Evening star., 1903-07-13

| L. MN"
| Moro Than Enough Nitro Used.
to be operating in Chicago and to be Incl
dentally conducting the business of jobber
of burglars supplies. In hts room was
! found. in wholesale quantities almost every
| appliance known to skilled peter men'-
automatic drills. revolvers. electric pocket
| fash lights, rubber "sneaks'' (slippcrs).
| sedges. jimmies. wedges. dynamite caps,
| fuses. insulated wire. saws. screws, braces
| drills. files. electric batteries, soap. nitro
| glycerine &c.
The finest kit of tools known to the police
| of this country was captured not long since
| from Jerome Markle alias Dutch Weber.
| alias "William Myers at Colorado Springs.
| Markle is an expert safe blower and tool
| manufacturer. His kit consists of 155
| pieces and goodly supply of nitro-glycer
| inc.
The Mysterious Tool-Maker.
The ma iority of the burglars tools used
in the middle west are believed to be manu-
factured by mysterious parsonage known
in police circles as "the toolmaker of Hi
| nois." He is said to be an old man who
lives in out-of-tne-way hamlet of that
state, and who. while to all appearances a
good honest citizen. earning a precarious
living at his forge, is in reality a toolmaker
to safe blowers and burglars throughout
the neighboring states. No one in police
or detective circles has as yet discovered
his place of abode. The stamp of his hand
work is found on almost all burglars tools
captured in that region.
In the safe blowers vernacular the term
tool refers to what in reality Is many
pieces of finely finished steel 1t is in fact
set of tools designed to drill and blow
| open safe. One of these kits lately cap
| tured is estimated to be worth 800 1t
consists of plate with four legs, a set of
| drills blow pipe, oil can. malet and
monkey wrench, When in parts this tool
| may be easily carried in the pockets of a
mans clothes. but. set up it could not be
| contained in large-.ized grip
1he daring of the safe-bower is best set
| forth in this story told by an old detective:
! a safe was placed Iav a banking house
| that a bright light sh6ne on it at night and
| 1T was thus in full view of the policeman
| every time he passed by the building on his
| beat. At least thirty times each night he
peered through the window of that lighted
| room. One morning the safe was found
wrecked and rif1ad.
A counterfeit safc4a amsy structure of
laths and canvas. painted to resemble the
| orlgnal-was found in the space always
| occupied thftherto by the real strong box
| Inc latter had been wheeled in a back room
ana rined at leisure The substitution was
| erected while the watchful copper" was
| pacing toward the farthest limit of his heot
and back again. rs1-..
Electricity His Servant.
| That the professional peter man. Is
pressing electricity into his service is vel,
illustrated by recent robbery in st. Pc
| tersburg. which will no doubt be initiated
| in this country before many months The
| strong room Of wholesale tobacco shop
| In the Russian capital was broken into in
| January. 500 roubles being stolen from the
| safe, which had been guaranteed as bur-
glar-proof. A large hole was found melted
| entirely through the steel door
| The burglars had torn down the electric
wires Of the building and used the powerful
current to fuse the metal Of the safe Only
skilled electricians with elaborate appa-
| ratus could accom- mplish such feat of
| course. and 1t was neat Job
The blow pipe has been enlisted In to the serv-
| ice of the English bank burglar Not long
| ago safe in the post office In Tottenham
| Court road was opened by means of the in
| tense heat which can be generated by an
| oxy-hydrogen flame. The tools used were
| merely a bit of India rubber tubing and
| cylinder of oxygen gas. The robbers fixed
| the tubing to the gas jet. turned on the
| oxygen and obtained temperature sufff-
| cient to melt the steel of battle ship.
one reason why the nitro jobs are now
most frequent in the rural territory of the
| ''yegg men cannot be overlooked The
| American Bankers Association. which in
| cludes practically all Of the important
| banks Of the cities, has perfected arrange
| ments with a noted detective agency by
which all members are guaranteed special
protection When one of these banks is
made the victim of a burglar or forger
men are Immediately put on the case with
| orders never to cease until the guilty.
parties are run down. AS proof of the fact
that the guns Of the country are fearful
of this combination stand the statistics
Only three attempts have been made to rob
the banks OF the association since the
compact was made. In one case-that of
the Scandinavian-American Bank of St
Paul-the "swag was returned with a re-
proachful note blaming the officers for not
displaying in the public lobby the usual
badge Of membership in the association
In the future. read the note. please
keep your sign where honest grafters can
see it. as the American Bankers Associa-
tion is too tough for poor grafters Yours
respectfully, John Yegg & Co..
The Star ''Peter Men"
And. finally, to the star peter men,"
What has become of them? Ed Kelly.
alias Big Head" is now at liberty. In
his prime he carried scales which would
| locate the interior locking mechanism of
| modern safes Of every description Jim
| Dunlap. whose gang got away with "swag"
amounting to $3.OOO,OOO. was recently re-
| taken in Chicago. The greatest haul of
| Mass, robbery: when $lGO0.OOO was cap
tured in lump. Dunlap helped the Pinker-
ton agency recover over 81 900. 600, and
| when released from prison called on VIM
| Pinkerton with the pledge that he would
| break away from his old associations and
| start life anew on the straight and mar
row." P1nkerton lent him moral and
| financial aid with which to start in honest
was caught with a kit Of burglar tools
| showing fresh evidences Of Job"
Paper Collar joe another member of
| the Northampton gang. is at present a
| London millionaire. living In retirement and
JOHN EI.FRETH WATKINS Jr