The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-04-20

stop the drill and a set-off would have to
be made to continue the rest of the way.
This inside cog wheel also prevents any
chance of the safe breaker knocking off
the outside dial and pushing it through the
door.
1.-THE fact of the matter is. it is always a
contest between the shoemaker and the
burglar. and so far the shoemaker has the
better of it, and he always will have in my
opinion because the thief is continually
working under a disadvantage. He is COM
PEELED by circumstances to work without
making any noise, and this is almost i'm
possible i'm the handling of the steel doors
and locks which are put on the safes to-
day, and then, besides, he has only a few
hours in which to do his work. Burglars
generally can't start a job of safe cracking
until after midnight. when everything has
quoted down, and they will have TO be
through and away before daylight or else
they will be discovered. When this is taken
into consideration, it is easily seen that
they hardly have time to do the work
where every preventive is thrown in their
way.
There has been much in the newspapers
lately about safes in small towns being
robbed. and, in fact, some of the towns. or
what might more properly be called VIII
lagos, have been thrown into great excite
ment on account of them. Now, from my
personal observation in most of these cases
where a safe has been blown and the rob-
bers made a large haul the wrecked safe
was a freproof affair and not burglar
proof at all. Country people have a habit,
after coming 10 the city and selling their
stock of products, of kin the money
they have received for them to the gen.
eral store in the town near which they
live, and leaving il with the proprietor to
put in the safe over night, rather than
take it home. They never stop to inquire
whether the safe in the store is burglar
proof or not. Just as long as it is a safe
they think that their money is secure, and
this is why, when a country store is robbed,
the thieves are well rewarded for their
trouble. Burglars watch a store of this
kind which they are contemplating enter
ing pretty closely during the daytime, and
they generally know when there is a large
enough sum on hand for them to go after.
There is no difficulty in blowing open the
f~reproof safe, and this is lone at little
risk. as a country town is very nearly al
ways quiet after 3 or 10 o'clock at night.
A SPECIFIC CASE.
81 know of a case that 1 was called to in
~vestigate.' Mr.. Isensee went on to say,
that occurred in Tilden, a small town
west OF the city, not long ago. The safe in
the general store of the place was blown
open one night by burglars. 1t contained
about 81, 200, which had been left there over
night by some farmers. but the robbers
failed to get this because the proprietor
had a bankers chest on the inside of the
safe. 1t could be plainly seen where the
burglars had made three good attempts to
blow the chest, but had completely failed.
whereas the safe was blown all to pieces
at the first charge. In fact. the bankers
chest is the only secure means of keeping
money or valuables in a safe.
MY advice TO any man who runs a small
business concern and keeps money about
the place is to have one of these chests.
They are steel boxes fitted very closely to-
gether. and the sides are made Of a num-
Der of sheets of steel welded together until
they are almost like a solid mass. The posi-