Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-07-07
WORKS OF JOHN YEGG
A Daring Burglar Who Attained
 Fame In His Line. B.
HIS NAME A POLICE LEGACY.
it Is Now Applied to the Most Danger ous Criminals With Whom the Off, eers of the Law Have to Contend. NitrogIycerin In Safe Bursting.


 eers of the Law Have to Contend
 NitrosIyeerin In Safe Bursting.
 In the expressive slang that per meates police circles throughout the country. "yegg' is one of the dan gerous criminal class.
 The question is often asked, "What is yegg, and how did the expression originate? An answer to the latter part of the query will lead to an eluci- dation of the first
 Some years ago, when the United States government was experimenting with high explosives, wishing to secure some death dealing and destructive shell that would cause more damage than any before manufactured, some one suggested that introglycerin be tried. Up to that time this most pow .rful of explosives had not been util- ized in this way.
 The government experts went to work, and the results of their experi- ments were from time to time pub lished broadcast through the commit nifty. At last they succeeded in mak- ing shell In which nitroglycerin was the chief component part and which made all former ones sink into insig- nificance.
 In a town in the middle west at the time there lived a man named John Yegg. In his earlier days he had been one of the most expert electricians as we'll as all round experienced mechan- les in the country. Later, through drink and bad associates, he had descended to life of crime, his principal art be- ing that of safe blowing. He was attracted by the published accounts of the experiments of the government authorities with nitro glycerin. The thought struck him, Why could not this be used in blowing safes?
 The method at that time was to drill a hole in the safe to be wrecked, fill this with powder or dynamite and then touch the fuse. This method, however, required considerable time to pull off "a job" and was noisy and dangerous.
 Yegg went to work on the nitro glycerin method. He tried it, and it was complete success. Furthermore, after he had performed job after job he had the police of the country baf- fed. They did not know how the work was done. Yegg instructed others in the art, and soon from one end of the country to the other safes were being wrecked, but by what man. ner no one knew.
 Yegg's method was to take some of the explosive which he and those with him called ''soup"-and, by the way. this term is still extant-and pour 1t in the crack of the safe near the hinges of the door. The small aperture was then covered with soap to hold the explosive in place. The fuse was applied, and with the explosion of went the doors, slick and clean. The entire job took but a few minutes. It remained for young Pinkerton de- tective 10 solve the matter on safe that. was blown in Coldwater, Mich. where a bank was wrecked and many thousands of dollars secured.
 The crime was traced to Yegg and some of his companions, and they were found guilty and sent to prison. Thereafter those who employed the nitroglycerin instead of the older methods were called ''yeggmen" or "yeggs."
 This was the beginning of the term. but since that time the application of it has grown greatly. Today a "yegg." viewed from whatever aspect, is the most dangerous criminal with whom the police of the country have to deal He Is one who rides the country OCT on freight trains, working through the south in the winter and migrating to more exhilarating climes during the summer He will beg when he is hungry and will steal and commit murder when he sees an opportunity of benef1ting himself
 Today there are thousands of "yeggs" scattered throughout the country. Most of them belong to some certain band. each one of which has a leader. He is the king. It is his duty to enlist recruits. To him also is shipped all the loot. and he in turn converts it into money and places the amount to the credit of the member sending 1t fin. For this the king receives a commis- sion.
 Most of the ''yegg" gangs carry what Is known as a kitten" with them. The kitten" is a boy. young man or crip- pie. whose duty 1t Is to visit houses and places of business. apparently beg ging food or selling shoestrings. lead pencils. etc. and who then reports to the gang the lay of the land" so that when the time comes for pulling of the job all are familiar with the prem lses. The kittens" are often runaway boys and later become "yeggs" them selves. destined to follow a life of crime and degradation.-Pittsburg Gs- reffa-Tfrtas