The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-05-19
The Case of the
Crooked Artist

VI MI It Gin GOyu iAC StOC0 SNA
Veying the scene of devastation.
Professionals? Yes, Jimmie, he
grimly answered, in response TO COM
ment from the central office man. mot
ordinary professionals, but crooks OF
the very first water, cracksmen who
know from A to 2 the mechanical part
of their business. In all my life, jim
mic, / never saw villainous job more
beautifully done"
Nor l." growled Coleman, with a
dubious shake of his head. Its piece
of knavery to be proud of.
1t was indeed a piece of knayery-a
burglary that bid fair to BATTLE the ut
most efforts of police and detectives,
and the mysterious features of which
then appeared inexplicable even to Mr..
Felix Boyd.
He was standing with a group of men
at the pear of a deep,handsome store
in Maiden Lane. 1t was the store OF
one of his numerous clients, Messrs.
Kibby & Kane, dealers in art works
and valuable porcelains, and importers
and jobbers of all kinds of precious
stones. So mysterious was the burg
larry committed there the previous
night that a brief description of the
store is imperative to an appreciation
of the extraordinary crime.
1t occupied the ground floor of mar
row brick building, and was entered by
a single door situated between two
moderately large display windows OF
plate glass. 1t appeared narrow, be-
cause of its great depth, some sixty
feet, and partly because much OF the
lateral space was taken by two long
counters mounted with showcases, one
at either side of the store.
Having windows only at the front
and rear, the side walls being entirely
thanked with elaborate glass cabinets,
the interior was partly illumined by a
single arc light, pendent from the mid
die of the ceiling. At the rear was
an office, occupying some eighteen
feet. and parted from the general store
by a wire grating of brass, some six
feet high. In this office stood the
desks of the firm and clerks, also two
large portable safes, so placed that
they faced the front of the store. from
the windows Of which they could easily
be seen.
The showcases and wall cabinets
were filled with a striking display of
merchandise-rich faience, oriental por-
celain. priceless Satsuma, Ninsei, and
Raku. curious carvings of ivory, stone
and precious metals. rare pieces of the
finest lacquer ware of ShunshO and
Korin. stands of ancient arms, racks
of Japanese and Turkish swords, and,
in fact an endless variety of valuable
house ornaments
The stock Of precious stones, how
ever. which were handled only unset,
the firm not being in the jewelry bus
mess, were kept by day and night in
the two safes mentioned.
About 8 o'clock one February morn
ing both members of the firm, several
of the store clerks, policeman, and
the central office man stood with Felix
Boyd grimly regarding one of the safes
or the ruptured portions of it-while
making the remarks above noted. The
safe had been broken open, fairly rent
asunder and had been robbed Of its en-
tire contents.
'Professionals-yes, Jimmie, most de-
cidedly," reiterated Boyd. "Novices
could not possibly have done such q
Job 1t is the work of experts in the
craft of safe-breaking.
There appears TO have been no ex-
plosive used, observed Coleman.
"A fact that accentuates the extra
ordinary character of the work
That's true, Felix"
Notice this section of steel plate
here on the floor. 1t was ripped from
the face of the front door. 1t wa:
drilled through around the combination
and the knob and plate were forced of
with a steel wedge. Here is wher'
the drill frame stood, where you SCI
these metal shavings and all this OF
upon the floor"
mo doubt about *, Felix"
THE plate was ripped off by menas o
powerful gripper and large JACK
screw Notice where IL tore ava.
from the heavy hinges. Some of tn
bolt-heads here have been cut off ant
the bolts driven inward with a stee
spindle Evidently there was no at
tempt made to work the combination
for the lock bolts appear to have bee
thrown with steel bars. or jimmies
with tremendous leverage"
1T was a big job. surely" remarke
the central office man.
1T was a Job that could have bee
done only by master mechanics, Jim
ME, provided with the very best O
tools adapted to the work. Their air
was to do the job without much noise
hence no explosive was used"
1T must have taken the scoundrel
some time. Felix. to have forced a SAT
the size of this"
Several hours, Jimmie. at least"
And Felix Boyd arose from a close
inspection of the ruptured safe, tn
small inner corners of which. as we
as the steel plates mentioned. lay scat
tered upon the oil-stained floor, wit
numerous bits Of iron bolts and heap
of metal shavings dropped by the drills
None of the tools used by the burg
lars had been left behind, however, nc
ever a battered wedge or blunted drill
AS If bent upon removing every clu
TO their identity, the rascals ha
thoroughly cleaned their traps-a
thoroughly as they cleaned out the SAT
of nearly thirty thousand dollars wort
of loose diamonds and other preciou
gems.
The senior member of the firm. bot
of whom were dismally viewing til
scene, took up Boyd's last remark.
Several hours?' he exclaimed in
credulously. 81 don't see how that ca
be possible, Mr.. Boyd"
This work cannot possibly hay
been done in less time, Mr.. Kirby"
but this officer positively state
that, while passing in front of the stoi
on his beat during last night, he seN
eral times looked i'm here, and saw II
safe as usual
1T makes no difference what Offic,
Dollar states" rejoined Boyd, in tone
of mingled impotence and perplexit
This work speaks for itself"
but our private Waterman also is
IT'S all one and the same, Kibb,
Regardless of what any man, woms