Featured in this lot are Antique Bisbee, Arizona Territory Jail Leg Irons, 1880-1900; from an escaped prisoner in Bisbee / Jail break. Provenance: From the Tombstone Western Heritage Museum in Tombstone, Arizona. Bisbee was founded as a copper, gold, and silver mining town in 1880. The Cochise County seat was relocated from Tombstone to Bisbee in 1929. A prisoner escaped from the original Bisbee jail on O. K. Street in Bisbee and made it all the way to Naco, Arizona on the border with Mexico before he was re-captured. He had tried to bang the irons off and so the key would no longer work. Harry Crawford, a gunsmith/locksmith, who was also on O. K. Street was called in to get them off of the prisoner. He kept them and in 1935 gave them to Bert Jerman, who in turn sold them to the Tombstone Western Heritage Museum (from the museum provenance label). John J Tower’s handcuff design was an advancement on two existing patented handcuff designs: Adam’s ratchet handcuffs and Phelps’s development upon Adam’s design. Tower began producing his handcuffs in 1865 under licence of these patents, but upon the death of the previous patent owners, he was able to purchase the patent in 1877. He designed many adaptations in attempts to counteract the ability to escape due to their adjustable nature. Tower’s designs were popular in America - arguably dominating the handcuff business as an industry standard until 1912. The Tombstone Western Heritage Museum label includes the museum code, "LO-29". The condition of this pair of handcuffs is well preserved with the obvious signs of damage to the handcuffs from the prisoner attempting to break free, wear consistent with age but otherwise shows a well preserved condition. Measurements per cuff 5" x 5", extended length 20"L, combined weight is 2lb, 10oz.