I'm researching a notable 1850s-1870s American bank robber and forger, James Buchanan Cross. In 1852, he was imprisoned at Auburn State Penitentiary (New York), but was freed after forging his own pardon papers. Years later, in 1857, an article about him claimed: "When in Auburn he made a burglar-proof safe, and gave it to one of the keepers, who brought it to New York and obtained a thousand dollars for the patent."

Those are the only known details. Can anyone point me to some possibilities for the safe brand or model? Cross's fame came as a forger, but the National Police Gazette says he started out as the best "screwsman" in the USA and England.

Jerry Kuntz
Warwick NY