Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1908-11-26
Rather q Neat Job


My profession isn't a popular one
There is considerable prejudice against
1T. | don't myself think It's much worse
than a good many others. However
that's nothing to do with my story.
Some years ago me and the gentleman
who was at that time connected Win
me in business-he's met with reverses
since then, and at present Isn't able TO
get out-were looking around Tor JoD'
being at that time rather hard up, as
Won might say. We struck small
country town. amt a-goin' to give IL
away by telling where it was, or what
the name If it was. There was one BANK
there; the president was a rich old
duffer; owned the mills. owned the
bank, owned most of the town. There
wasn't no other officer but the cashier,
and they had n boy, who used to sweep
out and run of errands.
The hank was on the main street,
pretty well up one end of it-nice, snug
place. on the corner of cross street,
with nothing very near it. We took our
observations and found there wasn't no
trouble at all about it. There was n
old Waterman that walked up and down
the streets nights, when he didn't fall
asleep and forget it. The vault had two
doors. the outside one was chilled iron
and a three wheel combination lock ;
the inner door wasn't no door st all :;
you could kick it open. 1t didn't pre-
tend to be nothing but fireproof, and 1t
wasn't even that. The first thing we
done, of course, was to fit key to the
outside door. AS the lock on the out
side door was an old-fashoned Bacon
lock. any gentleman In my profession
who chances to read this article will
know lust how easy that job was, and
how we did 1t.
This was our plan: After the key
was fitted | was to go into the bank
and Jim-that wasn't his name, of
course but let it pass-was to keep
watch on the outside. When any che
passed he was to tip me whistle, and
then | doused the glim and lay low ;
after they got by, I goes on again
Simple and easy, you see. Well, the
night as we selected the president hap
pened to be out of town; gone down to
the city, as he often did. I got inside
all right, with slide lantern, a breast
drill, small steel Jimmy, bunch Of
skeleton keys and green baize bag, to
stow the swag. I fixed my light and
rigged my breast drill, and got TO work
on the door right over the lock.
Probably a great many of our read
ers are not so we'll posted as me about
bank locks, and l may say for them
that three wheel combination lock has
three wheels in it, and slot in each
wheel. In order to unlock the door. you
have TO get the three slots opposite to
each other at the top of the lock OF
course, II you know the number the lock
is set on you can do this; but II you
don't you have to depend on your in
genuity. There is in each Of these
wheels small hole, through which you
can put a wire through the back of the
lock when you change the combination
Now, IL you can bore hole through
y
running wire through those holes,
why, you can open the door. ! hope
make myself clear. I was boring that
hole. The door was chilled iron; about
the neatest stuff l ever worked on. l
went on steady enough: only stopped
when Jim-which, as said, wasn't his
real name-whistled outside, and the
watchman toddled by By-and-by, when
Id got pretty near through, l heard
Jim-so to speak whistle again. /
stopped, and pretty soon ! heard foot
steps outside, and I'm bowed, If they
didn't come right up to the bank steps
and heard key in the lock I was
so dumfounded when I heard that that
you could have slipped the bracelets
right on me. picked up the lantern,
and I'll be hanged if I didn't let the
slide slip down and throw the light
right onto the door, and there was the
president Instead of calling for help,
as supposed he would, he took a step
inside the door, and shaded his eyes
with his hand and looked at me- /
knowed ought TO knock him down and
cut out, but I'm blest if I could, I was
that surprised.
Who are your he says.
Who are you?" says l, thinking that
was an innocent remark as he com
menced it. and a-trying all the time tt
collect myself.