The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1903-12-16
SAFE-BREAKING.
Pinkerton Man Says There Are Few Clever
Burglars Left.

"Nitro glycerinc is not for sale in
stores, but dynamite is. The burglar
buys a stick or two. unwraps it and
puts it in a can of boiling water
After it SINNERS for few hours he
has neat batch Of the dope, nitro
glyccrinc. This, being heavier than
water, sinks to the bottom. The
water is drained off and the nitro pour
cd into a bottle.
ct is necessary that the bottle
must be filled to the cork. If even a
small space is left for the mass to
slosh around it might blow up its
posscssor. The stuff is highly cxplo-
sive SO much so that if you stand q
bottle Of it on table and shoot off a
gun in the next room there will be
something doin right away.
"When the chap goes to town he
hangs this bottle in little bag tied
to string and hung next his chest,
SO that if arrested the stuff will not
be found. The remainder Of his kit
consists of cake of soap, piece
of soft putty, fuse and some matches.
zone man only enters. The others
stand guard and block off inquisitive
citizens reused by the noise. The man
inside works in the dark and with rap
idity. He pastes the soap or putty
all around the safe door, closing the
crack completely save at one spot, at
the top. Here he forms the soap or
putty into o little cup and pours the
liquid nitro into it. This seeps down
and into the space between the door
and safe, and the burglar keeps pour
ing until the safe is full.
"Then he takes his fure, black
string the length of le:a pencil,
with donating cap on the end, puts
this cap into the putty cap at the top
Of the door and lights the other end.
He crouches behind the safe OF on
one side Of it and awaits the explo
sion. II the man understands his
business it IS not loud one. In our
Investigations wo have found that
about ono in ten is heard by people
outside Of the bank, even by those liv-
ing upstairs.
But it makes terrific racket in
eide. One fellow told me he was as
deaf as a post for days after each
wrecking. The nitro glyoerine sim
ply rips the door to pieces srd opsus
place for the burglar TO reach in.
He lights a piece Of candle, overhauls
the contents as swiftly as he can,
makes bundle Of them and lights
out.
'The trick is so simple and quickly
done that not once in ten times are
the thieves caught. Before daylight
comes they are miles away, hidden in
some wooded place. c If the haul is q
big one they divide it and separate.
Western banks to the number Of 300
have been looted in the last FIVE or six
years, until it has become necessary
to band together, organize o mutual
protection society and turn the Pink
ertons loose on every case. Th;s h=s
lessened the thing for o time. hnt
there are periodic outbreaks.
Recently l rounded up three men
who had served terms for bank break
ing. On each we found half pint of
ni,ro.glycerine. OThey had fifty pieces
of fuse, two revolvers apiece, q shot.
gun in box, bar Of yellow soap,
thirty rounds of cartridges and three
dozen sandwiches. Their leader told
me thessandwitches were to eat while
they were making their escape across
country from bank they had spotted
to rob that night.
THE only way to prevent these rob-
berries is to pass strict laws against
carrying nitro, search all tramps that
como to town and make it peniten-
tiary offence for fellows with these
outfits in their possession"
Killed film, In SeI1 nnHnnco