The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-08-04
SMART CROOK
Makes a Fortune in the Penitentlary
 By Inventing Locks.

From the Ohio State Journal
 You've made s10000O while you've been here." remarked Warden O. B. Gould to Charles D. Kinney yesterday as the lat ter left the Ohio penitentiary, having completed a seven-year sentence, re- duced by short time to five years and some months.
 In his hand Kinney carried a small suit case, which contained seven combination door locks, four padlocks, a safe and machinsts' scale whieh he had invented behind the walls of the prison. In his mind Kinney had the knowledge that New York firm is manufacturing three other locks of his invention and had of fered him $l0000 for the right to manu- fracture one of his other locks.
 In leaving the penitentiary however. Kinney was not free man. He had satisfied justice for burglary in the homes of four or five residences of Methodist ministers in Franklin county but owing to a burglary of similar character in Illinois was bound for the Joliet peni- tentary. While in Joliet Kinney was re- leased on q parole, which he violated by leaving the state.
 Parole Officer Williams, who rearrested Kinney took him to the county Jail where he was held pending his identih- cation on requistion papers before Judge Thomas M. Bigger In the jail Kinney exhibited his inventions and described them
 He had three house doo rcombination locks. Neither was any larger than an ordinary lock. The specimens In his possession were made of brass. One oi them. said Kinney. had 1000 combina tions, while smaller one had 5000. De- spite all this, he said, he had demon- strated that they could be manufactured for B a piece. The combination on each lock was worked from the outside. In- side was latch as on an ordinary door lock There was also keyhole and the locks could be opened with n key. If the holder wished. however, he could set the lock that no key could open 1t.
 A more remarkable lock than this was one which opened by a touch on q spring A door protected with this lock could be opened in a hurry in the dark. The lock had several depressions and only one who had the secret after regulating this lock- Kinney declared could open the door. With a touch of his finger he sprang the lock open and handed it 10 Jalor Reedy Mcdonald, but the latter found it impossible to give the lock the right touch.
 The convict also had four padloels of varying sizes, but none longer than three inches nor more than an inch and half wide. One of these had 35 combinations. He also had a small model of safe which he declared burglar proof It worked by compressed air and could be opened or closed only by touching an electric button which might be in an- other room from the safe. Because of it's construction all attempts to blow 1t, Kinney declared, would end in failure. His machinists' scale was a contrivance for measuring holes which he declared, was more convenient than any yet made.
 'There is a man In Chicago now who is trying to sell this paddock to the United States government" said Kinney of one he happened to be holding in hls hand. "tI is just the thing for small boxes.
 While I was In the penltentiary I had charge of all the rnachinery,' said Kin ney. I was trusted everywhere and had every opportunity to work on my schemes. Yesterday I was half square outside the penitentiary walls"
 Kinney is 31 years of age He was born in Pennsylvania. The term he com pleted in the Ohio penitentiary yesterday was his second.I He was sentenced to fifteen months imprisonment from Franklin county in 1895. He then went to Illinois, where he was given ten years. Violating his parole. he came to Franklin county again, only to be rearrested in December 1901