_Late of the Criminal Investigation Department, Great Scotland Yard._
The ordinary connection of ideas between handcuffs and policemen does
not need very acute mental powers to grasp, but there is a further
connection, a philological one, which is only evident at first sight to
those who have made a small acquaintance with the science of words.
The word "handcuff" is a popular corruption of the Anglo-Saxon
"handcop," _i.e._, that which "cops" or "catches" the hands.
Now, one of the most common of the many slang expressions used by their
special enemies towards the police is "Copper"--_i.e._, he who cops the
offending member. Strange as it may seem, handcuffs are by no means the
invention of these times, which insist on making the life of a prisoner
so devoid of the picturesque and romantic.
We must go back, past the dark ages, past the stirring times of Greek
and Roman antiquity, till we come to those blissful mythological ages
when every tree and every stream was the home of some kindly god.
In those olden days there dwelt in the Carpathian Sea a wily old deity,
known by the name of Proteus, possessing the gift of prophecy, the
fruits of which he selfishly denied to mankind.
Even if those who wished to consult him were so fortunate as to find
him, all their efforts to force him to exert his gifts of prophecy were
useless, for he was endowed with the power of changing himself into all
things, and he eluded their grasp by becoming a flame of fire or a drop
of water. There was one thing, however, against which all the miracles
of Proteus were of no avail, and of this Aristæus was aware.
So Aristæus came, as Virgil tells us, from a distant land to consult the
famous prophet. He found him on the sea-shore among his seals, basking
in the afternoon sun. Quick as thought he fitted handcuffs on him, and
all struggles and devices were now of no avail. Such was then the
efficacy of handcuffs even on the persons of the immortal gods.
Having established this remote and honourable antiquity, we are not
surprised at the appearance of handcuffs in the fourth century B.C.,
when the soldiers of a conquering Greek army found among the baggage of
the routed Carthaginians several chariots full of handcuffs, which had
been held ready in confident anticipation of a great victory and a
multitude of prisoners.
The nearest approach to a mention that we find after that is in the Book
of Psalms: "To bind their kings in chains and their nobles in fetters of
iron." But in the Greek, the Latin, Wickliffe's, and Anglo-Saxon Bible
we invariably find a word of which handcuffs is the only real
translation. It is also interesting to note that in the Anglo-Saxon
version the kings are bound in "footcops" and the nobles in "handcops."
In the early Saxon times, therefore, we find our instrument is familiar
to all and in general use, as it has continued to be to this day. But
during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries there is no instance of the
use of the word "handcop"; its place is taken by "swivel manacle" and
"shackbolt," the latter word being often used by Elizabethan authors.
Handcuffs, like other things, have improved with time. Up to 1850 there
were two kinds in general use in England. One of the forms, most common
in the earlier part of this century, went under the name of the "Figure
8." This instrument does not allow the prisoner even that small amount
of liberty which is granted by its modern counterpart. It was chiefly
used for refractory prisoners who resorted to violence, for it had the
advantage of keeping the hands in a fixed position, either before or on
the back of the body. The pain it inflicted made it partake of the
nature of a punishment rather than merely a preventive against
resistance or attack. It was a punishment, too, which was universally
dreaded by prisoners of all kinds, for there is no more unbearable pain
than that of having a limb immovably confined.
[Illustration: NO. 1.--THE "FLEXIBLE."]
The other kind of form known as the "Flexible" (No. 1) resembled in
general outlines the handcuffs used every day by detectives.
Contrivances, chiefly the result of American ingenuity, for the rapid
and effectual securing of prisoners have not been wanting, and among
them the "Snap," the "Nippers" (No. 3) and the "Twister" must be
mentioned.
[Illustration: NO. 2.--THE "SNAP."]
[Illustration: NO. 3.--"NIPPERS."]
[Illustration: NO. 4.--THE "TWISTER"]
The "Snap" (No. 2) is the one which used to be the most approved of. It
consists of two loops, of which the smaller is slipped on the wrists of
the person to be arrested, the bars are then closed with a snap, and the
larger loop is held by the officer. The manner in which the "Twister"
(No. 4) was used savours very much of the brutal, and, indeed, the
injuries it inflicted on those who were misguided enough to struggle
when in its grasp caused its abolition in Great Britain.
Its simplicity and its efficacy, together with the cruelty, have
recommended it for use in those wild parts of South America where the
upholder of the laws literally travels with his life in his hands. It
consists of a chain with handles at each end; the chain is put round the
wrists, the handles brought together and twisted round until the chain
grips firmly. The torture inflicted by inhuman or inconsiderate officers
can easily be imagined. When we see the comparative facility with which
the detective slips the handcuffs on the villain in the last act of
Adelphi dramas, we are apt to be misled as to the difficulty which
police officers meet with in the execution of one of the most arduous
parts of their duty.
The English hand-cuffs (No. 1) are heavy, unwieldy, awkward machines,
which at the best of times, and under the most favourable circumstances,
are extremely difficult of application. They weigh over a pound, and
have to be unlocked with a key in a manner not greatly differing from
the operation of winding up the average eight-day clock, and fastened on
to the prisoner's wrists, how, the fates and good luck only know. This
lengthy, difficult, and particularly disagreeable operation, with a
prisoner struggling and fighting, is to a degree almost incredible. The
prisoner practically has to be overpowered or to submit before he can be
finally and certainly secured.
Even when handcuffed, we present to a clever and muscular ruffian one of
the most formidable weapons of offence he could possibly possess, as he
can, and frequently does, inflict the deadliest blows upon his captor.
Another great drawback is the fact that these handcuffs do not fit all
wrists, and often the officer is nonplussed by having a pair of
handcuffs which are too small or too large; and when the latter is the
case, and the prisoner gets the "bracelets" in his hands instead of on
his wrists, he is then in possession of a knuckle-duster from which the
bravest would not care to receive a blow.
On the occasion of my arresting one of the Russian rouble note forgers,
a ruffian who would not hesitate to stick at anything, I had provided
myself with several sized pairs of handcuffs, and it was not until I had
obtained the very much needed assistance that I was able to find the
suitable "darbies" for his wrists. We managed to force him into a
four-wheeler to take him to the police-station, when he again renewed
his efforts and savagely attacked me, lifting his ironed wrists and
bringing them down heavily on my head, completely crushing my
bowler hat.
[Illustration: NO. 5--"AMERICAN HANDCUFF" (OPEN).]
[Illustration: NO. 6--"AMERICAN HANDCUFF" (CLOSED).]
As the English handcuffs have only been formed for criminals who
submitted quietly to necessity, it was considered expedient to find an
instrument applicable to all cases. The perfected article comes from
America (Nos. 5 and 6), and, being lighter, less clumsy, and more easily
concealed, finds general favour among the officers at Scotland Yard. In
fact, such are its advantages that we must presume that it differs
considerably from the Anglo-Saxon "Hand-cop" and the somewhat primitive
article used upon the unwilling prophet of the Carpathian Sea. This and
the older kind, to which some of the more conservative of our detectives
still adhere, are the only handcuffs used in England.
[Illustration: No. 7--"LA LIGOTE."]
The ingenious detective of France, where crime and all its
appurtenances have reached such a state of perfection, is not without
his means of securing his man (No. 7). It is called "La Ligote" or "Le
Cabriolet." There are two kinds: one is composed of several steel piano
strings, and the other of whip-cords twined together, and they are used
much in the same way as the "Twister."
Any attempt to escape is quickly ended by the pain to which the officer
who holds the instrument can inflict by a mere turn of his hand. One
wrist only is under control, but as the slightest sign of a struggle is
met by an infliction of torture, the French system is more effective
than the English.
[Illustration: NO. 8.--"MEXICAN HANDCUFF."]
[Illustration: No. 9.--"LA POUCETTE."]
The Mexican handcuff (Nos. 8 and 9) is a cumbersome and awkward article,
quite worthy of the retrograde country of its origin.
[Illustration: NO. 10.--"LA CORDE."]
No. 10 shows an effective method of handcuffing in emergencies. The
officer takes a piece of whipcord and makes a double running knot: he
ties one noose round the wrist of the prisoner, whose hand is then
placed in his trousers pocket, the cord is lashed round the body like a
belt, and brought back and slipped through the noose again. The prisoner
when thus secured suffers no inconvenience as long as he leaves his hand
in his pocket, but any attempt to remove it would cause a deal of
suffering.
[Illustration: NO. 11.--"MENOTTE DOUBLE."]
No. 11 is another handcuff of foreign make, and is merely used when a
raid is about to be made, as it allows to a certain extent the use of
the hands. It is useful for prisoners who are being conveyed by sea.
[Illustration: NO. 12.--"EASTERN HANDCUFF."]
No. 12 is mostly used in Eastern Europe.
My personal experience of handcuffs is small, because I dislike them,
for in addition to their clumsiness, I know that when I have laid my
hands upon my man, it will be difficult for him to escape.
My intimate knowledge of all kinds of criminals in all kinds of plights
justifies me in saying that when they see the game is up they do not
attempt resistance. The only trouble I have had has been with
desperadoes and old offenders, men who have once tasted prison-life and
have a horror of returning to captivity.
Expert thieves have been known to open handcuffs without a key, by means
of knocking the part containing the spring on a stone or hard substance.
It will be remembered that when the notorious criminal "Charles Peace"
was being taken to London by train, he contrived, although handcuffed,
to make his escape through the carriage window. When he was captured it
was noticed that he had freed one of his hands.
I was once bringing from Leith an Austrian sailor who was charged with
ripping open his mate, and as I considered that I had a disagreeable
character to deal with, I handcuffed him. Naturally, he found the
confinement irksome, and on our journey he repeatedly implored me to
take them off promising that he would make no attempt to escape. The
sincerity of his manner touched me and I released him, very fortunately
for myself, for I was taken ill before reaching London, and, strange as
it may appear, was nursed most tenderly by the man who had ripped a
fellow mate.
In Belgium the use of handcuffs by police officers is entirely
forbidden. Prisoners are handcuffed only on being brought before the
_Juge d'Instruction_ or _Procureur du Roi_, and when crossing from court
to court. Women are never handcuffed in England, but on the Continent it
is not an uncommon occurrence.
Regarding handcuffs generally, in my opinion not one of the inventions I
have mentioned now in use is sufficiently easy of application. What
every officer in the detective force feels he wants is a light, portable
instrument by means of which he can unaided secure his man, however
cunning and however powerful he may be. I myself suggest an application
which would grip the criminal tightly across the back, imprisoning the
arms just above the elbow joints. Such an instrument would cause him no
unnecessary pain, while relieving officers from that part of their duty
which is particularly obnoxious to them, viz., having a prolonged
struggle with low and savage ruffians.
I cannot refrain from relating a piquant little anecdote told to me by a
French colleague, who had occasion to make an arrest, and came
unexpectedly on his man. Unfortunately he was unprovided with handcuffs
and was somewhat at a disadvantage, but being a quick-witted fellow, he
bethought himself of an effectual expedient. Taking out his knife he
severed the prisoner's buttons which were attached to his braces, thus
giving the man occupation for his hands and preventing a rapid flight. I
am indebted to M. Goron, Chief of the Detective Department in Paris, and
other colleagues for some of the specimens here reproduced by me.
* * * * *
_The Family Name._