Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-02-17
"OId Man" win -Four Legs
Fashioned BY Prisoner
QUIETLY RIPS SAFE KNOB.
Marks Found After Robbery In Mich
igan Trust Company at Grand Rapids
Spoke Volumes to Observation-Disclosures
Less Than Ten Pounds, but Does Job.
Sometimes "Soup" Is Needed.

Grand Rapids, Mich.-A few years
strips of steel at his home forge, and
The grotesque creation of this man,
who is now serving time in the Ohio
~penitentiary, was christened odd man."
and by way of distinction he was spo-
ken of as having four legs.
When top story men worked in the
Michigan Trust building here on a re,
cent Sunday and tore out the combina-
lions Of w safes and shot another
with nitroglyccrin the odd man with
the four legs left his imprints on the
safes. Where his feet had been
planted were four deep dents. Those
marks spoke volumes to the detectives.
Only expert safe crackers use the
old man" The man whose brain gave
birth to this ingenious tool fashioned n
most powerful and useful implement
for the craft who use explosives and
drill steel safes for u living when some
commonwealth is not feeding and hous-
ing them in exchange for Il safe crack
ing job or some other depreciation.
A piece OF steel fashioned into the
semblance of q narrow horseshoe is
the framework of the "old man" There
is just enough room between these
strips to enable tile "old man to drop
over the knob of a safe. -Four holes
drilled In the 'old mans" frame fur
nish the foothold for the four legs.
The holes are threaded with q fine
thread, as are the legs.
Once the "old man" fastens his grip
upon the safe knob the legs are screw
ed into the holes. The close threads
on bolts and hole give the 'old man" a
tremendous purchase power, and with
a monkey wrench the legs are screwed
down.
In n moment they are fast and the
old mans back is bent to the task.
So short and powerful is his frame
and so closely set are his legs that
there is no chance for him to bend ut
his work. The combination commences
to give, and as the jaws Of the wrench
twist the legs In deeper the knob is
slowly torn out. Entrance to the safe
then is easy, and the inner compart-
ments, once barred. are easily batter
ed in.
The "old mans" right hand aid is a
self fed drill, which can be fastened
into the 'old mans" frame as easily
as n of the legs. An extra hole is
drilled into the frame, and into this
fits the threaded bolt that holds the
drill steady and in place. But the
drill is used only where the charge of
SOUP or nitroglycertn, is resorted to
in blowing the safe.
In this case the ysIgs fasten the
'old man" securely on the safe knob
The drill is placed, and the yegg then
feeds the steel drill as he turns the
handle. The bolt which holds the drill.
to its work and which is fastened into
the "old mans" frame is one piece
while the drill is set inside of a thread
ed bolt that pushes it forward with
the regularity the yegg uses in drilling
After the hole is deep enough the
soup is administered, and the hole
is covered with wax and a fuse attach
ed. Office rugs are thrown over the
safe. and the yeggs step to one side a.
the fuse is fired. The real yegg uses
just enough soup" to accomplish the
work of wrecking the safe withou,
blowing the doors through a wall OF
making unnecessary noise.
The last job done in which the ''olt
man and Il charge of soup" Were
used was sufficient just to pull the dool
from it's steel fastenings and hurl tn,
combination out. Pushing back the
bolts was nothing, and with 81 kit o,
special tools the yeggs soon entered the
strong box.
The latest jobs credited to the "olt
man" with the four legs are those a
Flint, in which much loot was takel
from a bank; the Vermontville post
office and the United Light and Rail
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