Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-07-02
SAFE BREAKING IS THIS
FORMER THIEF'S PASTIME
Buys Costly Strong Boxes for the Sole Pur=
pose OF Getting Them Open Without
Use OF Combination or
Explosives.

Now that one there looks strong and,
until bought il, ] thought il was. But
really it's the simplest over saw. a
, child ought to be able To open H. Look
; here
: ''Ilc walked over, took a common
piece of copper wire II inches long.
pokcd 1t seemingly AT the knob, and
the door opened. | claimed IL wasn't
locked, but he let me set the time lock
and then opened it with a simple twist
of his wrist
81 was puzzled over il, and then he
sat down and showed me how he had
done it and the ncc,llclikc drills with
which he had bored Il hole that looked
, like n spcck, straight 10 the trigger.
, He then showed me the fault of the
safe and gave me this advice:
You'll never make Il burgar.proOf
safc-onc that can't he opened, with
out XplOsivcs-until you learn to put
the mechanical works somewhere else
than near the door. Put them in the
bottom OF the safe, release trigger by
electricity Put the works SO, Il drill
cant locate them to precision. and
you've got the game beat unless the
rubbcr wants to blow the building to
, pieces
Il finally made arrangements with
| him TO take back the safe nj n fair
reduction for tho damage done and
/ send him another of our latest pat
terms. We sent Him Il safe that time
that kept him busy night and day for
three days. He admitted himself that
he did not sleep until he opened the
thing and that when the dor flew
open in response to his pull after he
touched the riglfspot, he wasproudcr
than he would have been had he been
elected president.
81 told the firm about the Gicer fad
of the reformed burglar, and they ut
: once saw that he was in extremely
useful man To work with-especially
when he was paying for the privilege,
and they authorized me TO sell him
safes at reduced rates and to take
back at reduced cost all that he did
not damage beyond repairing.
1T got To be sort of game between
us, We trying to build safe he
couldn't open. Last year We gave him
IL hard run. We shipped down Il safe
! the duplicate of which is used by a
big Wall street man to keep his stocks
AMI bonds in. The safe had been made
i TO order. 1t was not large, being only
/ three feet high. but il was as nearly
+, perfect as could be made 1t was of
(, chilled steel, of nine layers, with lay
! crS of three different secret compost
/, tions between. The lock arrangement
1 was extremely ingenious. The safe
was entirely round, with solid chill
cd steel base. The mechanism was
mainly at the top. controlling four diff
/ fercnt bars that hold the door at four
different points, and each lock bolt
was situated in Il different layer of
steel 1t looked impossible for any
/, one to open that safe without tearing
, or blowing the whole thing to pieces.
Ii took the reformed burglar over two
!, months 10 work it out. lie studied the
thing from all angles, closed, because
| we held the secret of opening to test
him. He drilled five holes in the safe
without any effect, and ii looked like
we had him stumpcd. ! even ran down
J to Camden to glOat over him.
81 noticed particularly that each one
of his drills had gone direct to spots
that would have been vital in ordinary
safes, but did not touch this one.
| Two weeks later he wired me to
drop down and see him. did, and
the safe was wide open. lie was the
/, most pleased man in the world.
lie had bored down into the top of
the safe, inserted some Instrument,
and sprung the whole mechanical con
| trivancc. The designer OF the safe
! said it couldn't be opened that way
but it was"