The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-04-21
Described by 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.

Finding Money.
South Cardinals the easiest State
to operate in," said John Mccarthy,
alias John o. Dandrell, the reformed
yeggman, who has been given short
respite from the Vermont State peni.
tentiary to come to Charleston as a
States witness to testify in the safe
blowing and postoffice robbery cases
last week in the United States circuit
court, the remark being made Ia pre-.
facing description Of the manner In
which the ytgg nen do their work.
During the past three or four years
there have been made rObheries 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 confederation 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 desirCus Of making a
clean breast OF bis past and starting
life anew. Mccarthy has operated In
many States in the Union, including
the distant California, Mexico, Ari-
zopa, as well IS the States along the
Atlantic seabuard, South Carolina,
North Carolina, Virginia, Massachu-
setts, Rhode Island and Vermont, his
robbery OF a bank at Newfane, in the
resulting In his conviction and SEN
tence or term Of seven years in the
pentiary at Windsor. His testimony
on this point is certainly competent,
and it N ght be better classed as 'ex-
pert" testimony.
The statement that South Carolina
is an easy mark-"It's just like find,
ing money" as Mccarthy went on to
explain-is 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, aud the open
character Of the couutry," which en-
ables the ycfgmcn to easily make
their escape, after a Job. as the op.
Grafton Of breakil 6 and robbing safes
is termed. In the more thick!y set.
tied communities of the North and
West, the robbers run greater chances
OF arrests, and when they find an easy
mark they naturally wolk it, and this
is why there have been SO many safes
blown and robbed in South Carolina
during the past few years, aud it fur.
ther accounts for elCven men nOH
serving terms In the Federal prison al
Atlanta, sent up by Po,tollce Inspec
tor Gregory and the other lynx-eyec
detectives Of the Postuiiice Depart
ment, with the certainty that the
number will be increased by severG
more convicts, as a result OF the pres
ent term OF the circuit court.
1.-THE first thing we do when WI
reach our base Of operations, sal:
Mccarthy, 'is to secure a Cram
map, giving the names and location o
banks in cur vicinity, for we Away
try to proceed intelligently in ou
work, and the banks are more invit
ing than postotlices. A job is usually
done by four men, although some
times there may be three, but four a
least is almost necessary for success
full operation. When we secure tht
map, we study the railrtad time ia
bles and the general Typographical fea
lures Of the Immediate section. W.
select the bank and one or more O
the gang will go scouting to see tha
the job can be safely pulled off. Tht
police prote ction OF the town is inves
tigated, and attention is givtn to Tho
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 80 into
the bank or pcstt tlica to have bill
changed thai he n ght survey the 10
cation or things ana as the scouting
Is most important part Of the j 10
1t 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 vesligatiop, and IL his
report is favorable, a time is then
fixed for the jJb and arrangements
made accordingly.
The preparations OF the nitro
g|ycerine Is Il matter Of tile first con.
cern, OF course, aud leJ NE say ght
here, 1t makes a man aWfnlly sick 10
handle 1T, even carry ing il 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 tX'ract it from
dynamite, which we usually steal from
quarry or magazine, near the bus {,
of Operations. We never start out
on a with less than pint OF the
explosive, f,r we need least quar-
ter or half pint for a job. We take
about ten sticks. six inches long and
q half incn in Cilmeter, crum ble il ia
piece OF Goth, and then place it sGs.
pended in a can Of wJIm water. We
keep constantly renew the warm va
ter. which giv5s the opera, ion the
name Of cooking the soup AS the
gly cerine comes out OF the dynamite
1T being heavier than the vat l. f.
drops to the bDttom of the can, and
when we have .tlicienily extracted
the giycerine, We draw tff the water
from above the explosive by means Of
q syringe. The glycerine is then
strained for wc have TO get out ali
PARTICLES OF dust, in order to make it
safer in handling and ako for better
results, when we Use on a safe.
'One man will carry the bottle of
glycerine and the tools, which consist
Of few cakes Of soap, drills and i'm.
pl. ments, but generally sps aking, we
do not laden ourselves with tools, for
we always find blacksmith's shop,
or railroad section house at some
point convenient to the job, which we