Wonderful Tools that Burglars Use

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12765, 17 June 1911, Page 12 (Supplement)

Wonderful Tools that Burglars Use

: . ■ ——■ --<* : • .--,.' IiOVV •■■-■ •pP-TU-i>A'fK - CRIMINALS . Uiiltß x OiN 'IHEIH B O»IN?ESS. »

YVnett Honry Harris, a 3 Toung Jew i fronr Houndsaitch^ was charged at \ Sunderland recently in connection with j-uir at'.em|>ted~roijtiiery •' at a" pawnsiiop' iln tnat city, a remarkable outfit of •burglars' tools was displayed in court, • Riid. t.iie chief constable remarked that <luring iiis long career he had ne^er by-en anything approaching it. The »Titrtt-included electric lamps; drills, .Bttto-operier.s", sftfe-roilers, a belt lor cut^ • 3'lng money, and a trapeze-like arrangement for dropping from floor to tioor through holes.

Tho average burglar is generally well supplied with, tools o? an ingenious nature, and lie hasmany appliances for bn-aking into houses which were--un-heard of less than a decade ago. A yc?ar or two back Samuel Singpong^ a Hussiau, was sentenced at the- North liOndon Sessions to twenty- months'" hard, labour for burglariously entering the Weavers' Arms at Whitechapel, imd a detective informed the Court that the. prisoner was one of a Uanget--01:8 e;ang of Russian thieves, who had introduced into Britain an ingenious implement which allowed them to open locked doors from tho outside when the key was turned on the inside and leit in t'le lorfr. " MEmXG'STESL BY ELEGTItIOiTY. Clever cracksmen boast that there is not a safe-manufacturing firm any,l--where who could construct an ordinary-' sized safe whicii would be proof against burglars,, and -safe-breakers. Acetylene g«*neraiord and oxygen generators charged with water' afad sodium' peroxide piao3 at the service of the up-to-date "cracksman" possibilities of openl--ing, rapidly and noiselessly the strongest >iml heaviest safe evor constructoa. \V rith these chemicals he is able to pioduco a blowpipe flame of such. Ititonsity thac steel fuses in it liko lea<s, in v common gas-jet.

hi Manchester some time ago an m& trenious burglar melted out the 'loci?.'• of an office safij by means of currents, taken from the electric light wires. His . apparatus was very cleverly made, ami was fitted with platinum wire. An. eientrieian who examined it after the burglar-had been captured by "the police and the tor,l found upon him declared that it was tho finest electric melting appliance he had ever seen. An ox-burglar invented what l\& ; called a "mystery-hag" for shoplifters,), a:;d ib is bslievetP'that several thieves of this type, have -been supplied with it. Anything that is thrown, into the' bag y ill immediately (tisappear when a hidden spring in the handle is touched. TJif« bag has a loose lining, and an interniil appliance, connected with tho • spring,--grips. tho" articles tlwcown into toe* bay; and pulls them Out of sight under the lining , .;. AND SHY. A young, beautiful, and accomplished j^irl.travelled backwards; and ionvaros• across the Atlantic for over two years, and roobed. I'.oj-fellqwipassengers of many thousands of pounds before sh« ■'v-iw:"<?i covered to Jbe a card-sharper. The female swindler,invariably enacted tho cha? actor of ilie simpleton^fc t&o outset, and would frequently lose quite a largo amount. When, commencing play, with \trangers she would; favour playing for small amounts, thus disarming suspicion. Gradually, howevet, us she gained tho confidence of her, vk>tims,'she increased her stakes. Her dupss did likewise, and then she began to. swindle. Fixed .to her elbow bj nioans of a strap was a spring contrive ance which, wiien pressed, caused h hidden card to pass into her hand—the card she wanted in order to win the game. . Besides this device she carried In a Tiockot in.the inside of her blouse » tliui. box, shaped concave so that ifc would fit the contour rff her body. To this-box a.length of .catsut was. at,"la,cli&d which ran .down inside her skirt l 6 her foot By wording the,, catgut with her foot, she was able to add ;& . coifealed card to those she held in hei hand, and take away one which had been dealt to her. ' ..

■ A male swindler who ivas cauclrt hi «. West-end cTiib'bnce wore a. gold rinp, on a finger of his.right,lmnd,, and the ring .was so formed that slight pune■fcur^ps could bo made on the. card-backs when, required. By thus marking the ernds ho was able to recojrnise practically overy cnrd, in each player's pos- " session, .and, .in consequence, his chances of netting the stakes on tho table were by no means small. CARD-SHARPERS' "SHINERS." All expert card-sharpers carry about with them a little contrivance which is called a "shin«r." It takes the form of a miniature reflector, which can be attached to tho edsxe of the table in such a way that its presence; cannot bo detected., "Shiners" are al&o concealed in pipes, finger-rings, and even in toothpicks. There is but little doubt that the organisation of crime in England is in the han/Js of a eoni]>aratively small rurnfe-Vr of swell criminals. These men oirect the operations of many subordinates, and_ can boast of such a perfect organisation that it beats anything yet attained in our best-conducted Government department's.