The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-06-13
RUSTY OLD LOCKS BEST.
THAT IS IF TOUR OBJECT IS TO
 KEEP OUT BURGLARS,

All Others, Says u Lochsmith, Can b,
 Opened NoiscIessIy and Quickly by
 the Expert-An Window Fastening,
 But One Also a Delusion-The Men
 Who Open Safes.
 When Mrs. Fullerton prepares to go . to bed in the evening she deposits all
 her valuaUles in a small tin box in
 whose burglar proof qualities she has
 the utmoss confidence, whose lock she
 firmly believes to be absolutely unpick-
 able. Serene in the confidence that her
 most valued possessions are safe from
 pilfering servants or the more dreaded
 burglar, she sleeps in peace and when
 she wakes up in the morning she has
 usually forgotten where she hid the key
 on the night before.
 Sometimes she is able to find it. but
 it happens on other days that the key
 is hidden so well that it never comes
 to light When she has exhausted her
 ingenuity in her efforts to find the key she appeals to her husband. In the
 early days of their married life he tried
 to aid her in the hunt for the key, but
 with increasing years he has learned
 that when she cannot find a missing article it is useless for him to bend his
 back in the search, and now when the news Is brought to him that the key Is
 lost he wastes no time but hurries to the nearest locksmith and has the box opened
 Thus it happens that Mr. Fullerton has a large acquaintance among the locksmiths of his neighborhood, and that all of them regard him as a friend of the craft. Ince In while one of them will tell him something of the mystery of their shill, and the ease with which they can overcome the ob- stacles that the lockmakers put in their way.
 The last loclsmith that the Fullerton household had to employ was a man who seemed to be singularly expert. at his work He took the box in his hand, bent piece of wire twice, inserted it in the lock and with one twist threw the tumblers into line, and opened the lock.
 You seem to have no difficulty In do- ing that" said MT. Fullerton.
 "Why mo- said the locksmith ''Why should I? There is nothing hard about it. There isn't lock in this town that I can't open, and without any trouble, too. If was not a cow ard would be burglar, and l would make a big success of It too. So would any man in this trade if he devoted himself to it. There has been great advance in the making of locks. but we have kept up with the procession, and I am never afraid to tackle any one of them that is brought in here to be opened. These modern locks on which people bank for absolute security are more easily picked than the great cum bersome locks that our grandfathers had, although no one would think so, and the easiest of them is the one Tn which people seem to have the most confidence, such as this one.
 The locksmith lifted from his bench a small lock such as is common in all parts of the city, in the security of which every one has faith He took thin piece of wire and bent it once or twice. Then he inserted it in the lock and drew the wire toward him with a quick movement As he did so the bolt fell back and the lock was opened.
 There you are," he said. T never tried it with that lock before. I can do the same with any one of those locks, and there are thousands of them in use in this city. A good many people are convinced that these locks are ab- safe As a matter of fact, they are no safer than any other lock, and I have demonstrated it time and again. The only really safe lock is the old t inner that is big and heavy and rusty. That will baffie the efforts of almost any one because the alignment of the tumblers is all thrown out by the rust and dust accumulated in the works.
 Tt takes strength to open such a lock, and when it does yield it makes such racket that it will raise the dead The tumblers squeak and squeal | when they are thrown and the bolt | falls back with a crash, and there Is 1 concert of sounds such as no ot ther | thing on the face of the earth can pro- iuce. That lock won't keep any one | put of house, but if there is any one | in the house who isn't in the last | sleep it will wake him and let him know that something is going on So t is better than all these modern locks for they are so light that they do not make any noise at all and an expert could pick dozen of them in a bed "oom and not waken any one.
 Builders of houses have been re- | turning to the fashion of big locks late- y, but they have missed the trick in hat they have made them substantial md heavy, but so finely adjusted that hey can be operated by an expert without noise. It does not make any difference what the number of tum olers is, for with little knowledge of he way in which the locks are made my one who has the slightest dextrei- y can with the aid of piece of wire trong and stiff, and few simple tools, york them silently and swiftly.
 "Whenever I hear of thief who has ut a lock away in order to get at loor feel like starting a school for the ligher education of burglars. It is dding insult to injury for a burglar to uin your door just because he wants 0 get into your house. He might as yell open the door and walk in without utting you to the expense of new anel because of his ignorance. Some ines think that if burglar should reat me that way would begin suit or damages against him in the civil ourts, or else have a commission ap-