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Trip to Museum of Criminal Justice in Rothenburg

14 visible archived posts · 14 preserved total · topic ID 2184

Nils 10 Aug 2007

Dear folks,

I took a trip to Rothenburg (Southern Germany) recently, and its Museum of Criminal Justice. I thought I post a few pics for ya, since most of you don't have the chance of visiting over a Sunday afternoon. Anyhow, if you want more photos, let me know and I can try to e-mail about 25 of them as a .zip-file. (I got kinda excited when I spotted a set of palmer irons labeled as "14th century Nuremberg irons", but my friends weren't quite as psyched out about them as I was. Would have liked them anyhow.) And they are not planning on selling anything.

Nils

(thanks to the folks who helped me figure out my photo bucket problem)

Dorson 10 Aug 2007

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

grenchat 10 Aug 2007

Great pictures, Nils!

The cage is especially nice, and all those antique fetters plus a fiddle to boot! The last display case even includes some Palmers with a long chain connected.

Happy collecting

Jason

Stan Willis 11 Aug 2007

I find it very interesting that the Palmer seems to be the only US restraint in the pictures, and there is what appears to be a Palmer coupling to attach 2 standard Palmer chains together. In an enlargement of the coupling it appeas to lock and unlock like the cuff. I've never seen or heard of this coupler before.
Stan

Edgeplay_Cgo 11 Aug 2007

Verrrry interesting. But it looks like the Skeffingtons (Item 4) are assembled incorrectly. (They are in many extant photos as well.

The spring bars need to both go on the same side of the bilboes, either inside or outside. The way they are assembled, there is nothing holding the hand stirups closed. They may have done that deliberately, to keep the spring bars from relaxing under the constant tension.

Nils 11 Aug 2007

here's some more:

LK 11 Aug 2007

NILS on your last picture (should be the one above this thread) can you remember how they operated?

Steve Santini 11 Aug 2007

I know how they operated because I held them, and many other artifacts in my own hands when I visted there a few years back as a personal guest of the curator/director Herr Schmidt.

I wrote an article about this museum for the first Handcuff Annual.

A barrel key compresses a number of leaf springs on the toe of the cuff and allows it to be pulled free of the lock case.

Steve Santini

Steve Santini 11 Aug 2007

And the Palmers are joined by two Palmer connecting chains.

Strange, but it looks like the Lilly irons that were also in this case are now missing.

They were the only other antique American made cuff in the museum and were mislabeled, like the Palmers, as antique German shackles.

Steve Santini

Stan Willis 11 Aug 2007

#10

How are the Palmer connecting chains joined together ?
Stan

lauher 11 Aug 2007

#11

Two Palmer connecting chains would just fit together as designed. Each chain has one male end and one female end to fit the corresponding cuffs. You can take a single chain and form it into a locked loop.

Joe

LK 12 Aug 2007

#12

hi steve thanks for the info thats how i thought they would open,by the way haven"t recieved your book yet, i'm getting your email's requesting my p.o.box but my emails sending it won't go thru do u have a blocker turned on?

Steve Santini 12 Aug 2007

#13

Please try sending to

bookings@thedarkmaster.com

Thanks, Steve

johanahlberg 12 Aug 2007

#14

Hi Niels.

I tryed to email you.

Thank you for nice photos!