The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-11-05
COOL BURGLAR AND
THE BANK PRESIDENT

I
My profession isn't a popular one.
There is considerable prejudice against
it. 1 don't myself think it's much
/ worse than a good many others How
ever, that's nothing TO do with my
story. Some years ago me and the
/ gentleman who was at that time con-
/ nected with me in business-he's met
With reverses since then, and at pres
ent isn't able 10 go Out-was looking
around for job. being at the time
rather hard up, as you might say.
! We struck a small country town.
amt going 10 give it away by tell
ing 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 a boy, who used to sweep
out and run errands.
The bank was on the main street,
pretty well up one end of it-nice. snug
place on the corner of a cross street.
/ with nothing very near il. We took
our observations and found there
wasn't no trouble at all about it. There
was an old Waterman that walked up
and down the street nights, when he
didn't fall asleep and forget it. The
vault had two doors. The outside one
was chilled iron and had a three-wheeI
combination lock. The inner door
wasn't no door at all: you could kick
it open. 1t didn't pretend to be
nothing but ireproof, and it wasn't
| even that. The first thing we done,
of course. was to fit key to the out
| side door.
This was our plan. After the key
/ was fitted L was to go into the bank.
and Jim-that wasn't his name, of
course, but let it pass-was to keep
watch on the outside When any one
passed he was to tip me a whistle,
and then I doused the glim and lay
low. After they go by I goes on again.
| Simple and easy. you see. Well, the
night as we selected the president hap
| pened TO be out of town; gone down
/ to the city, as he often did. I got
inside all right with a slide lantern,
a breast drill, a small steel Jimmy, a
bunch of skeleton keys and a green
baize bag to stow the swag in. I
rugged my breast drill and got to work
/ right over the lock.
Probably a great many of your
/ readers is not so well posted as me
about bank locks, and l may say for
/ them that a three-wheel combination
| lock has three wheels in it and slot
/ in each wheel In order to unlock
the door you have to get the three
/ OaOIo OppOollC " CdOl1 uLAlCI dA l1lC up
| of the lock. OF course, if you know
the number the lock is set on, you can
! do this, but if you don't you have to
| depend on your ingenuity. There is
| in each of these wheels a small hole,
through which you can put a wire
! through the back of the lock when
you change the COMPILATION Now, if
/ you can bore a hole through the door
/ and pick up those wheels by running
a wire through those holes, why, you
| can open the door. I hope I make
| myself clear. l was boring that hole.
/ The door was chilled iron, about the
neatest stuff I ever worked on. went
on steady enough; only stopped when
! Jim-which. as 1 said. wasn't his real
name-whistled outside, and the watch
man toddled by.
BY and by, when I'd got pretty near
/ through, 1 heard Jim-so to speak
whistle again. I stopped. and pretty
| soon l heard footsteps outside, and I'm
] blowed if they didn't come right up
/ the bank steps, and 1 heard key in
1 the lock. 1 was so dumfounded when I
! heard that that you could have slipped
/ the bracelets right on me. I picked up
my lantern, and I'll be hanged if 1
didn't let the slide slip down and throw
/ the light right onto the door, and there
was the president. Instead of calling
for help, as l supposed he would, ne
took a step inside the door and shaded
| his eyes with his hands and looked at
me. knowed I oUSht to knock him
down and cut out, but I'm blest if I
could, I was that surprised.
Who are your" says he.
who are you2" says l. thinking
| that was an innocent remark, as he
commenced it, and a-trying all the
| time to collect myself.
II m the president of the bank says
/ he kinder short sfSnrnaThirc- he 2
ter with the lock?"
By George, the idea came to me
then,
Yes. SIR says I, touching my cap.
''Mr. Jennings, he telegraphed this
morning as the lock was out of order
and he couldn't get in, and I'm come
on to open it for him
Il told Jennings week ago." says
he, that he ought to get the lock
fixed. Where is hep
He's been writing letters, and he's
gone up 10 his house to get another
letter he wanted for to answer
"Well, why don't you go right on?',
says he.
I've got almost through" says I,
"and l didn't want to finish up and
open the vault till there was somebody
/ here"
That's very creditable to you" says
! he, "a very proper sentiment, my man.
! You can't, he goes on, coming round
/ by the door, be too particular about
/ avoiding the very suspicion of evil"
No. sir" says 1. kinder modest like.
What do you suppose is the matter
/ with the lock ?'' says he.
II don't rightly know yet" says I.
but I rather think it's a little on ac-
count of not being oiled enough These
ere locks ought to be oiled about once
a year
"WeT.7 says he, you might as we'll
/ go right on. now I'm here. / will stay
] till Jennings comes. Can't l help you
hold your lantern, or something of
/ that sort %
/ The thought came to me like flash,
and turned around and says:
How do l know you're the presi-
dent? / amt ever seen you afore, and
you may be trying to crack this bank
for all l know"
That's a very proper inquiry, my
man" says he, and shows a most re-
/ Tnarkable degree of discretion. 1 con
! fess that I should not have thought of
/ the position in which I was placing
! you. However, 1 can easily convince
you that it's all right. Do you know
what the presidents name is?''
mo. 1 DON'T says I, sorter surly.
/ well. you'll find it on that biIl,'' said
| he fa1x 0F h