No clue on the asbesto being in the tile or not. Congrads on finding something wonderful behind what the PO's did.
As a clawfot bath tub owner....remember to measure your space carefully. Clawtubs come in a variety of sizes. Every one of the ones in this house are a different size and it's not obvious when you look at them.

You can't tell about the tiles unless you take a small sample to a test lab; this doesn't cost much, and then you'll know. If they're only stapled in place and not also glued -- and they contained asbestos -- you could probably safely remove them as follows:
1. Get a respirator with asbestos filter canisters for yourself (maybe $35, not one of those $2 dust masks).
2. Close off all openings from that room to the inside of the house (doors, vents, etc.) with visqueen and tape. (First, make sure you have all the supplies you will need -- see below -- so you can do the whole job without having to reenter the rest of the house mid-project.
3. Open the window for ventilation to the outside (so some of the airborne fibers will float out).
4. Have a spray bottle full of soapy water, a good pair of needle-nose pliers and maybe a thin-bladed screwdriver.
5. Spray each tile heavily as you work along in the vicinity of the staples, and carefully pull/pry each staple out, while doing as little damage to the tile as possible. Put (don't toss) the tiles in plastic garbage bags and seal the tops with twist ties.
6. When you're done, have some paper towels with you so you can wet clean the floor, and dispose of the towels in a bag.
7. Go out the window, so you can dust off your clothes outside, or throw the clothes out the window if you can't.
8. Take the bags of tiles to a landfill that accepts asbestos containing waste.

I know those steps sound neurotic, but that's how you should approach it if you want a low-risk removal. You might also consult your local environmental agency to see if they have any suggestions. Usually small, low-risk removals of this type can be done by homeowners without a permit. Good luck...and maybe it's not asbestos!

ah - thanks very much kudzu9 - i'll print out your instructions and work on it this weekend.

it can't hurt to be on the careful side of this i suppose.