How does Johann Reichhart's Kriminalpatentzange look like?

Hello again,

I got another request from a gentlemen who asked me about an invention that Johann Reichhart made. Mr Reichhard was the last German executioner. He worked from 1924 to 1946 and it is believed that no one executed more Persons than him (more than 3,000 kills).

Reichhard made some inventions for faster and "more humane" executions. One of those was a so called "Kriminalpatentzange" (translated literally by "patented criminal nipper"). This seems to be a kind of restraint, which he used, because binding a doomed man with rope took too much time and was too degrading.

Does anybody know, how this "Kriminalpatentzange" looks like (maybe because of a patent drawing) or how it was used? Maybe this "Kriminalpatentzange" even is a handcuff models of this age that we all know, without being aware of its inventor.

Thank you in advance.

Best regards,
Guenter

Guenter,
Have you considered looking in the files of the German Patent Office, and using the name of Johann Reichhart? See what patents come up with that name. I know we can do that in our system here in the US but I am not that knowledgable about the German system.

-Dorson

Hello again,

I got another request from a gentlemen who asked me about an invention that Johann Reichhart made. Mr Reichhard was the last German executioner. He worked from 1924 to 1946 and it is believed that no one executed more Persons than him (more than 3,000 kills).

Reichhard made some inventions for faster and "more humane" executions. One of those was a so called "Kriminalpatentzange" (translated literally by "patented criminal nipper"). This seems to be a kind of restraint, which he used, because binding a doomed man with rope took too much time and was too degrading.

Does anybody know, how this "Kriminalpatentzange" looks like (maybe because of a patent drawing) or how it was used? Maybe this "Kriminalpatentzange" even is a handcuff models of this age that we all know, without being aware of its inventor.

Thank you in advance.

Best regards,
Guenter

Click to expand...

The Krinmial Justce Museum in Rottenburg.

Ask for Herr Schmidt.

Mention my name.

Regards, Steve Santini

Hello again,

I got another request from a gentlemen who asked me about an invention that Johann Reichhart made. Mr Reichhard was the last German executioner. He worked from 1924 to 1946 and it is believed that no one executed more Persons than him (more than 3,000 kills).

Reichhard made some inventions for faster and "more humane" executions. One of those was a so called "Kriminalpatentzange" (translated literally by "patented criminal nipper"). This seems to be a kind of restraint, which he used, because binding a doomed man with rope took too much time and was too degrading.

Does anybody know, how this "Kriminalpatentzange" looks like (maybe because of a patent drawing) or how it was used? Maybe this "Kriminalpatentzange" even is a handcuff models of this age that we all know, without being aware of its inventor.

Thank you in advance.

Best regards,
Guenter

Click to expand...

Umm, no, your uncle Adolf executed more people than your uncle Johann.

Hello again,

I got another request from a gentlemen who asked me about an invention that Johann Reichhart made. Mr Reichhard was the last German executioner. He worked from 1924 to 1946 and it is believed that no one executed more Persons than him (more than 3,000 kills).

Reichhard made some inventions for faster and "more humane" executions. One of those was a so called "Kriminalpatentzange" (translated literally by "patented criminal nipper"). This seems to be a kind of restraint, which he used, because binding a doomed man with rope took too much time and was too degrading.

Does anybody know, how this "Kriminalpatentzange" looks like (maybe because of a patent drawing) or how it was used? Maybe this "Kriminalpatentzange" even is a handcuff models of this age that we all know, without being aware of its inventor.

Thank you in advance.

Best regards,
Guenter

Click to expand...

I have been looking through my copies of German handcuff patents (have most I think from 1889 to 1927) regret no sign of the above patent so must have been issued after 1927).
What I did come across is an August Schwarz patent for November 1922 No. 363156 I have scanned it and hopefully Joe will be able to attach it. Found it interesting that the original patent shows the swinging bow model rather than the swing beside model. I had assumed that the standard Schwarz swing beside pattern came first and latter a few of the swinging bow pattern were made?? Wrong??
What are your thoughts?
Also have a copy of the very rare SCHWERTFER of Hannover Patent of 1911 (no. 247666). Only know of two of these in existance one that Stan has and the other in a German collection which he will not part with it!
Chris Gower

Hello again,

I got another request from a gentlemen who asked me about an invention that Johann Reichhart made. Mr Reichhard was the last German executioner. He worked from 1924 to 1946 and it is believed that no one executed more Persons than him (more than 3,000 kills).

Reichhard made some inventions for faster and "more humane" executions. One of those was a so called "Kriminalpatentzange" (translated literally by "patented criminal nipper"). This seems to be a kind of restraint, which he used, because binding a doomed man with rope took too much time and was too degrading.

Does anybody know, how this "Kriminalpatentzange" looks like (maybe because of a patent drawing) or how it was used? Maybe this "Kriminalpatentzange" even is a handcuff models of this age that we all know, without being aware of its inventor.

Thank you in advance.

Best regards,
Guenter

Click to expand...

Guenter:

I suspect that the device you are looking for is not a handcuff. Rather it is a modification to the fallbeil (guillotine)consisting of a clamping device on the tip board that permitted the condemned prisoner to be more quickly secured and beheaded.

http://www.richard.clark32.btinternet.c ... otine.html

http://boisdejustice.com/History/History.html

Beheading was the means of execution used in Germany beginning in the mid-19th century. When the Nazis and the new chancellor came to power in 1933, a new design of fallbeil was introduced. During the next dozen years, over 16,000 civilians were beheaded, a number far exceeding those executed in the French Reign of Terror.

Hello again,

I got another request from a gentlemen who asked me about an invention that Johann Reichhart made. Mr Reichhard was the last German executioner. He worked from 1924 to 1946 and it is believed that no one executed more Persons than him (more than 3,000 kills).

Reichhard made some inventions for faster and "more humane" executions. One of those was a so called "Kriminalpatentzange" (translated literally by "patented criminal nipper"). This seems to be a kind of restraint, which he used, because binding a doomed man with rope took too much time and was too degrading.

Does anybody know, how this "Kriminalpatentzange" looks like (maybe because of a patent drawing) or how it was used? Maybe this "Kriminalpatentzange" even is a handcuff models of this age that we all know, without being aware of its inventor.

Thank you in advance.

Best regards,
Guenter

Click to expand...

Hi Chris,
I always was under the assumption that this was the first model August Schwarz:
I guessed that production began in the 1920's but your patent papers have now confirmed this as fact.
Thank you for sharing them.

mark
O=O

Hello again,

I got another request from a gentlemen who asked me about an invention that Johann Reichhart made. Mr Reichhard was the last German executioner. He worked from 1924 to 1946 and it is believed that no one executed more Persons than him (more than 3,000 kills).

Reichhard made some inventions for faster and "more humane" executions. One of those was a so called "Kriminalpatentzange" (translated literally by "patented criminal nipper"). This seems to be a kind of restraint, which he used, because binding a doomed man with rope took too much time and was too degrading.

Does anybody know, how this "Kriminalpatentzange" looks like (maybe because of a patent drawing) or how it was used? Maybe this "Kriminalpatentzange" even is a handcuff models of this age that we all know, without being aware of its inventor.

Thank you in advance.

Best regards,
Guenter

Click to expand...

Hello everybody,

first of all thank you so much for all the replies!

@Dorson: the gentlemen who asked me about Mr. Reichhard's restraints (referred to as "the questioner") told me that did not found Rechhard's name at the German patent office.

@Steve: good idea - I will tell the questioner to write to the museum.

@Chris: thank you for looking at your patent files. Maybe the restrained was really patented after 1927.

@Franklin: thank you. I also read about Reichards improvements concerning the guillotine. But this "doppelte Kriminalpatentzange" seems to be something else. Attached is a German article, which the questioner sent me. Here is written at the end: "he established a metal restraint, which was broadly used as "Doppelte Patenzange" afterwards". So it seems that is no instrument meant only for executions.



Best regards,
Guenter

Hello again,

I got another request from a gentlemen who asked me about an invention that Johann Reichhart made. Mr Reichhard was the last German executioner. He worked from 1924 to 1946 and it is believed that no one executed more Persons than him (more than 3,000 kills).

Reichhard made some inventions for faster and "more humane" executions. One of those was a so called "Kriminalpatentzange" (translated literally by "patented criminal nipper"). This seems to be a kind of restraint, which he used, because binding a doomed man with rope took too much time and was too degrading.

Does anybody know, how this "Kriminalpatentzange" looks like (maybe because of a patent drawing) or how it was used? Maybe this "Kriminalpatentzange" even is a handcuff models of this age that we all know, without being aware of its inventor.

Thank you in advance.

Best regards,
Guenter

Click to expand...

Oops, I really managed to spell the name wrong several times: "Reichhart" is correct.

Best regards,
Guenter

Hello again,

I got another request from a gentlemen who asked me about an invention that Johann Reichhart made. Mr Reichhard was the last German executioner. He worked from 1924 to 1946 and it is believed that no one executed more Persons than him (more than 3,000 kills).

Reichhard made some inventions for faster and "more humane" executions. One of those was a so called "Kriminalpatentzange" (translated literally by "patented criminal nipper"). This seems to be a kind of restraint, which he used, because binding a doomed man with rope took too much time and was too degrading.

Does anybody know, how this "Kriminalpatentzange" looks like (maybe because of a patent drawing) or how it was used? Maybe this "Kriminalpatentzange" even is a handcuff models of this age that we all know, without being aware of its inventor.

Thank you in advance.

Best regards,
Guenter

Click to expand...

I am the one who asked the original question through Atame as intermediate.

Since I think it is possible that "Doppelte Kriminalpatentzange" might be the term used by the police or prison service while the manufacturer called it something else, I want to modify the request:

Does anybody know which kind of metal restraint(s) were in use with the Bavarian (!) police, C.I.D., or prison service, about 1924?
What did they look like?

Thanks in advance,
Traugott