lauher
#1Here is the schedule for this week
Monday - Czechoslovakia/Czech Republic/Slovak Republic
Tuesday - Rankin
Wednesday - Nichols
Thursday - Scandinavian restraints
Friday - Palmer
Saturday - Bean
Sunday - Pre 1800's restraints from around the world
Please send me your suggestions for future days.
Today we study the Delestatius and Rankin cuffs made by Rankin Company of Philadelphia. The first four US handcuff patents were issued to Kimball (1860), Delestatius(1861), Adams(1862) and Rankin(1866).
Thus Rankin and Delestatius are important early American cuffs. Various sizes are known as are leg irons. Let us explore the field.
But before looking at those, let us start with the one model that did not receive a patent. The high security model that became to be known as the Guiteau.
Charles Julius Guiteau assassinated the American President James Garfield on July 2, 1881. Twenty years later Harry Houdini made reference to Guiteau in his book Handcuff Secrets.
“Such was the style of cuff which I have been informed was used on Guiteau, the murderer of President Garfield, who was afterwards hanged for this crime. It is a formidable cuff, and very difficult, as it requires a key within a key to open. In the year 1900 I visited the maker of these cuffs, and asked him to open them, but he failed to do so; I however succeeded. They are very scarce. Although they lock easily, few understood how to open them, and hundreds of them had to be broken off the prisoner’s wrists.”
Houdini was a showman and always knew how to bend the truth, but true or not Rankin's high security handcuff has ever since been know as the Guiteau handcuff. It is a bit formidable.
To open the cuff you first screw in the outer key by turning it to the right. Then you screw in the inner key to the right until it is tight. The downward force of the inner key secures the outer key to the bolt. You then turn the outer key to the left to open the cuff.
The cuff shown below is embossed A. Rankin Philadelphia. The keys are replacements made by Bob Dix.
Monday - Czechoslovakia/Czech Republic/Slovak Republic
Tuesday - Rankin
Wednesday - Nichols
Thursday - Scandinavian restraints
Friday - Palmer
Saturday - Bean
Sunday - Pre 1800's restraints from around the world
Please send me your suggestions for future days.
Today we study the Delestatius and Rankin cuffs made by Rankin Company of Philadelphia. The first four US handcuff patents were issued to Kimball (1860), Delestatius(1861), Adams(1862) and Rankin(1866).
Thus Rankin and Delestatius are important early American cuffs. Various sizes are known as are leg irons. Let us explore the field.
But before looking at those, let us start with the one model that did not receive a patent. The high security model that became to be known as the Guiteau.
Charles Julius Guiteau assassinated the American President James Garfield on July 2, 1881. Twenty years later Harry Houdini made reference to Guiteau in his book Handcuff Secrets.
“Such was the style of cuff which I have been informed was used on Guiteau, the murderer of President Garfield, who was afterwards hanged for this crime. It is a formidable cuff, and very difficult, as it requires a key within a key to open. In the year 1900 I visited the maker of these cuffs, and asked him to open them, but he failed to do so; I however succeeded. They are very scarce. Although they lock easily, few understood how to open them, and hundreds of them had to be broken off the prisoner’s wrists.”
Houdini was a showman and always knew how to bend the truth, but true or not Rankin's high security handcuff has ever since been know as the Guiteau handcuff. It is a bit formidable.
To open the cuff you first screw in the outer key by turning it to the right. Then you screw in the inner key to the right until it is tight. The downward force of the inner key secures the outer key to the bolt. You then turn the outer key to the left to open the cuff.
The cuff shown below is embossed A. Rankin Philadelphia. The keys are replacements made by Bob Dix.