The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-01-19

A scientific burglar IS bdAALAS Az
police of Germany and Austria. b
using the latest discoveries Of science
he goes through the toughest safes a:
if thes we're made of tallow.
In thrilling adventure. ingenious
deception of the authorities and mar
row escapes from capture his exploits
in real life outclass those fancied ones
of "Arsene Lupinf or "Raffes."
The makers of safes throughout
Europe have lost confidence in the
resistance qualities Of their wares.
They admit that science can devise
ways to enter any safe ever made. and
they say that if a trained scientist be-
came burglar and had daring and
cunning along with his knowledge, he
would defy the most skillful shoemaker
in the world.
So important to the business world
are the doings of this scientific burglar
of Europe that his achievements have
been officially reported to the Govern
ment of the United States by Consul
Thomas H. Norton. stationed at
Chemnitz.
The American Government, realizing
the damage TO business interests
threatened by the appliance of the
latest scientific discoveries to the OPEN
ing of safes. has printed Mr.. Norton's
report in full and has invited inventors
and others to devise some means of
outwitting this news kind of a burglar
who makes science his handmaiden
and confederate in the burglary
business.
Already several scientists have re-
sponded with schemes and devices for
the protection of safes. and other
schemes are being worked out. Science
in the hands of the safennakers is to
be used to fight science in the hands
of the modern burglar.
This single. unaided, scientific bur-
glar of Europe has so shaken the con-
fidence of safe manufacturers that one
of the largest of them in Germany de-
clared recently that there was not
safe in the world to-day that would
be proof against him If he had
chance to work upon it for only few
minutes.
Think of that Not a safe in all the
banks. and business houses of America
that this scientific burglar could not
enter as easily as man opens his
bedroom door.
Deepest mystery surrounds the per-
sonality and movements of this scien-
tifc burglar. Who is he, where he
came from. what he looks like, no one
knows, because no one has seen him
long enough to describe him accurate
ly.
The police of a town wake up some
morning to find the safe of their lead
ing bank looted, and the method Of
the craftsman Identifies the work as
that of the scientific burglar
All sorts of conjectures have been
made as to his probable appearance
and antecedents. One journalist guess
es that he is a college professor turn
ed burglar. Another surmises that he
is a student of science who could not
resist the temptation to open safes at
night when he learned how easily it
could be done.
Technical Literature" a scientific
magazine published in New York, in
telling of the startling dofngs of this
unique robber, predicts that he win
soon have many imitators in this /
country. even if he does not take a |
trip himself to America.
The last operation of this burglar +
was in Dresden, and is described as
follows by Mr.. Norton in his consular
report to the United States Govern
ment:
"A very wealthy money changer had
a room in a hotel in Dresden and kept
large sums of money in his safe there.
The Scientific Burglar, dressed as a
tourist. and having a large number
IF trunks, secured the room upon the
next floor, Immediately above that of
he money changer. At night he pierre
ID a small hole in the floor of his room.
lay thick layer of cement.
70 have punched hole through this
would have caused large chunks OF
cement to fan upon the floor below
md the noise might have aroused
ome one.
ITO avoid this the burglar made
mall hole through the cement ceiling I