What can the most common objects hide in themselves: food, household items, jewelry, office supplies? If offhand - nothing special, if only they are not with all sorts of "bells and whistles", as they would say now. But no … Just such ordinary things were used, for example, in espionage practice for surveillance, as well as to eliminate a dangerous or unwanted person. And in ancient times they helped in palace intrigues and conspiracies (of which there were a great many at that time), quickly and imperceptibly eliminate a competitor. Or simply, well, you didn't like the person - and here you are, he died for no reason. Looking for examples? Please…
Inside such a ring, you can hide a whole arsenal. The work of I. Zeynalov.
“Wars are won not by armies and gold, but by cooks in kitchens and dinner party stewards. You need a little - to be able to pour a drop of poison into a barrel of honey. This phrase, with a very ominous connotation, belonged to Pope Alexander VI, a representative of the ancient Borgia family. So, Borgia knew what he was talking about. Having the inclinations of an executioner, he sent to the next world more than one representative of the famous families of that time. However, he did not disdain neither commoners nor courtesans.
The Borgia family, first of all, became famous then for the manufacture of jewelry of extraordinary beauty and uniqueness. Made according to individual drawings, they have never been repeated. The family gained even more fame in the preparation of all kinds of poisons, which were placed in specially made rings, with the help of which numerous "silent" murders were committed.
The aforementioned Alexander VI contained a whole chemical laboratory, in which work was in full swing day and night on the preparation of all kinds of poisons, because there was no shortage of victims.
SHOULD WE DRINK ON A GLASS OF WINE?..
The most common and "innocent" poison of the Borgia family was wine, which was first and foremost served to the unwanted. The doomed, drinking a glass of this "magic" drink, after a while, at first just felt bad, then his teeth and hair began to fall out and, in the end, everything ended with a stop of breathing. It is curious that the amount of poison in the wine could regulate the moment of death of the victim. And the count here went not only for minutes and hours or days. Sometimes the unfortunate person was postponed death by more than a year.
The Borgia ring, of course, did not look quite like that. But it's still very beautiful and romantic. As a memory that a lion's teeth can be smeared with poison … The work of I. Zeynalov.
Children of Alexander VI Cesare and Lucretius held the palm among the murderers of the Borgia family. Cesare had his own "trick" in dealing with the unwanted. The insidious plans were carried out with the help of a ring, which Cesare never removed from his hand, and was called "Flame of the Borgia". Under the luxurious ruby there was a depression for a small portion of the poison, which was secretly poured into the wine. There was also another ring called the Lion's Claw. Outside on the ring was engraved the inscription: "Merciful Borgia, 1503". And on the inside - the saying: "Do your duty, no matter what it costs you." The ring contained a movable plate with a cache for poison. The ring was adorned with a platinum lion's foot, each claw of which had a through channel connecting to a cache-container.
A very beautiful ring, isn't it? And it also opens, and it is still empty inside … The work of I. Zeynalov.
The poisoning of the unwanted was carried out in different ways. First, if you move the plate by turning the ring around your finger, you can add poison to wine or food. Secondly, by moving the plate, the channels of the claws of the lion's paw are opened, and then, one had only to shake hands with the victim … A small scratch was enough to send the unfortunate to the forefathers.
A ring with a hidden poisoned point.
"FEMME FATALE"
Women, as it turned out, were also not alien to "butcher's weaknesses." Lucretia, Cesare's sister, used purely female tricks to kill the unwanted. When another lover bored a young woman, she, inviting him into her chambers, handed him the key to the door to the bedchamber. Flattered by such a disposition to his person, the unfortunate lover took the key. In anticipation, opening the bedroom door, he did not even suspect that this door for him becomes the entrance to another world. The key had poisoned thorns, and, opening the door, the person holding it in his hands received a lethal dose of poison.
"Ring with a shell". Outwardly, it is intact, but you turn the pearl and it will open! The work of I. Zeynalov.
On a par with Lucretia, you can put Vannozia Catanea, a Roman aristocrat, with an angelic appearance, but evil and deceitful, like Satan. Vannozia invented and manufactured a poison with the beautiful name "cantarella". Cantarella has become the "signature" poison of the Borgia family, its "calling card". There was no antidote for cantarella. Only in 1966, the Italian chemist Carlo Cesini deciphered the composition of the deadly mixture and revealed the secret of its "invulnerability". The components were the following substances: arsenic, copper salts, phosphorus, rubbed glands of the tree toad, as well as extracts from plants brought by the first Christian missionaries from South Africa.
The mixture was so poisonous that one drop would be enough to kill a bull. In the circle of like-minded Borgia there was a cynical phrase that "the greatest honor for the most brilliant nobility is to eat Cantarella."
For simpler people, arsenic was quite suitable. An ideal murder agent that has successfully disguised itself as a disease. A person who received such a drug for a long time and in small doses eventually died, but the doctors did not understand why: the picture of his illness was blurry and confusing. The powder affected the nervous system, destroyed mucous membranes, crushed bone tissue, and the skin became covered with terrible ulcers.
As if in punishment for his villainous deeds, Borgia found his death from what he himself used to send many unfortunate people to the next world.
Upon learning of the intention of the cardinals to deprive him of power, Borgia decided to eliminate them. Wanting to eliminate his political opponents, Borgia asked the loyal Cardinal Andriano di Carneto to provide his palace for the organization of a gala reception. Shortly before the reception, the papal valet secretly visited the palace. At the request of the Pope, he brought there a barrel of poisoned wine, which he must treat to those whom Borgia himself points out. Yes, the Pope got rid of the enemies. But by mistake he himself drank the same wine, only strongly diluted with water. A low dose of poison gave Alexander VI four days, which passed in terrible agony, and only on the fifth did he die …
With the development of technology, weapons of destruction began to improve. The flight of fantasy here was endless. Whatever engineers and chemists have invented, performing to order or for their own, not always good purposes, all kinds of means of killing a person.
For disguise, as always, the most common objects were used, which could not arouse any suspicion. Individualist murderers were always few in number, so the fruits of human genius were widely used in espionage practice. Here are some examples.
PISTOL PISTOL ROSN …
The peak of the fashion for secret firearms came in the second half of the 19th century. The users of these weapons, as a rule, were not intelligence agents, revolutionaries or spies, but representatives of the upper and middle class of society and their spouses. Covert firing devices were needed not as a murder weapon, but as a "last resort" when meeting criminals.
Unfortunately, there was little sense from such weapons, so noble people relied on simple but reliable items. It could be either a pocket-size derringer pistol, a cane with a sword, or a whip.
NOT ANY KEY DOOR UNLOCK
The very first household item that was used for shooting was an ordinary key. Simple, unpretentious and convenient. The hollow stem of an antique key is a finished pistol barrel. The earliest pistol key with a primitive wick lock fitted next to the key head dates back to the 16th century. But it was very inconvenient to use such a "pistol" in a sudden attack - you can't put a key with a constantly smoldering wick in your pocket.
This is a regular silver belt buckle. The drums, of course, revolve around revolvers to play with your fingers and show everyone what you have. But it can also be real revolvers disguised as a "souvenir". I put it on the back of my head, pressed it and … that's it!
In the 18th century, the construction of shooting keys became more perfect. Most have flint and capsule locks. The trigger is already open on the key shaft. It is extremely rare that the trigger, spring and trigger were located inside the head, made in the form of a ring.
YOUR TIME IS UP…
Perhaps this was the end of the spy's conversation with a potential victim (at least, it suggests itself here). The secret agent effectively raises his hand, looks at his watch, imperceptibly presses a secret button and … it's done. The interlocutor falls as if knocked down. But this is a “cinematic trick”. But in reality, as you know, everything happens differently, more imperceptibly.
Also a belt buckle, by the way, but once with such a belt a person was not allowed to enter Cyprus at the checkpoint at Palos airport. "Granade!" … and yes, what if there really were explosives in it, after all, it was not so flat … I had to take off the belt and go without it! Not a dude, by the way! The work of I. Zeynalov.
So, watches with a built-in pistol were in great demand already in the 19th century and firmly occupied their niche in the arsenal of spy tricks. Take, for example, a pistol made under the watch of the then famous American company Elgin National Watch Co. Of course, there were no watch parts in it, and in their place there was an elementary trigger mechanism. The pistol barrel was made in the form of a watch winding crown. And next to it is the shutter button. Apparently, the product turned out to be not very effective, since orders for such a product were single. And, nevertheless, perfectly preserved, they find their buyers to this day. Antique sites are full of ads offering shooting rarities. The price is quite high - about three and a half thousand dollars apiece.
INJECT WITH UMBRELLA
Umbrellas were also used as a weapon to eliminate unwanted things. A prick with such an umbrella entailed inevitable death. A pneumatic mechanism was mounted in the umbrella shaft, which, when activated, fired a capsule with the most dangerous poison - ricin. So the movie of the same name with Pierre Richard in the title role is not fiction at all!
BE AFRAID OF LADIES WITH UNUSUAL RING … AND NOT ONLY WITH RING!
Let's go back to the rebellious years of the late 19th century. At this time in Europe, revolver rings came into fashion, the purpose of which was not to decorate graceful ladies' fingers, but to serve as a deadly weapon. And the then famous British revolver ring with seven cartridges in the clip was called Femme Fatale. As you can see, the femme fatale, who lived in medieval Italy and successfully did their dirty work, continued in the British feminists. British, French and Belgian firms specialized in the production of such rings.
The "Femme Fatale" revolver ring was a rather massive signet, only instead of a seal there was a drum with five or seven chambers. The rings were loaded with Lefoshe cartridges of 3, 5–4, 5 mm caliber. To reload, it was required to unscrew the screw and remove the drum.
Revolver ring.
The attacked lady found it very uncomfortable to use the weapon. And it was almost impossible to complete all the movements with one hand. The lack of barrels and a weak cartridge made firing rings very dangerous. But such a toy could perfectly complement and complete the image of the “femme fatale”.
The Americans, too, did not stand aside, and today shooting rings are produced by several arms companies and even single private traders, vying with each other to offer their services in the manufacture of jewelry.
CAN'T LIGHTEN?
In the middle of the last century, the KGB leadership instructed Soviet designers to develop a new, more effective, silent weapon for the covert elimination of foreign agents. In 1955, the outstanding designer Igor Stechkin, who created the famous APS and was engaged in the development of a secret silent weapon, proposed a firing cigarette case. Only instead of cigarettes, a block of three barrels and a trigger device were mounted in the cigarette case. The destructive power of Stechkin's cigarette case began to act from five to seven meters, and the sound of a shot was no stronger than the sound of a book slamming shut.
Do you think that this charming girl dressed so simply for beauty? Maybe so, but what happens if she changes her curved cane for another?
Well, let's say this one with an excellent blade inside ?! I do not envy those into whom "this" will stick. The blade, well, just very, very sharp … The handle is made by I. Zeynalov.
A shooting cigarette case was put into service, but whether it was used for its intended purpose - no one knows for sure.
This is a 100% peaceful belt buckle. Only the propeller rotates, but machine guns, machine guns do not fire!
