The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-12

THEIR USE AMONG ~CRACKsMEN IN
.CREAsING ALARMINGLY.
Tramp Burglars and SAFE blowers
Carry NitOgIycerin and Are Ex-
pert Electricians.


Correspondence Of the indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, July Sit is nitrogly-
cerin that looms up now as the paramount
problem in police and detective circles.
True, there is nothing new in the bare
fact that nitro is used by expert cracks
men. But the commonest. raggedest. dirti-
est ''yegg man. or tramp thief, now
handles it well nigh as fearlessly as he
does his pistol. J
practically all recent Jobs have been
the work Of 'yegg men," said big Man
Pinkerton the other day. These criminals
reproduce like the lower organisms of an
imal life" the detective chief went on TO
say. Suppose there be one who is familiar
with the explosive. He is joined by four
others, who assist and watch while he
works. Each observes how the nitrogly-
cerin is used and goes from the job ready
to tackle one on his own account. and so
becomes a new leader and a new teacher"
But the yegg men confine their operations
to the small towns. In these summer
months they are travelling in gangs of four
TO six, camping in the woods on the out
skirts of villages. In the daytime they
scatter, peddling shoestrings, brass jewel
~ and worthless trinkets among the vii
layers. Incidentally they are spying out
possible jobs They are well armed. are
dangerous and will shoot to kill. After
cracking a safe they will ride out of a dis
trict on the bumpers or in freight cars.
They are as fleet and wary as feas. When
one is caught it is too often impossible to
make out a case against him. After being
held as a vagrant he is discharged.
1t Is easy to diagnose a "yegg" nitro
glycerin lob" The professional "boxmen."
"peter-men" and "gopher-men"-by all
these names the safe cracker is called in
criminal lingo-use just enough of the ex-
plosive to open a safe or vault without un-
necessary noise or destruction. The yegg
safe blower will use enough "oil' or
grease" (nitroglycerin) to tear everything
in near radius to splintereens. Then, too,
his carelessness sometimes results In his
being hoist by his own petard. At Benton,
Wis, an unidentified man lately attempted
to break into a creamery with the intention
of obtaining tools wherewith to rob the
Bank of Benton. A bottle of nitroglycerin
fell from<his pocket, tearing off his right
leg and d~isemboweling him..
TACKLE OLD-FASHIONED SAFE.
1t Is now a war of wits between the pro-
fessional safe blower and the expert safe
maker. That the latter has the lead at
present is evidenced by this very fact that
most of the Jobs are being, done by the
'yeggs'' in the small towns. The banks of
the large cities are equipped with the latest
fruits of the safemaker's art; the old
fashioned safes nave been relegated to the
country contingencies. The old safes are
comparatively frail affairs and can be
opened sometimes with ordinary tools and a
little powder. One or two of the most ex-
pert box-men" some years back by simply
placing their ears to the old combination
safes could hear the tumblers drop. They
thus opened them without tools or explo-
sives of any kind. AS the old locks were i'm
proved the next step was to drill a hole,
insert a heavy punch, strike the dog
which holds the tumblers in position and
hammer it loose. After the shoemaker had
made still another advance, a drill was ap-
piled around the lock and the latter was
blown open. But the manufacturer has now
so improved on the locking mechanism Of
the modern strong box that lock blowing is
fruitless.
The modern "peter-man'' drills a hole in
the top of the safe, stops UP all cracks with
soap. inserts a funnel, pours in the nitrogly-
cerin-the minimum being estimated to a
ni~cety-inserts an insulated wire properly
capped at the lower end and wraps the
safe up in felt or wet cloth. If he can work
entirely around it. This wrapping dead
ems the shock and prevents the scattering
of iron and steel fragments. Everything
being ready the long insulated wire is at
tached to a portable electric battery, pre-
viously deposited i'm another room. The but
ton is touched, the safe door flies off with
out unnecessary noise and the "swag'' is in
easy reach.
The exactitude with which the profess
sional "gopher-man" measures out his
| nitroglycerin is such that a pal can often
| remain in the room with the explosion
withoutf jeopardizing life or limb. In the re-
cent hold-up at Savannah, H., the express
messenger effected a return to his
car, arriving within the compart-
ment containing the safe just as
the latter exploded. He was knocked
completely off his feet, but was uninjured.
In the professional train hold-ups dyna-
| mite is often thrown at the door of the
pTOTIC KENTIICKV EE1