Broken Safe From a Homeless Newspaper

Broken Safe From a Homeless Newspaper Black metal safe. Very heavy. Fabricated mid-to-late 20th century, c.e. Collected 2009.

Willie Sutton reportedly said that he robbed banks because "that's where the money is." That mixture of panache and menace was occasionally seen along the rails in the 1800s; several hobo memoirs and other books mention not only gangs of common tramp thugs, but also "pete men," professional criminals whose specialty was blowing up safes.

This safe is completely empty, and the lock is broken to boot, but its presence reminds us of what all this is really all about: cold hard cash.

Gift of Street Sense Newspaper, Washington, D.C.