The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1910-06-04

small pocket near the neckband of
my waistcoat made my complement
of pockets complete. A piece of vi
olin string made into a loop was in
the cabinet for emergencies. Thus.
when it was impossible to draw the
key and force the lock spring with the
fingers, the loop was dropped over
the key, the heel of the boot was plae-
ed in the other end of the loop and
the lock was easily sprung.
position to a prisoner in te hands of
dition, it naturally excited greater at
tention. This is the way l have had
to work it. First l must explain that
when l undergo this test in the hands
Of the police hold a vastly different
cieved. When they take me down to
the law. The very nature of my visit
enables me to make conditions favor
able to myself. of course. l state
what l require, and it is while listen
ing to my instructions that the police
as well as the public audience are de-
ceive0. When the ytake me down to
a cell which is fitted with a spring
lock, all l have to do in the course OF
my conditional examination of the
locks, ETC., is to fill up the bolt hole
with wedge of hard wood. AS the
door shuts, the bolt "pinces on" the
wedge and remains shut but pressure
opens it, and to conceal my methods,
l afterwards secretly remove my
wedge.
l generally work on this method in
ordinary cases, but once in Clermond-
Ferrand they would not let me have
the conditional examination. Howev-
err. shall tell later on how l finally
succeeded in outwitting them.
In cases of escaping from a cell
nude, l generally have my keys
(Which all fit into tiny silver tube),
stuck under my armpits with shoe
makers wax. l have also concealed
my keys in my hair, which l keep par
ticularly long for that purpose The
feke key l used to open the English
regulation handcuff is a round piece
of steel about in. long, with han
ole, which can be folded up, and with
the opposite side drilled out, and
screwed with Lain. top. 1t will op-
en- all regulation English key irons.
These, as all locksmiths know, are OPP
ened by key lifting screwed pin,
and thus releasing a spring catch.
This catch must always be lifted.
There is shoulder on the ordinary
key which prevents it from entering
the keyhole beyond a certain point,
AND whom that point is reached, the
key begins to lift the pin inside the
lock. This is not necessary on a feke
or trick key as once it has reached
and secured a hold on the pin, land the
latter may be raised as required with a
reasonably strong pull The reason
the feke must be split so as to fit
any size screw pin and this feke ex-
pands if the screw pin Is stout. All
of these pins vary in thickness, other
d, wise any ordinary shoulder key would
spring them.
have opened many English irons
by giving them a sharp rap at hinge
near the keyhole, on the other iron, Ol
on the heel of my boot Qf l coult
reach it) as the sudden recoil of the
spring usually makes 1t fly open.
AS regards American handouts,
could also manage generally withou
feke, though l sometimes use a yer!
thin piece of clock spring, and wheI
l l am handcuffed l take care that the
person who rocks them on me does
not squeeze them up to the last motel
on my wrist. Then when l get int
my cabinet, all have to 90 is to ge
the piece of spring aud place it fla
over this notch that is left l thel
squeeze the cuff on as though to thu
next tighter notch, which natural.
goes onto my piece OF fiat spring, an;
the cuff catch of course fails to fit in
to the notch. All l then have to do j
to slide the cuff carefully open, pusl
ing at the same time the clock sprini
over all the cuff notches with it so a.
not to allow the cuff spring to wedg
itself into one of them again
I When nv hands wore fixed hehinl
my back l could always bring them t
the front by squeezing my legs an
:. entire body through my arms, and thi
of course required considerable mus
cular flexibility on the part of the per
:, former. Another position that look
:, harder than it really is: If the RICH
9 hand is fixed over the right shoulde
:. it appears to be helpless, il will a