The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1912-08-01

criminal has shown himself possess
ed of brain power, which, if it had
been utilized in legitimate fashion,
would have enabled its possessor to
attain to a position of fame and at
f1uence. Some have proved them
selves inventors of no mean ability,
and only the other day publicity was
given to a convict's remarkable IN
vention. This is a machine design
ed to prevent the alteration of checks
or the forging of signature to nego-
table paper, and the inventor, who
is at present a convict in a Califor-
MIA prison, has patented his prison.
born idea.
About three years ago a convict
left the State prison of Waltham,
Mass, a rich man on account of his
ingenious contrivance which he had
invented. A great lover of mechan-
les, he perfected a device which abol-
iches the necessity of bobDln IN
sewing machine, and, better still, he
sold his own invention to New
York company for 100000.
Thermite, which has helped lat
ter-day science and mechanics to such
an extent, was discovered by noto-
rious scientific criminal named Fritz
Won Schmitz, known to the European
police as Count Ether" because OF
his ability to vanish as quickly as that
volatile spirit. So terrific is the heat
obtained with the use of thermlte
that the best steel melts like wax in
a fire, and as quickly. Nearly S1O,-
100000 were stolen from the strong
rooms of London, Partisan and Ber-
lin banks during the early part OF
1893. and thermite was the open Sc
same on each occasion. But Won
Schmidt shot his bolt when he at
tempted to patent his discovery. He
offered to show a patent agent in
Belgium a sample of his effectiveness
by making his way into the agents
safe. Half an hour later he was be-
ing cared for by the police.
Charles woodstock. who was
known among his own class as the
king of coiners,'' and one of the most
desperate of men, invented in prison,
among other things, a baby's rattle,
a murderous steel-toothed burglar
trap, an anti-nicotine pipe, and a
hooked contrivance which, placed in
side the vest pocket, would secure
mans watch from being snatched by
pickpockets.
Another celebrated coiner, a Man
chester (England) man, whose best
known alias was Henry Harvey, pro-
duced a coin-making machine, and
so perfect and satisfactory in every
detail that the German, French and
Italian mints are all using it to-day.
Unfortunately for Harvey, he could
not resist the temptation to turn coin
er on his own account, and the result
is that, instead of now drawing over
$4,000 a year in royalties on his in
vention, he is at present leading a
healthy if monotonous life at Port
land penitentiary.
The medical fraternity have every
reason to be thankful to a certain Du
Challion, whose inventive genius gave
to the world the hypodermic syringe.
This syringe is, and has been now for
many years, one of the most bene-
fetal of medical instruments, and
thousands of lives are saved annually
by it's timely aid. Du Challion was
man gifted with exceptional powers,
and gave promise of brilliant medl-
cal career, but an unfortunate esca-
pade shut him out from intercourse
with all self-respecting men. He
drifted into crime, and formed
''crime school," where the young
genius of Paris, stimulated by the
hypodermic syringe, accomplished
deeds of daring and roguery that
were absolutely amazing. The school
was eventually raided, but the pre-
siding genius of the establishment es-
capped. Sufficient, however, was re-
vealed at the trial to show that all
his great coups had been the work
of boys, who had been wrought up to
a sickness of nerve by means OF a
syringe. The value of the syringe
was obvious, and medical men all
over the world soon took full advant-
age of the instrument which the tai
ented criminal had so extensively
used to accomplish his evil deeds.
1t is to another scientific burglar
we owe the Johnston pump and
helmet" With the aid of these ap-
pliances diver is not only enabled
to descend to great depths in the sea,