Year: 1877




getting into sewer, having taken accu-
rate bearings by measurement, and then,
by aid OF compass, tunneling under the
street and sidewalk to the wall where the
entrance is to be made The manager
has also, in some cases, to devise
scheme for silencing watchman, and
in order to work to good purpose it be-
hooves him to learn something of the
characteristics and habits of the man he
has to deal with, in order to determine
upon what plan to adopt in getting rid
of him. A burglar always prefers. to
avoid inflicting personal injury, if gag
or drug will serve as well. The brand
of the safe must also be learned, in or
der that the style of work may be deter
mined beforehand. Burglars usually
have preference in safes, growing fire.
quently, not so much from the inferior
ity of the manufacture, as from the ex-
perience which they have had in ssblow-
ing'' that particular kind. A thorough
going professional, however, always
makes it a point to secure engravings of
the interior arrangements and the locks
of all manufactures, and a study of
these always enables him to act intelli-
gently.


All preliminaries being completed,
the time is chosen for the work, the
choice favoring such time as will allow
the largest number of hours of freedom
from interference. The tools are trans
ported to convenient place by night.
Some of them are cumbersome, and
must be well disguised in packages.
The long, powerful "jimmies, or dou-
ble-edged or pointed crowbars, are in
two pieces, which can be joined at the
middle with a ring bearing screw
thread. These pieces are easily carried
by being run up


THE COAT-sLEEvE.


When the time to begin work arrives,
the watchman, if there be any, is quiet
ly disposed Of One man takes the po-
sition of lookout, where he can COM
| mand a view of the streets, without him.
self being seen, and whence he can sig
nal his comrades within to cease or con-
tinue their work as outside circum-
| stances prompt. There must be at least
two others within, but there are some
times more. The improved appliances
mentioned above consist of highly tenn
pered wedges of various sizes and a
| powerful screw arrangement. A hole
being drilled into the face of the safe,
this screw is fastened therein by a screw
thread, and the appliance being braced
strongly against the edges of the safe
and the floor, jimmy is used as a lever
to turn the screw. The power thus
gained is fairly irresistible, and the face
of the door or side is fairly torn loose.
The wedges are applied to finish the
work which the screw has begun, and a
large sledge, with a covering on its face
to deaden the noise of the blow, is
vigorously applied to them. In this
way the work progresses so rapidly that
the professionals freely boast that they
will enter any safe that is made, if they
be allowed four hours to do it in. Ii,
as a detective remarked, the cracksmen
had had during the war the appliances
that they now command, there would
have been numerous gigantic robberies


This class of operators do not, as q
rule, spend much of their time in public
places, and the long experience which
was necessary to qualify them for theil
trade always enables them to judge pret
ty well whether or not they are under
| surveillance. ST. Louis has not beer
troubled by any of this class for con
siderable time. The last expert visitor;
wore Bowie and Wood, the two convicts
who made their escape from Sing Sing
by jumping on an engine as it passed
under bridge on the grounds, captur
ing the engineer and fireman, cutting
loose from the balance of long train
and then turning on a full head of steam
They were arrested here and identified
as the Sing Sing convicts, and they were
taken back. Since then they agail
made their escape in manner almost a
bold, but were again re-captured.


ANOTHER NOTED CRACKsMAN


who has lately honored us with visit
but who did not ply his calling here
was Billy Forester, who is one of tn


ablest professionals in the country, ant
who in some quarters is accredited a
having been the perpetrator OF the ia
NOUS Nathan murder. Forester ha
for several years been sojourning IN tn
Joliet Penitentiary for one OF his jobs
but was recently pardoned by Gov. Cul
, lom, and comingto st. Louis took room
/ at the Lindell, where he remained sey
/ eral days while taking in the sights abou
town. OF course he registered an as
; sumed name, but his presence was n
: secret 1t will probably not be long bt
+ fore he is heard from again.


, A calling which requires higher OF
: der of ability than any other in tn
: crooked line is that of bank-sneaks c
/ confidence operators. 1t is beyon
: question that some of the brightest il
n tellects of the country are devoted