The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-04-21
BURGLAR SCIENCE.
Described by a Reformed Yegg-
man in His Testimony
AGAINST HIS PALS.

He Says that South Carolina is an Easy
Proposition for Professional Bur.
glars. Says Cracking Safes
in this State Is Just Like
Finding Money.
South Cardinals the easiest State
to operate in," said john MCCARTHY,
alias John 0. Dandrell, the reformed
yeggman, who has been given short
respite from the Vermont State peni.
States witness to testify in the safe
blowing and poStoflice robbery cases
last week in the United States circuit
court, the remark being made in pre-
facing description Of the manner In
which the yt gg nen do their work.
During the past three or four years
there have beeu made robberies of
safes and vaults in pos Offices and
banks in South Carolina, and McCar.
thy was probably telling the truth,
when he made the plain and candid
statement, the corroboration Of the
many witnesses to his testimony In
the robbery cases, during the past
week, having shown that the reform.
ed yeggman can tell the truth and
really seems 6eSirCus Of making q
clean breast Of bis past and starting
life anew. Mccarthy has operated in
many States In the Union, including
the distant California, Mexico, Ari-
zoDa, as we'll IS the States along the
Atlantic seaboard, South Carolina,
North Carolina, Virginia, Massachu-
setts, Rhode Island and Vermont, his
robbery OF a bank at NeWfaEe, In the
last named State few months ago,
resulting In his conviction and a sen.
tence oI a term Of seven years in the
pentiary at Windsor. His testimony
on this point is certainly competent,
and it ight be better classed as 'ex-
pert" testimony.
The statement that South Carolina
is an easy mark-"lt's just like find
ing money" as Mccarthy went on to
explains not through any lack of
efficiency in the care OF postotlices and
bank vaults In this state, but because
Of the sparsely settled condition com
paratively speaking, and the open
character Of the country," which en-
ables the yeRgmcn to easily make
their escape, after Job" as the OPP
Grafton Of breakil s and robbing safes
Is termed. In the more thickly SET
tied communities of the North and
West, the robbers run greater chances
OF arrests, and when they find an easy
mark they naturally work it, and this
is why there have been SO many safes
blown and robbed in South Carolina
during the past few years, and it fur.
ther accounts for eleven men now
serving terms in the Federal prison at
Atlanta, sent up by Po,totlice Inspec-
tor Gregory and the other lynX.eyed
detectives OF the Postotlice Depart,
ment, with the certainty that the
number Will be increased by several
more convicts, as result Of the pres.
ent term OF the circuit court.
THE first thing we do when we
reach our base Of operations" sai5
Mccarthy, us to secure a Cram's
map, giving the names and location OF
banks in cur vicinity, for we always
try to proceed intelligently in oul
work, and the banks are more invit
ing than postctlices. a job is usually
done by four men, although some
times there may be three, but four at
least is almost necessary for a success
full operation. When we secure the
map, we study the railrt ad time ta
bles and the general Typographical fea
lures of the immediate section. We
select the bank and one or more OF
the gang will go scouting to see that
the job can be safely pulled off, TIE
police prOtC ction Of the town is inves
tigated, and attention is given to the
movements Of trains and general ave.
nueS OF escape, as we'll as a place
where we may safely meet before be-
ginning work. A man will 20 into
the bank or post tlice to have a till
changed thai he III ght survey the 10
cation OF things aud aS the Scouting
Is most important part Of the 10,
it Is always carefully attended to-,
some times two or three days being
devoted to this work The scout re-.
turns to the base, aud acquaints the
party Of his iuveSliga atiop, and il his
report is favorable, time is then
fixed for the job and arrangements
made accordingly.
The preparations OF the nitro
glycerine Is Il matter of tie tirSt con.
cern, OF course, and let ne say ght
here, 1t makes man awfully Sick 10
handle it, even carry ing ii in grip.
The fumes will turn mans stomach,
and some times make him sick for
two or three days. On account Of its
dangerous nature, we can't buy IT,
and we are forced to Cx'ract it from
dynamite, which we usually steal from
quarry or magazine, near the basa
of operations We never start out
on j with less tran a pint OF the
explosive, for we need least a quar-
ter or half pint for a jeb. We take
about ten sticks. six inches long and
half incn in Cilmetor, crumble il IN
piece OF Goth, and then place it sns-
pended in a can Of w5rm water. We
keep constantly renew the warm wa
ter. which givss the opera ion the
name Of cooking the soup. AS the
gly cerine comes out OF the dynamite.
1t being heavier than the vat I, H.
drops to the bnttom of the can, and
when we have s.ilicienlly extracted
the & gycerine, We draw tff the water
from above the explosive by means Of
syringe. The glycerine is then
strained for We have to get out all