The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-07-06
ORDINARY HOB0Es
MODERN BANK
ROBBERS
Detective Delaney of G. N. Elk
plains Methods of Cracks
mems Operations.

N1lAlil Tie )dSt lilJe6 OT IOur weeks
about safe blowers and post-office
robbers, that description of the
profession may be of interest to
readers of the Evening Times. De-
tictive NJ. P, Delaney OF the Great
Northern, whose headquarters are in
this city, is an officer OF considerable
experience and acquaintance with the
methods employed by craftsmen.
Any safe in the world that has a
square door can be opened in half an
hour, and all OF the materials needed
are half pint of nitro-glycerine, a
cake OF laundry soap and five-cent
fuse" said he.
1T no longer requires intelligence
and executive ability to crack a safe.
There was time when the safe
craftsmen was the aristocrat If
thiefdom. Nowadays, he is likely to
be "hoboing" it and conductors throw
them off brake-beams with enough
nitro-glycerine in bottle in their
pockets to have blown the coach to
atoms If it had fallen to the track.
In the old days bank burglars
kit OF tools was large and heavy. 1t
consisted of steel wedges, drills,
sledge hammers and screw jacks.
The door OF the safe had to be liter
ally torn off in sections, with pow
der explosion now and then to assist
the operation. 1t was an all-night
went after vaults that had big money
inside of them.
They have no couuterparts nova
days. The bank burglar of modern
times is content with small returns.
Isolated country banks where there
is no police protection and pursuit
cannot be organized for hours are
his chief prev. The big guns of
quarter of century ago would new
err kill. Adam Wort. whom the Pink
erton agency respects as the greatest
thief of the century, never carried a
revolver and would not associate
with any crook who carried one. He
lid not care to face murder charge.
The process is so simple that hun
dreds of hoboes go into the business
every year.
They travel in pairs or trios, and
after spotting crib gain all the in
formation they can about the habits
of the town marshal. They plan to
pull off burglary Just before
freight train is due to start, or often
they steal horse and buggy and
have the team ready to drive across
country and catch train. A tramp
hang-out, such is found close to
every western town. is headquarters,
and this is far enough away to keep
out of sight of officers. Stormy nights
are most favored, as for example the
recent robbery at Bisbee, N. D., when
the wind was banging shutters and
otherwise making noise.
"Nitro-glycerine is not for sale in
stores, but dynamite is. The burglar
buys stick or two. unwraps it and
puts it in a can of boiling water. After
it SINNERS for few hours he has
a neat batch of DOPE nitro-glycerine.
This, being heavier than water, sinks
to the bottom. The water is drained
Off and the nitro poured out into a
bottle.
ut is necessary that the bottle be
filled to the cork If even small
space is left for the mass to slosh
around it might blow up its possess
sor. The stuff is highly explosive,
so much SO that if you stand bottle
of it on a table and shoot of gun
in the next room there will be some
thing doing right away.
When the chap goes to town he
hangs this bottle in little bag tied
to string and hanging next to his
chest. so If arrested the stuff will
not be found The remainder of his
kit consists of cake of soap, a piece
of soft putty, fuse and some matches.
"One man only enters. The others
stand guard and block off inquisitive
citizens reused by the noise. The
man inside works in the dark and
with rapidity. He pastes the soap or
putty all around the safe door, clos
ing the crack completely save at one
spot. at the top. Here he forms the
soap or putty into little cup and
pours the liquid nitro into it.
Then he takes his fuse, black
string the length of lead pencil,
with decorating cap on the end,
puts this cap into the putty can at
the top of the door and lights the
safe or on one side of it and awaits
the explosion. If the man understands
his business, it is not loud one.
But it make terrific racket in
side. The trick is SO simple and
quickly done that not once in ten
times are the thieves caught. Before
daylight comes they are miles away,
hidden in some wooded place. If the
haul is big one they divide it and
separate. Western banks to the num-
her of 300 have been looted in the