Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1901-02-14
RATHER A NEAT JOB.
BY ONE OF "THE PROFESSION"

N NY profession isn't popular one.
AVA There is considerable prejudice
against it. l don't myself think it's
much worse than good many others.
However, that nothing to do with my
story. Some years ago me and the gen.
tleman who was at that time connected
with me in ness-he's met with re
verses since then, and at present isn t
able to 60 out-was locking around for
Job, being at that time rather hard up,
as you might say. We struck a small
country t0wn-I amt a.goin' to give it
away by telling where it was or what
the name OF it was. There was one
bank there; the president was a rich old
duffer; owned the mills, owned the bank
owned most of the town. There wasn't
no other officer but the cashier, and
they had boy who used to sweep out
and run of e,rands.
The bank was on the main street,
pretty we'll up one end Of it-nice, snug
place, on the corner of cross street,
with nothing very near it. We took
our observations and found there wasn t
no trouble at all about it. There was
an old watchman that walked up and
down the street nights when he didn't
fall asleep and forged it. The vault
had two doors; the outside one was
chilled iron and three wheel combi-
nation lock; the inner door wasn't no
door at all; you could kick it open. 1t
didn't pretend to be nothing but fire.
proof, and it wasn't even that.
The first thing we done, of course,
was to fit key to the outside door,
as the lock on the outside door was an
old fashioned Bacon lock, any gentle
man in my profession who chances to
read this article will know just how
easy that job was and how we done it.
l may say here that the gentlemen In
my line of business, having at times a
good deal of leisure on their hands. do
considerable reading, and are particu-
larly fond of neat bit of writing. In
fact, in the way of literature, l have
found among 'em-however, this being
depression, l drop it and 20 on with the
main job again.
This was our plan: After the key was
fitted was to go into the bank, and
Jim-that wasn't his name, of course,
but let that pass-was to keep watch
on the outside. When anyone passed
he was to tip me whistle, and then |
doused the glim and lay low; after they
got by. I goes on again. Simple and
easy, You see. Well, the night as we
selected tho president happened to be
out of town; gone down to the city. as
he often did. l got inside all right
with slide lantern, breast drill, a
email steel Jimmy, bunch of skeleton
keys and a green balze bag to stow the
swag. l fixed my light and rugged my
breast drill and got to work OIL the door
right over the lock.
Probably great many of your read
ers are not so we'll posted as me about
bank locks, and I may say for them
that three wheel combination lcck has
three wheels in it and a slot in each
wheel. In order to unlock the door
you have to get the three slots opposite
to each other at the top of the lock. o.
course if you know the number the lock
is set on you can do this. but if you
don't yoa will haye to depend on your
ingenuity. There is in each Of these
wheels small hole through which YOU
can put wire throught the back of the
lock when you change the combination
! Now if you can bore hole through The