900.
That almost perfect imitation marble
which is used as the mantelpiece in
nearly all houses not ordered by mill
lionaiTes was first mixed by an Ital-
ian criminal named Gagliona. He, with