,,houdini ,,the ,,adventurous ,,life ,,of ,a ,,versatile ,,artist4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,adventurous ,,life ,,of ,a ,,versatile ,,artist ,,houdini ,,the ,,world ,,famous ,,self-,,liberator ,,houdini1 ,presenting the ,greatest ,performance of his ,strenuous ,career1 liberating himself after being ,locked in a ,,water ,,torture ,,cell 7,houdini's own ,invention7 whilst ,standing on his ,head1 his ,ankles ,clamped and ,locked above in the centre of the ,massive ,cover4 ,illustration3 ,water ,torture ,cell ,a ,,feat ,,which ,,borders ,,on ,,the ,,supernatural #a1jjj ,,houdini offers this sum to any one proving that it is possible to obtain air in the upside-down position in which he releases himself from this ,water ,filled ,torture ,cell4 ,illustration3 ,profile of ,houdini ,six ,million of these ,books in circulation since #aijj1 in various ,forms1 ,editions and ,languages4 ,,houdini ,,the ,,adventurous ,,life ,,of ,a ,,versatile ,,artist4 7,revised #aibb ,edition74 ,,harry ,,houdini1 the ,world's ,handcuff ,king and amazing ,prison ,breaker1 a title universally and unanimously bestowed upon him1 has had a career as adventurous and romantic as the most imaginative writer could possibly conjure4 ,indeed1 this wonderful genius1 with a science concerning bolts1 bars1 locks1 and chains that will yet revolutionize the world's methods of safeguarding itself against the men that prowl in the night1 confirms the truth of the ancient adage that truth is stranger than fiction4 ,just remember for a moment that he is the man to whom the shrewdest police1 the sharpest detectives1 and the most watchful jail wardens look with awe and anxiety4 ,and they are eminently right in this attitude of disquiet1 because they know that buried in the brain of ,houdini lies the secret of an unknown power he alone possesses that makes their prisons as powerless as ,japanese screens1 and renders their multiple-locking handcuffs1 leg irons1 and all the other prison paraphernalia1 no more binding than store twine4 ,suppose the innate and inherent integrity of character that ,houdini possesses1 in common with most men brought up within the circle of a mother's sweet influence1 were to be swept aside by the desire for riches not his own4 ,there are many men of many millions to-day whose money is not their own4 ,suppose he should be captured by a band of desperate men determined to wrest from ,houdini this secret worth millions4 ,suppose a great hypnotist were to obtain dominance over this mystery-enveloped genius and use his baneful powers for evil designs4 ,what then8 ,a slight knowledge of the marvels ,houdini has accomplished mixed with a little imagination would create as many more suppositions of this kind as this book could contain4 ,but1 to be brief1 admitting the possibility of the happening of any of these suppositious instances1 and you will gain a clear idea of the extraordinary character and quality of ,houdini's powers4 ,it is often the best way to see the full scope of a cause by carefully ascertaining its effect4 ,this analytical method is equally applicable to ,houdini1 and recognizing the harm he would receive were his secrets confided to unworthy hands1 you gain an adequately impressive idea of the enormity of responsibility that rests upon him4 ,time and time again ,houdini has encountered such perils1 and in every case he owes his life and the preservation of his secret to his extraordinary acuteness of perception1 to his marvelous knowledge of human nature1 to his physical prowess that is far greater than appears from a merely superficial inspection1 and1 last and greatest of all1 to the fact that the majority of people witnessing his wonders attribute a quasi supernatural power4 ,his press clipping books teems with stories proving the truth of one and all of these assertions4 ,to glance over its pages enchains the reader's attention more closely that if he were absorbing an exciting romance4 ,accounts of thrilling jail-breaking feats are pasted beside stirring chronicling of handcuff escapes4 ,columns upon columns of laudatory press criticisms crowd colored cartoons and caricatures that connect ,houdini and the great men of ,europe in the great political crisis of the last few years4 ,it being true that genius is but the capacity for hard work1 then it is only a proper introductory tribute to ,houdini to state that he is not a mushroomgrowth1 sprouting and decaying in a night4 ,in the development and perfection of his astounding powers over metallic components ,houdini has labored as tirelessly as ,galileo constructing his astronomical theory1 as ,stephenson building the first locomotive1 as ,edison bringing to view the telephone1 as ,marconi revealing the wireless telegraph4 ,how does he do it8 is the universal query4 ,of course1 he does not1 he dare not tell what exertions of power1 natural or supernatural1 he makes in freeing himself from handcuffs1 and in escaping from the dungeons that have held felons until the grave finally hid them forever4 ,guesses are multiplied many1 many times by all sorts and conditions of men and women4 ,as many theories have been propounded as there are stars in the firmament4 ,some say he slips out of handcuffs like an eel slipping through an amateur fisherman's fingers4 ,others say he manipulates cell locks by muscular magnetism4 ,a third class declares that he squeezes himself through bars of cells4 ,still more say spirits aid him in his escapes4 ,and so1 ad infitum4 ,suffice it is to say that ,houdini actually does all that the newspapers credit him doing4 ,he was born ,april #fth1 #ahgd1 in ,appleton1 ,wis41 and a little calculation will show that he is still far from the meridian of life4 ,from the beginning he showed an insight into mechanics and mechanism that may be compared with the early endeavors of other men who have wrought wonders in the name of science4 ,he showed a tendency toward travel1 too1 and in his ninth year had a brief experience with ,jack ,hoefler's five cent circus in his home town4 ,then came an apprenticeship as a mechanic1 and after an uneventful term with the tools of trade ,houdini resolved to see the great world with his own eager eyes4 ,so he ran away from home1 as so many others have done that in later years attributed their greatness to their early contact with the corrugated side of life4 ,he joined a small circus1 and1 being exceptionally bright1 he soon learned to conduct the ,punch and ,judy show1 to do a ventriloquial act1 and also to play clown on the bars4 ,it may be1 too1 that he doubled in brass or played in the band1 though he has never said so4 ,here began the experiences that quickly ripened ,houdini into the ,world's ,handcuff ,king and ,prison ,breaker1 which he is1 has been and always will be4 ,in exploring his wits for exploits to amuse and entertain the audiences1 ,houdini hit upon the feat of escaping from ropes tied round him in every conceivable way4 ,he became so expert that he eventually offered a challenge of #be to any one who could tie him so that he could not escape4 ,and he never has lost a cent of the proffered money4 ,then came the full turning-point in his career when he looked for greater worlds to conquer1 and began the mastery of handcuffs1 leg irons1 shackles1 etc4 ,of course1 proficiency came with practice in secret1 and then the public was permitted to witness the efforts of the young wizard4 ,houdini went to ,england without an engagement4 ,he went to ,mr4 ,slater1 manager of the ,alhambra1 ,london1 gave several trial shows1 got a contract for two weeks1 then one for six months at #fj a week4 ,illustration3 ,,houdini ,,at ,,different ,,ages ,,of ,,his ,,career ,since then he has been a top-of-the-bill star everywhere4 ,he has made enormous salaries on the continent1 where he is tremendously popular4 ,he has broken records for paid admissions all over ,continental ,europe4 ,in the week he performed before the ,grand ,duke of ,russia he earned in public and private performances over #djj1 an enormous salary in those days4 ,in #aije1 he returned to ,america for a brief tour1 and he became at once the sensation in every city4 ,jails have fallen before his power like cities in the olden time before the armies of ,caesar4 ,the police of ,america join the gendarmerie of ,europe in declaring1 ,nothing on earth can hold him a prisoner4 ,all the strongest cells and prisons in the ,united ,states have succumbed to the mysteriously potent force he exerts4 ,perhaps his most historic feat was his escape in ,january1 #aijf1 from ,cell #b1 ,condemned ,murderers' ,row1 in the ,united ,states ,jail at ,washington1 ,d4 ,c41 the very cell in which ,guiteau1 the assassin of ,president ,garfield was confined until he was led forth to be hanged4 ,another great work was his escape from double confinements in the ,boston ,tombs at ,boston1 ,mass4 ,march #bj1 #aijf4 ,since #aijh ,houdini has dropped handcuffs1 and has made his performance replete with new mysteries1 introducing his original invention--escaping out of an air-tight galvanized iron can filled with water1 after it has been locked into an iron ,illustration3 pointing bound chest1 and the intricate inexplicable escape from the ,water ,torture ,cell1 and releasing himself from a regulation strait jacket in full view of the audience1 and during the week accepting various challenges4 ,any reader of this who wishes to challenge ,houdini1 or has any novel method of securing ,houdini1 must write to publicly advertise address and name of ,challenger or ,challengers4 ,no ,challenge can be accepted for same date on which it is sent4 99 99 99 99 99 ,instead of remaining in ,america six months as his original contract stipulated1 he was the sensation of show business from his opening #aije1 until his departure for ,germany1 ,august #aijh4 ,illustration3 ,,new ,,york ,,the ,,great ,,white ,,way ,his leap from the ,frederichstrasse ,bridge1 in ,berlin1 ,germany1 heavily manacled1 ,september #eth1 #aijh2 his daring plunge into the ,weser1 ,bremen1 having to break through ice1 ,paris1 from the roof of the gruesome ,morgue1 ,april #gth1 #aiji1 brought record houses at the ,circus ,busch1 ,berlin1 and ,alhambra ,theatre1 ,paris1 causing his imitators to try and duplicate his feats4 ,two were fortunately saved from a watery grave1 ,alburtus1 in ,atlantic ,city1 being saved by the life-saving guard1 ,menkis was brought up in an unconscious state1 and ,ricardo jumped handcuffed from the ,luippold ,bridge1 ,landshut1 ,bavaria1 ,april #adth1 #aiji1 and was drowned4 ,cold waters have no terrors for ,houdini1 as he dived manacled into the ,mersey ,river1 ,liverpool1 ,december #gth1 #aijh1 also in the ,egbaston ,reservoir1 ,birmingham1 ,december #aeth1 #aijh4 ,in all dives ,houdini makes use of the regulation police handcuffs1 chains1 and leg irons4 ,houdini returned to ,america again in #aiad1 just before the ,world ,war1 toured the country1 appearing for two seasons at the ,world's biggest ,theatre1 the ,new ,york ,hippodrome1 the first season presenting his inventions1 ,the ,vanishing ,elephant1 in which he caused an elephant named ,jennie to vanish1 who weighed over ten thousand pounds1 and said to be a daughter of the beloved ,barnum's ,jumbo1 and in the second half of the ,hippodrome show1 performing the ,submarine ,box feat1 escaping from same whilst under water1 and the box being entirely filled with water4 ,second season1 introducing the ,escape from ,strait ,jacket1 suspended sixty feet in mid-air1 hanging by his ankles1 and presenting for the first time on any stage another of his inventions1 ,the ,whirlwind of ,colors1 in which he produced hundreds of yards of silks1 giant flags1 and for a finish the only tame ,american ,eagle of this decade4 ,it is known that ,old ,abe was a tame eagle1 used by the ,union soldiers as a mascot1 but this ,young ,abe1 trained by ,houdini is the only one known that any one could handle4 ,houdini gave his services to the ,government1 giving performances in the camps1 for two consecutive years1 not accepting engagements1 and is proud of the fact of having sold over two million dollars worth of liberty bonds4 ,the years of #aiah1 #aibj and #aiba he became a ,cinema star1 recognizing the fact that ,dame ,nature would demand her due1 and that the future generations would not believe that any man could perform the feats with which he is credited4 ,so he originally went into a company to produce a #ae episode serial1 ,the ,master ,mystery1 making such a sensational success that ,mr4 ,jesse ,l4 ,lasky engaged him for a feature picture1 ,the ,grim ,game1 and before this was released1 ,mr4 ,lasky re-engaged ,houdini for a second picture1 ,terror ,island4 ,both features were the sensations of the year4 99 99 99 99 99 ,to fulfill contracts made eight years before ,houdini1 in ,january1 #aibj1 returned to ,england for a tour of the principal music halls4 ,so great was his success that even his former triumphs were eclipsed4 ,throngs followed him whenever he appeared on the streets of the provincial towns of ,great ,britain4 ,he broke house record after house record1 drawing such box office returns that the ,moss ,empires management waived its right to hold him to the figure named in the eight year old contract and voluntarily doubled his salary4 ,upon his return to ,america ,houdini organized his own film producing company of which more will be told in subsequent pages4 ,,official ,,police ,,news ,,from ,,germany6 ,,harry ,,houdini1 ,,the ,,american ,,handcuff ,,king1 ,,sues ,,the ,,cologne ,,police ,,for ,,libel1 ,,and ,,wins666 ,a ,condensed ,history of the ,lawsuit ,against the ,cologne ,police6 ,the police of ,germany are very strict in matters of false billing or misrepresenting exhibitions to the public1 and the case of the well-known ,dr4 ,slade1 also a well-known ,american thaumaturgic performer1 as also an equally familiar magnetic woman1 and several others who have clashed with the ,german police will probably also call in mind the latest case of the flower medium1 ,mrs4 ,rothe1 who was sentenced to two years in prison and #ejj marks fine4 ,what for8 ,well1 she deceived the public in telling them that she could obtain communications from the spirit world4 ,this the police claim was obtaining money under false pretense1 and there you are4 ,the ,cologne police claimed that ,houdini was also traveling about misrepresenting1 and that all he did was swindle4 ,the chief one was ,schutzmann ,werner ,graff1 who openly published a false story in the ,rheinische ,zeitung1 which put ,houdini in a very bad light1 and1 as a man of honor1 ,houdini could not overlook the insult4 ,he claimed that he had been slandered1 and asked an apology1 also a retraction of the false stories1 which all the press of ,germany had copied2 but was simply laughed at for his trouble4 ,engaging the best lawyer of ,cologne1 ,herr ,rechtsantwalt ,dr4 ,schreiber1 ,louisenstrasse #ag1 this able lawyer defended ,houdini in all three instances4 ,illustration3 ,houdini1 as ,chained and ,handcuffed ,before the ,judges in the ,first ,trial of ,his ,action ,against the ,royal ,police of ,cologne4 ,the first trial occurred in ,cologne1 ,feb4 #ai1 #aijb2 in this trial ,houdini charged the ,schutzman ,werner ,graff for publicly slandering him1 whereupon1 as answer1 ,herr ,graff told the judge and jury that he was willing to prove that ,houdini was misrepresenting1 that he could chain ,houdini so that he could not release himself4 ,houdini permitted himself to be chained by ,herr ,transport ,police ,lott1 and to show how easy it was he wilfully showed to the judge and jury how he opened the chain and lock4 ,after a four days' trial1 ,houdini won the lawsuit1 and the ,cologne police were fined1 and were to publicly apologize to ,houdini1 ,in the ,name of the ,kaiser4 ,instead of so doing1 they took it to the higher court1 ,strafkammer4 ,at this trial they had specially manufactured a lock1 which was made by ,master ,mechanic ,kroch1 a lock that when once locked nothing would open it2 even the key could not open the lock4 ,the police asked that ,houdini should show his ability by opening this lock after it had once been locked4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the following is a free translation of what the press had to say at the second trial4 ,illustration3 ,houdini as ,handcuffed and ,manacled by the ,san ,francisco ,police1 ,july1 #ahii4 ,in the highest court 7,strafkammer zu ,kln ,yuli #bf1 #aijb7 ,police ,officer ,werner ,graff was found guilty of slandering ,harry ,houdini1 heavily fined1 he must pay all costs1 and insert an advertisement in all of the ,cologne newspapers1 proclaiming his punishment1 at the same time1 ,,in ,,the ,,name ,,of ,,the ,,king1 openly apologize to ,houdini for insulting him4 ,this open apology is the severest punishment that can be given to a royal official1 and as the lawsuit has been running over a year1 the costs will run into the thousands of marks4 ,the case was first tried in the ,schffengericht ,kln1 ,feb4 #ai1 #aijb1 and ,werner ,graff was found guilty1 but he took it to the highest court1 and again ,houdini won4 ,the ,cologne police claimed that all ,houdini advertised to do was misrepresentation 7this was the cause of the lawsuit72 for the trial they had a special lock made that1 after it was once locked1 no key would open it4 ,this lock they challenged ,houdini to open1 to prove that he was not misrepresenting4 ,houdini accepts the challenge1 walks into the room selected by the jury where he could work unhindered4 ,in four minutes1 with a quiet smile1 reenters the court room1 and hands the judges the prepared lock opened4 ,among the thirty police officials that testified against ,houdini were some of the highest officials of ,cologne1 but ,houdini won2 in fact1 he was one too many for them4 ,illustration3 ,houdini as ,handcuffed and ,manacled by the ,dresden 7,germany7 ,police1 ,september1 #aijj4 ,illustration3 ,houdini as ,handcuffed1 ,elbow-ironed1 and ,thumbscrewed by the ,berlin ,police1 ,october1 #aijj4 ,it being a disgrace for ,schutzman ,werner ,graff to have this punishment on him1 with the assistance of the police1 he took it to the highest court in ,germany1 ,oberlandesgericht1 and there the learned judges again gave ,houdini the verdict from which there is no appeal4 ,below is a free translation of the apology as printed in the ,german papers3 ,,in ,,the ,,name ,,of ,,the ,,king ,,be it known that the artiste1 known as ,,harry ,,houdini1 of ,america1 ,new ,york ,city1 against the ,cologne ,police ,schutzman ,werner ,graff1 for slandering 7insulting74 ,illustration3 ,the ,demonstration ,before the ,german ,judiciary4 ,text in illustration3 ,the ,imperial ,police of ,cologne slanderously libeled ,,harry ,,houdini1 stating his advertised tricks were swindles6 ,,houdini answered them by sueing for ,an ,honorary ,public ,apology4 ,the ,police lost the ,case in the three highest ,courts1 as they were unable to fetter or ,chain ,,houdini in an unescapeable manner4 ,he was even successful in opening a special lock that they had constructed which after it had once been locked could not be opened6 ,first ,trial ,knigliches ,schffengericht in ,kln4 ,feb4 #bf #aijb ,second ,trial ,knigliche ,strafkammer in ,kln4 ,july #bf #aijb ,third ,trial ,knigliches ,oberlandesgericht4 ,sept4 #bf1 #aijb ,having lost the case in all three trials the ,police were ultimately compelled to publicly advertise ,an ,honorary ,apology and pay all costs of the trials4 ,by command of ,kaiser ,,wilhelm ,,ii4 ,emperor of ,germany4 ,the ,royal ,schffengericht1 the third ,ferienstrafkammer1 found ,werner ,graff guilty of slandering ,houdini1 and the ,oberlandesgericht ,court also find that the ,royal ,schffengericht was justified in finding ,graff guilty of the charges4 ,werner ,graff is guilty of ,openly ,slandering ,houdini1 for being the chief instigator of the article which he caused to be inserted in the ,rheinische ,zeitung ,july #be1 #aija1 number of edition #agj1 and the head-lines which read ,houdini1 the world-famous ,handcuff ,releaser4 ,being found guilty of the above charge1 ,werner ,graff is fined #cj marks in money1 and should he fail to pay the sum fine1 he will serve a day in prison for every #e marks2 and is also fined to pay all costs of the three trials4 ,illustration3 ,houdini1 as ,handcuffed by the ,vienna ,police1 ,march1 #aijb4 ,houdini has the right to publish the verdict one time in the ,cologne newspapers at the cost of ,schutzman ,werner ,graff4 ,for the rightful writing of this verdict1 we sign as responsibilities1 ,coln1 ,oct4 #bd1 #aijb4 ,stock ,sekretar4 ,gerichtsschreiber des ,kgl4 ,amtsgericht ,abtlg ,,vi4--#i4 ,signed for ,houdini1 ,rechtsanwalt ,dr4 ,schreiber ,kln4 99 99 99 99 99 ,it will be of interest to note that ,houdini has escaped out of prisons and cells in the following cities3 ,new ,york1 ,w4 #abeth ,street ,police ,station1 ,w4 #fhth ,street ,police ,station1 and ,w4 #cgth ,street2 ,brooklyn1 ,n4 ,y42 ,newark1 ,n4 ,j42 ,salem1 ,mass42 ,lowell1 ,mass42 ,rochester1 ,n4 ,y42 ,baltimore2 ,washington 7#c different places72 ,detroit1 ,mich42 ,philadelphia1 ,pa42 ,providence1 ,r4 ,i42 ,kansas ,city2 ,buffalo1 ,n4 ,y42 and ,chicago1 ,ill42 ,amsterdam1 ,hague2 ,dordrecht1 ,holland2 ,moscow1 ,russia2 ,halifax2 ,bradford2 ,leicester2 ,burnley2 ,leeds2 ,newcastle-upon-,tyne2 ,sheffield2 ,liverpool2 ,south ,shields2 ,salford2 ,huddersfield2 ,manchester2 ,st4 ,helens2 ,stockton-on-,tees2 ,eastbourne2 ,newport1 ,mon4 ,space prohibits the publication of all certificates from the various chiefs of police1 but a few are selected1 which follow3 ,chief ,constable's ,office1 ,sheffield1 ,jan4 #ai1 #aijd4 ,this is to certify that ,mr4 ,harry ,houdini was this day stripped stark naked and locked in the cell which once contained ,charles ,peace4 ,the cell was searched and triple-locked1 but ,mr4 ,houdini released himself and redressed in five minutes1 having also opened the iron gate of the corridor4 ,charles ,j4 ,scott1 ,commander 7,r4,n47 ,chief ,constable1 ,sheffield4 ,witness to the foregoing feat1 ,george ,h4 ,barker1 ,deputy ,chief ,constable4 ,illustration3 ,an exceedingly rare photograph of ,charles ,peace1 shrewdest1 most dangerous and notorious criminal in the annals of ,crime in ,great ,britain4 ,peace broke jail a number of times but failed to escape from this cell in ,sheffield4 ,he was hanged at the ,armley jail4 ,houdini escaped from this cell1 as ,chief ,constable ,scott's certificate on page #ab shows4 ,may #aj1 #aijc4 ,harry ,houdini was made to disrobe1 and in a nude condition was locked into the ,moscow transportation cell or carette1 and in less than #bj minutes he had managed to make his escape4 ,the searching ,houdini had to submit to in the hands of the secret ,russian police was the severest he has ever had to undergo4 ,never in the history of the ,russian police has any one been able to escape out of this or any other transportation carette4 ,this feat was accomplished in the presence of ,chief of the ,secret ,police ,cos1 ,lebadeff4 ,houdini was booked for one month in ,moscow1 but after this feat he was prolonged for four months1 and proved the greatest sensation that ever visited ,russia4 99 99 99 99 99 ,from the ,german police ,houdini possesses certificates from the cities of ,berlin1 ,dresden1 ,dusseldorf1 ,essen ,ruhr1 ,barmen1 ,bremen1 ,dortmund1 ,leipzig1 ,frankfort ,a_/,m1 ,hanover1 etc42 but the following is the principal one3 ,,royal ,,police ,,presidium1 ,,berlin1 ,sept4 #bj1 #aijj4 ,harry ,houdini1 the ,american1 was handcuffed and leg-ironed with the irons used here1 in the presence of a large number of the highest police officials of ,germany4 ,houdini managed to free himself from everything1 by mysteriously opening the locks1 in a manner which is unexplainable to us4 ,the cuffs were uninjured4 7,signed7 ,,von ,,hullessem1 ,royal ,police ,director1 ,berlin4 ,,von ,,windheim1 ,the ,royal ,police ,president1 ,berlin4 99 99 99 99 99 ,von ,windheim was the highest police official in all ,germany4 ,the ,kaiser's signature was the only name that stood higher in ,germany4 ,illustration3 ,the ,preparation for ,incarceration in the ,siberian ,transport ,carette4 ,text in illustration3 ,chief of the ,secret ,russian ,police ,,lebedoeff has ,,harry ,,houdini stripped stark naked and searched then locked up in the ,siberian ,transport ,cell or ,carette1 ,may #aj_/aijc in ,moscow and in #bh minutes ,,houdini had made his escape to the unspeakable astonishment of the ,russian ,police4 ,the ,daily ,illustrated ,mirror1 ,march #ahth1 #aijd4 ,,how ,,he ,,picked ,,the ,,mirror ,,handcuffs ,,in ,,one ,,hour ,,and ,,ten ,,minutes4 ,not a seat was vacant in the mighty ,hippodrome1 yesterday afternoon1 when ,harry ,houdini1 the ,handcuff ,king1 stepped into the arena1 and received an ovation worthy of a monarch4 ,for days past all ,london has been aware that on ,saturday night last a representative of the ,mirror had stepped into the arena1 in response to ,houdini's challenge to anybody to come forward and successfully manacle him1 and had there and then made a match with ,america's ,mysteriarch for ,thursday afternoon4 ,in his travels the journalist had encountered a ,birmingham blacksmith who had spent five years of his life in devising a lock1 which1 he alleged1 no mortal man could pick4 ,promptly seeing he was in touch with a good thing1 the press man had at once put an option upon the handcuff containing this lock1 and brought it back to ,london with him4 ,it was submitted to ,london's best locksmiths1 who were unanimous in their admiration of it1 asserting that in all their experience they had never before seen such wonderful mechanism4 ,as a result the editors of the ,mirror determined to put the lock to the severest test possible by challenging ,mr4 ,houdini to be manacled with the cuffs4 ,like a true sportsman1 ,mr4 ,houdini accepted our challenge in the spirit in which it was given1 although1 on his own confession1 he did not like the look of the lock4 ,,mighty ,,audience4 ,mr4 ,houdini's call was for three o'clock yesterday1 but so intense was the excitement that the #d1jjj spectators present could scarcely restrain their impatience whilst the six excellent turns which preceded him1 cheered to the echo on other occasions1 got through their business4 ,waiting quietly and unnoticed by the arena steps1 the ,mirror representative watched ,mr4 ,houdini's entrance1 and joined in giving his opponent-to-be in the lists one of the finest ovations mortal man has ever received4 ,i am ready1 said ,houdini1 concluding his address to the audience1 to be manacled by the ,mirror representative if he be present4 ,a hearty burst of applause greeted the journalist as he stepped into the arena and shook hands with the ,handcuff ,king4 ,then1 in the fewest possible words1 the press man called for volunteers from the audience to act upon a committee to see fair play1 and ,mr4 ,houdini asked his friends also to step into the arena and watch his interests4 ,,houdini ,,handcuffed4 ,this done1 the journalist placed the handcuffs on ,mr4 ,houdini's wrists and snapped them4 ,then1 with an effort1 he turned the key six times1 thus securing the bolt as firmly as possible4 ,the committee being satisfied as to the security of the handcuff1 ,mr4 ,houdini said3-- ,ladies and ,gentlemen3--,i am now locked up in a handcuff that has taken a ,british mechanic five years to make4 ,i do not know whether ,i am going to get out of it or not1 but ,i can assure you ,i am going to do my best4 ,applauded to the echo1 the ,mysteriarch then retired within the cabinet that contains so many of his secrets4 ,all correct chronometers chronicled #c4ae4 ,in a long line in front of the stage stood the committee4 ,before them1 in the center of the arena1 stood the little cabinet ,houdini loves to call his ghost house4 ,restlessly pacing to and fro1 the ,mirror representative kept an anxious eye on it4 ,,false ,,hope ,,overthrown4 ,those who have never stood in the position of a challenger can scarcely realize the sense of responsibility felt by one who has openly thrown down the gauntlet to a man who is popular with the public4 ,the ,mirror had placed its reliance on the work of a ,british mechanic1 and if ,houdini succeeded in escaping in the first few minutes it was felt that the proceedings would develop into a mere farce4 ,but time went by2 #e1 #aj1 #ae1 #bj minutes sped4 ,still the band played on4 ,then1 at #bb minutes1 ,mr4 ,houdini put his head out of the ghost house1 and this was the signal for a great outburst of cheering4 ,he is free6 he is free6 shouted several2 and universal disappointment was felt when it was ascertained that he had only put his head outside the cabinet in order to get a good look at the lock in strong electric light4 ,illustration3 ,from a ,photo of the ,famous ,scene in the ,london1 ,england1 ,hippodrome1 when ,houdini was ,handcuffed by the ,london ,illustrated ,mirror ,representative4 ,the band broke into a dreamy waltz as ,houdini once more disappeared within the canopy4 ,the disappointed spectators looked at their watches1 murmured ,what a shame6 gave ,houdini an encouraging clap1 and the journalist resumed his stride4 ,at #ce minutes ,mr4 ,houdini again emerged4 ,his collar was broken1 water trickled in great channels down his face1 and he looked generally warm and uncomfortable4 ,my knees hurt1 he explained to the audience4 ,i am not done yet4 ,the house went frantic with delight at their favorite's resolve1 and this suggested an idea to the ,mirror representative4 ,he spoke rapidly to ,mr4 ,parker1 the ,hippodrome manager1 who was at the side of the stalls4 ,that gentleman looked thoughtful for a moment1 then nodded his head and whispered something to an attendant4 ,a ,,welcome ,,concession4 ,presently the man appeared bearing a large cushion4 ,the ,mirror has no desire to submit ,mr4 ,houdini to a torture test1 said the representative2 and if ,mr4 ,houdini will permit me1 ,i shall have great pleasure in offering him the use of this cushion4 ,the ,handcuff ,king was glad evidently of the rest for his knees1 for he pulled it through into the ghost house4 ,ladies trembled with suppressed excitement1 and1 despite the weary wait1 not a yawn was noticed throughout the vast audience4 ,for #bj minutes more the band played on1 and then ,houdini was seen to emerge once more from the cabinet4 ,still handcuffed6 ,almost a moan broke over the vast assemblage as this was noticed4 ,he looked in pitiable plight from his exertions and much exhausted4 ,he looked about for a moment1 and then advanced to where his challenger stood4 ,will you remove the handcuffs for a moment1 he said1 in order that ,i may take my coat off8 ,for a few seconds the journalist considered4 ,then he replied3 ,i am indeed sorry to disoblige you1 ,mr4 ,houdini1 but ,i cannot unlock those cuffs unless you admit you are defeated4 ,the reason was obvious4 ,mr4 ,houdini had seen the cuffs locked1 but he had never seen them unlocked4 ,consequently the press man thought there might be more in the request than appeared on the surface4 ,,frock ,,coat ,,sacrificed4 ,houdini evidently does not stick at trifles4 ,he maneuvered until he got a penknife from his waistcoat pocket4 ,this he opened with his teeth1 and then1 turning his coat inside out over his head1 calmly proceeded to cut it to pieces4 ,the novelty of the proceeding delighted the audience1 who yelled themselves frantic4 ,the ,mirror representative had rather a warm five minutes of it at this juncture4 ,many of the audience did not see the reason of his refusal1 and expressed their disapproval of his action loudly4 ,grimly1 however1 he looked on and watched ,mr4 ,houdini once more reenter the cabinet4 ,time sped on1 and presently somebody recorded the fact that the ,mysteriarch had been manacled just one hour4 ,ten minutes more of anxious waiting1 and then a surprise was in store for everybody4 ,,victory4 ,the band was just finishing a stirring march when1 with a great shout of victory1 ,houdini bounded from the cabinet1 holding the shining handcuffs in his hand--free6 ,a mighty roar of gladness went up4 ,men waved their hats1 shook hands one with the other4 ,ladies waved their handkerchiefs1 and the committee1 rushing forward as one man1 shouldered ,houdini1 and bore him in triumph round the arena4 ,but the strain had been too much for the ,handcuff ,king1 and he sobbed as though his heart would break4 ,with a mighty effort1 however1 he regained his composure1 and received the congratulations of the ,mirror in the true sportsmanlike spirit he has shown throughout the contest4 ,,presentation ,,model ,the journalist intimated to the audience that a beautiful solid silver model of the handcuffs would be made1 and asked ,mr4 ,houdini's permission to present this to him at no distant date4 ,a ,,sportsman',s ,,telegram4 ,late last night ,mr4 ,houdini sent us the following telegram3 ,editor ,mirror1 #b1 ,carmelite ,street1 ,london4 ,e4 ,c4 ,allow me to thank you for the open and upright manner in which your representative treated me in to-day's contest4 ,must say that it was one of the hardest1 but at the same time one of the fairest tests ,i ever had4 ,,harry ,,houdini4 ,illustration3 ,,houdini1 manacled and chained1 ,diving head first off ,queen's ,bridge1 into the ,yarra ,river1 ,melbourne1 ,australia1 ,feb4 #ahth1 #aiaj4 ,australia's ,coast is infested with ,man-eating ,sharks1 luckily for ,houdini1 none happened to be around when he dived4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,an ,,episode ,,in ,,houdini',s ,,life4 ,star1 ,blackburn1 ,england1 ,saturday1 ,oct4 #be1 #aijb4 ,,manacled ,,by ,a ,,strong ,,man4 ,,trussed ,,till ,,midnight4 ,unparalleled ,scenes at the ,palace ,theatre4 ,never in the history of ,blackburn or music hall life has there been witnessed so remarkable a scene as occurred last night4 ,houdini1 the ,handcuff ,king1 and ,mr4 ,hodgson1 principal of the ,school of ,physical ,culture1 provided a big sensation for the patrons of the ,palace ,theatre1 ,blackburn4 ,houdini1 who has been appearing at the ,palace during the week1 claims to be able to release himself from any of the regulation shackles or irons used by the police of ,europe or ,america1 and offered nightly to forfeit #be if he failed to prove his claim4 ,mr4 ,hodgson1 of the ,physical ,culture ,school1 ,blackburn1 took up the challenge1 stipulating that he was to use his own irons and fix them himself4 ,houdini consented1 and deposited the #be with the editor of the ,daily ,star4 ,the trial of skill and strength was fixed to take place last night1 and the crowd which came together to witness it crammed the theatre literally from floor to ceiling--even standing room being ultimately unobtainable4 ,shortly after ten o'clock the parties to the challenge faced each other1 and excitement at once became intense4 ,mr4 ,hodgson produced #f pairs of heavy irons1 furnished with clanking chains and swinging padlocks4 ,these were carefully examined by ,houdini1 who raised some disappointment and much sympathetic cheering by stating that his claim was that he could escape from regulation irons4 ,the cuffs brought by ,mr4 ,hodgson1 he said1 had been tampered with--the iron being wrapped round with string1 the locks altered1 and various other expedients adopted to render escape more difficult4 ,mr4 ,hodgson's answer1 given dramatically from the stage1 was that he stipulated that he should bring his own irons4 ,houdini again protested that ,mr4 ,hodgson was going beyond the challenge1 but added that he was quite willing to go on1 if only the audience would give him a little time in which to deal with the extra difficulties4 ,this announcement was greeted with great cheering1 and the work of pinioning proceeded4 ,first1 ,mr4 ,hodgson1 with the aid of a companion1 fixed a pair of irons over ,houdini's upper arm1 passing the chain behind his back and pulling it tight1 and fixing the elbows close to the sides4 ,to make assurance doubly sure1 he fixed another pair in the same way1 and padlocked both behind4 ,then1 starting with the wrists1 he fixed a pair of chained cuffs so that the arms1 already pulled stiffly behind1 were now pulled forward4 ,the pulling and tugging at this stage was so severe--the strong man exercising his strength to some purpose--that ,houdini protested that it was no part of the challenge that his arms should be broken4 ,he also reminded ,mr4 ,hodgson that he was to fix the irons himself4 ,this led to ,mr4 ,hodgson's assistant retiring4 ,proceeding1 ,mr4 ,hodgson fixed a second pair of cuffs on the wrists and padlocked both securely1 ,houdini's arms being then trussed to his side so securely that escape seemed absolutely impossible4 ,still ,mr4 ,hodgson was not finished with him4 ,getting ,houdini to kneel down1 he passed the chain of a pair of heavy leg irons through the chains which bound the arms together at the back4 ,these were fixed to the ankles1 and after a second pair had been added1 both were locked1 and ,houdini now seemed absolutely helpless4 ,a canopy being placed over ,houdini in the middle of the stage1 the waiting began1 and excitement grew visibly every minute4 ,meanwhile ,mr4 ,hodgson and others kept strict watch on the movements of ,houdini's wife and brother 7,hardeen71 who were both on the stage4 ,at the end of about #ae minutes the canopy was lifted and ,houdini was revealed lying on his side1 still securely bound4 ,it was at first thought he had fainted1 but he soon made it known that all he wished was to be lifted up4 ,this ,mr4 ,hodgson refused to do1 at which the now madly excited audience hissed and booed him for his unfair treatment1 and ,hardeen lifted his brother to his knees4 ,the curtain of the cabinet was again closed4 ,another #bj minutes passed1 and again the curtain was lifted4 ,this time ,houdini said his arms were bloodless and numb owing to the pressure of the irons1 and asked to have them unlocked for a minute so that the circulation could be restored4 ,mr4 ,hodgson's reply1 given amidst howls1 was3 ,this is a contest1 not a love match4 ,if you are beaten1 give in4 ,great shouting and excited calling followed1 which was renewed when ,dr4 ,bradley1 after examining ,houdini1 said his arms were blue1 and it was cruelty to keep him chained up as he was any longer4 ,still ,mr4 ,hodgson was obdurate1 and the struggle proceeded1 ,houdini again appealing for time4 ,fifteen minutes more3 ,houdini appeared and announced that one hand was free4 ,this was the signal for terrific cheering1 which was continued after the canopy was dropped4 ,at intervals ,houdini now appeared1 and announced further progress in his escape2 and when1 shortly after midnight1 he came out with torn clothing and bleeding arms1 and threw the last of the shackles on the stage1 the vast audience stood up and cheered and cheered1 and yelled themselves hoarse to give vent to their overwrought feelings4 ,men and women hugged each other in mad excitement4 ,hats1 coats1 and umbrellas were thrown up into the air1 and pandemonium reigned supreme for #ae minutes4 ,houdini1 when quietness had been restored1 said he had been doing the handcuff trick now for #ad years1 but never had he been subjected to such brutality as that to which his bleeding arms and wrists gave witness4 ,when ,houdini again obtained a hearing1 it was to state that1 not only had the irons been altered1 but the locks had been plugged4 ,it was well after midnight when the huge audience left the theatre1 and broke up into excited1 gesticulating groups4 99 99 99 99 99 ,condemned ,murderers ,released by ,houdini4 ,the ,washington ,post1 ,sunday1 ,jan4 #g1 #aijf4 ,,out ,,of ,,guiteau ,,cell4 ,,houdini ,,mixes ,,things ,,up ,,at ,,the ,,united ,,states ,,jail4 ,,prisoners ,,changed ,,in ,,cells4 ,consternation ,accompanies ,feats of the ,expert ,lock-picker1 ,who ,gets ,laurels from the ,american ,police ,chairman ,after ,his ,third ,exploit in ,washington--,crowds ,are ,transfixed4 ,two condemned murderers1 four others under indictment1 and two noted criminals were released from the ,united ,states jail yesterday and for a brief time tasted a counterfeit liberty4 ,harry ,houdini1 the international ,prison ,breaker and ,handcuff ,king1 as he is styled1 was the hero of a sensational exploit4 ,on the invitation of ,warden ,harris and the jail authorities he ravaged bolts and locks4 ,houdini escaped from the cell in which ,charles ,j4 ,guiteau1 the assassin of ,president ,garfield1 was confined1 released all the other inmates of the murderers' row cells1 and transferred each into some other cell than the one to which he was originally committed4 99 99 99 99 99 ,for several days--in fact1 since ,houdini's remarkable escape from the ,tenth precinct--,warden ,harris1 of the cathedral-like prison along the ,eastern ,branch of the ,potomac1 has been endeavoring to secure ,houdini for a cell-breaking exploit1 as the warden had full faith in the efficiency of his lock system4 ,he wished to have this faith justified by an attempt at escape of ,houdini1 and his failure would induce that state of mind4 ,illustration3 ,,james ,a4 ,,garfield the ,martyred ,president ,copyright and ,published by ,j4 ,f4 ,,ryder1 ,cleveland1 ,o4 ,the sitting for this portrait was made ,june #ajth1 #ahhj ,until yesterday ,houdini has been so occupied with his other invitations to break out of the police cells and the other penal institutions that he had abandoned the idea of an adventure at the jail4 ,not wishing to seem discourteous1 he concluded about noon yesterday to present his compliments to ,warden ,harris and assure him that he would be pleased to test the jail4 ,,crowd ,,quickly ,,gathers ,the news of his presence traveled the length of the offices on the inside of the big structure1 and here there gathered in the warden's office the following officials and visitors3 ,deputy ,warden ,w4 ,grayson ,urner1 ,capt4 ,ed4 ,s4 ,randell1 ,guards ,john ,c4 ,campbell1 ,george ,c4 ,gumm1 ,james ,corrigan1 and ,john ,p4 ,hickey1 ,jail ,physician ,dr4 ,d4 ,kerfoot ,shute1 ,dr4 ,h4 ,i4 ,sout1 ,dr4 ,t4 ,sullivan1 ,clerk ,j4 ,fred ,harris1 and ,messrs4 ,robert ,r4 ,mahorney1 ,theo ,judd1 ,frank ,jones1 ,david ,m4 ,proctor1 and ,john ,t4 ,ward4 ,houdini was invited to examine the cell arrangement and was shown first to ,murderers' ,row1 which is in the south wing and comprises seventeen cells1 containing ,walter ,h4 ,hamilton1 sentenced to be hanged last ,november1 but now living through stayed proceedings2 ,richard ,chase1 sentenced to twelve years for manslaughter2 ,thomas ,s4 ,whitney1 ,john ,mercer1 ,edward ,ferguson1 ,jeremiah ,donovan1 and ,henry ,gaskins--these having been indicted for murder1 their alleged crimes being still fresh in the public mind2 also ,james ,a4 ,backus1 the alleged money-order raiser1 and ,clarence ,howlett1 sentenced for housebreaking4 ,illustration3 ,entered according to act of ,congress1 in the year #ahha1 by ,c4 ,m4 ,,bell in the office of the ,librarian of ,congress1 at ,washington1 ,d4 ,c4 ,,guiteau1 the assassin of ,president ,garfield4 ,houdini escaped from the murderer's cell in which this assassin was secured4 ,houdini was chiefly interested in cell ,no4 #b1 the one occupied by ,guiteau1 and presumably the safest of the lot1 although it was from the outside of this cell that ,avenger ,jones shot into it in his effort to kill the assassin4 ,it now holds ,hamilton1 who is alleged to have smothered his wife to death and then sat all night beside the body of his victim1 indulging in a drunken orgy4 ,the officials say that he is one of the most orderly prisoners ever out there4 ,howard ,schneider1 who murdered his wife and her brother1 and ,shfer1 the murderer hanged a short time ago1 also occupied this cell4 ,,ponderous ,,barred ,,doors4 ,all these cells are brick structures with their doors sunk into the walls fully three feet from the face of the outer corridor wall4 ,when the heavily barred door is closed1 an armlike bar runs out to the corridor wall and then angles to the right and slips over a steel catch which sets a spring that fastens the lock4 ,the latter is only opened by a key1 and there are no less than five tumblers in the lock4 ,one key opens all the doors in the corridor4 ,with ,houdini there1 it was very natural that everybody should express the ardent desire to have him then and there go into a cell and see if he could release himself1 and ,houdini1 with his accustomed courtesy1 yielded a ready acquiescence4 ,he insisted1 however1 that he preferred to try cell ,no4 #b1 for the reason that it is the hardest one there to get out of alive1 as he expressed it1 and because of the notorious murderers who have spent their last moments on earth within its whitewashed walls4 ,this was agreed upon1 and then he was stripped to the skin and locked into ,no4 #b with ,hamilton1 the negro1 who crouched in the far corner of the cell1 presumably laboring under the belief that one of the arch-fiends was already there to get him for a red-hot furnace4 ,in two minutes ,houdini was out of that cell1 free1 the lock holding him hardly longer than it took him to get into the place and get his bearings4 ,then1 without the knowledge of the waiting officials who had retired from view1 ,houdini quickly ran to the cells of ,chase1 ,whitney1 ,mercer1 ,ferguson1 ,donovan1 ,gaskins1 ,backus1 and ,howlett4 ,to each occupant the unclad cell-breaker seemed like an apparition from some other world1 and the astonishment he created when he commanded each to come out and follow him can be better imagined than described4 ,,prisoners ,,are ,,dumbfounded ,chase gave a gasp of fear1 and then cried1 ,have you come to let me out8 ,what are you doing without clothes8 ,he supposed then that ,houdini was an escaping fellow-prisoner4 ,he followed at ,houdini's heels and the cell-breaker dashed with him down to the end of the corridor1 where he opened the cell containing ,clarence ,howlett4 ,what are you doing here8 said ,houdini to the astonished ,howlett4 ,what are you in for8 ,i'm a housebreaker1 said the prisoner1 as though making his last confession4 ,you're a bad one1 said ,houdini1 or you could get out of here4 ,come along4 ,howlett followed his strange captor1 and ,houdini then thrust ,chase into the cell and rushed ,howlett up to ,chase's cell4 ,this scene1 strange and strenuous1 was repeated again and again1 until every desperate man was changed into another cell than his own4 ,all were in a tumult4 ,twenty-one minutes after ,houdini had been locked in the cell he had done all the quick changing and stood before his free audience in the main hall1 clothed as in every-day manner4 ,when the officials found what he had done with their prisoners1 their amazement passed all bounds4 ,they took the slight change ,houdini made in their plans with the utmost good nature1 and soon had everything straightened out1 and each of the men back in his cell4 ,at the conclusion1 ,warden ,harris gave the cell-breaker a certificate1 of which the following is a copy3 ,this is to certify that ,mr4 ,harry ,houdini1 at the ,united ,states jail to-day1 was stripped stark naked1 thoroughly searched1 and locked up in cell ,no4 #b of the south wing1 the cell in which ,charles ,j4 ,guiteau was confined from the date of his commitment1 ,july #b1 #ahha1 until the day on which he was executed1 ,june #cj1 #ahhb4 ,mr4 ,houdini1 in about #b minutes1 managed to escape from that cell1 and then broke into the cell in which his clothing was locked up4 ,he then proceeded to release from their cells all the prisoners on the ground floor4 ,there was positively no chance for any collusion or confederacy4 ,mr4 ,houdini accomplished all of the above-mentioned feats1 in addition to putting on all his clothing1 in #ba minutes4 ,j4 ,h4 ,,harris4 ,warden ,united ,states ,jail1 ,d4 ,c4 99 99 99 99 99 ,major ,sylvester yesterday prepared for ,houdini the following statement3 ,,to ,,whom ,,it ,,may ,,concern3 ,no individual should be disinclined to profit by the abilities displayed by others1 and1 in order that defective means of restraint might be discovered in the holding of prisoners in this jurisdiction1 and with a view to remedying any insecurity which might exist1 ,mr4 ,houdini1 the expert man with locks1 was permitted to examine a modern cell lock and attachment1 and then placed in an entirely different cell from the one he examined4 ,he was searched1 and in a nude condition placed behind the bars1 and1 as supposed1 secured4 ,this was in the presence of the ,engineer ,officer of the ,district of ,columbia1 myself1 and several officers4 ,in #bf minutes he emerged from the cell and corridor fully attired4 ,the experiment was a very valuable one in that the department has been instructed as to the adoption of further security which will protect any lock from being opened or interfered with4 ,the act was interesting and profitable1 and worthy of study4 ,mr4 ,houdini impressed his audience as a gentleman and an artist who does not profess to do the impossible4 ,,richard ,,sylvester1 ,major and ,superintendent4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,some ,,of ,,the ,,great ,,feats ,,accomplished ,,by ,,houdini4 ,broke out of the ,siberian ,prison ,van in ,moscow1 ,russia1 in ,may1 #aijc4 ,leaped1 heavily handcuffed1 in zero weather1 from ,belle ,island ,bridge1 in ,detroit1 ,mich41 in ,december #bnd1 #aijf1 and released himself under the icy water4 ,leaped into ,san ,francisco ,bay1 ,san ,francisco1 ,calif41 on ,august #bfth1 #aijg1 handcuffed with hands behind his back1 with more than #ge pounds of ball and chain locked to his body4 ,escaped from a plate glass box made by the ,pittsburg ,plate ,glass ,co41 and did not even scratch the glass4 ,boston ,mass41 ,jan4 #bjth #aijg4 ,after being rivetted into a large hot water boiler by the employees of the ,marine ,boiler ,works1 of ,toledo1 on ,march #aeth1 #aijg1 ,houdini escaped without leaving any traces of his exit4 ,illustration3 ,the biggest-little mystery feat--the ,east ,indian needle masterpiece1 wherein ,houdini swallows #ajj needles1 #bj yards of thread1 and brings up the needles threaded4 ,escaped from paper bags1 zinc lined piano boxes1 packing cases1 padded cells1 straight-jackets1 insane cribs1 willow hampers1 iron cages1 a ,u4,s4 ,mail ,pouch furnished with a rotary lock belonging to the ,u4,s4 ,government1 a large ,football1 made by ,reach ,company1 of ,philadelphia1 a large ,derby ,desk1 with secret locks1 ,burglar-proof safes1 etc41 etc4 ,handcuffed nailed into a packing case1 #bjj lbs4 of iron weights chained to the box and was then thrown overboard into ,new ,york ,bay4 ,houdini has escaped from cells in almost every city in ,america1 the most notable one being from the ,murderers' ,cell in ,u4,s4 ,jail at ,washington1 ,d4,c41 which confined ,guiteau1 the murderer of ,president ,garfield4 ,houdini presents the largest1 the smallest and most perplexing mystery in the world and history of magic4 ,the smallest4 ,the ,east ,indian ,needle ,mystery1 in which he swallows #ej to #ajj needles1 #bj yards of thread1 and brings them all up threaded1 after his mouth and throat have been examined by a committee of ,surgeons4 ,in ,boston1 at ,keith's ,theatre1 #aijf1 at special morning performance1 he performed this feat before sixteen hundred physicians1 and not one could give a correct solution as to his method4 ,the largest and one of his original inventions being the complete vanishing of a ,ten ,thousand pound ,elephant1 in full glare of the light and right over the tank of a ,quarter of a ,million ,gallons of ,water on the stage of ,new ,york ,hippodrome1 #aiaf-aiag4 ,he performed this the entire season1 creating the greatest amount of talk ever caused by any ,illusionist with any vanishing mystery4 ,the greatest mystery ever presented1 original inventions of ,houdini1 one of the ,chinese ,torture ,cell1 and the ,escape from a ,packing ,case which being weighted with #cjj lbs4 of pig iron is thrown overboard into the ocean1 and from which he releases himself in less than two minutes4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,kansas ,,city1 ,,mo41 ,april #aa1 #aijj4 ,,to ,,whom ,,it ,,may ,,concern3 ,we1 the undersigned1 do hereby certify that we saw ,harry ,houdini stripped nude1 thoroughly searched from head to foot1 and his mouth sealed up1 making it an utter impossibility for him to have anything concealed on his person4 ,we saw him handcuffed and leg-ironed with five different cuffs1 and his hands locked to his feet4 ,he was led into a cell1 which was also securely locked with what is known as the three-bond lock1 guaranteed by the makers to be burglar proof4 ,nevertheless1 ,houdini succeeded in making his escape out of all the irons1 also from the cell1 in less than #h minutes4 ,there was no possible chance of confederacy4 ,signed and sealed by ,,john ,,hayes1 ,chief of ,police4 ,,john ,,halpin1 ,inspector of ,detectives4 ,j4 ,c4 ,,snavly1 ,jailer4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,disappearing ,,elephant ,the largest vanish the world has ever known1 as invented and presented by ,houdini at the ,new ,york ,hippodrome4 ,daily ,express1 ,london1 ,feb4 #c1 #aijd4 ,,wizard ,,in ,,gaol4 ,,opens ,,cells ,,and ,,is ,,taken ,,for ,,the ,,devil4 ,,his #fast ,,escape4 ,i certify that to-day ,mr4 ,harry ,houdini showed his abilities in releasing himself from restraint4 ,he had three pairs of handcuffs1 one a very close-fitting pair1 placed round his wrists1 and he was placed in a nude state in a cell which had been previously searched4 ,within #f minutes he was free from the handcuffs1 had opened the cell door1 and had opened the doors of all the other cells in the corridor1 had changed a prisoner from one cell to another1 and had so securely locked him in that he had to be asked to unlock the door4 7,signed7 ,,leonard ,,dunning1 ,head ,constable1 ,liverpool4 ,feb4 #b1 #aijb4 ,mr4 ,dunning has since been knighted and is now head of the ,police ,constabulary1 being located in ,london1 his official title being ,his ,majesty's ,inspector of ,constabulary1 ,london1 ,england4 99 99 99 99 99 ,for him it is literally true that-- ,stone walls do not a prison make1 ,nor iron bars a cage4 ,were he a criminal--his clear1 straightforward eyes negative the suggestion--he would be a nightmare to the police of ,britain1 for he would walk out of gaol as coolly and smilingly as he did twice out of ,liverpool ,bridewell yesterday4 ,it was an eventful day at the sinister-looking building that stands off busy ,dale ,street4 ,high police officials1 clever detectives1 leading city business men who hold office on the watch committee1 all sustained a severe shock by their loss of faith in what they had regarded as an inviolable stronghold4 ,no one has been known previously to escape from the bolts and bars behind which ,liverpool quarters its criminals4 ,,surrenders ,,to ,,police4 ,in the afternoon ,houdini had a pleasant interview with ,head ,constable ,dunning4 ,want to try our locks8 ,certainly4 ,you're welcome2 but1 of course1 we will take some precautions4 ,i want you to do so1 replied ,houdini4 ,i will strip naked4 ,you can then handcuff me and put me in your strongest cell1 and after you have searched me and the cell you leave me1 locking the door4 ,i will join you in a minute or two4 ,houdini was as good as his word4 ,not only did he escape1 but he had torn from his hands and arms three pairs of handcuffs1 which had been put on him by officers with absolute belief in their restraining power4 ,even these feats were not enough for this man1 who does things that would have made ,jack ,sheppard die of envy4 ,he felt sure there was nothing in ,bridewell to baffle him4 ,running along the corridor1 he opened the doors of other cells1 which he had thought were all empty4 ,when he reached ,no4 #ad and flung open the door1 he confronted a prisoner4 ,i don't know which of us was the more surprised1 said ,houdini to an ,express representative4 ,,startled ,,prisoner ,here was ,i1 standing absolutely nude before a terrified1 miserable object4 ,poor fellow6 what a shock it was for him4 ,he was an ,irishman just recovering from a drunken bout4 ',arrah6' he said1 when he had recovered2 ',i thought it was the divil4' ,the shivering prison-breaker hurried the wretched prisoner out of cell ,no4 #ad into ,no4 #ae and locked him in4 ,then he ran along the passage to greet the head constable and the other officials4 ,only #f minutes had elapsed since he had been locked in the cell naked and handcuffed4 ,the cell door was inspected and found uninjured4 ,then one of the gaolers1 walking along the corridor1 espied door ,no4 #ad open and a prisoner gone4 ,that's all right1 said the irrepressible ,houdini4 ,i've had him out and locked him up in ,no4 #ae4 ,hearty laughter followed the narration of this achievement1 and the officials went to ,no4 #ae4 ,so securely had the ,irishman been locked up that it was necessary to call upon ,houdini to unfasten the door4 ,the ,irishman was found in a somewhat bewildered state1 but he probably sobered quicker than he would have done in less eventful circumstances4 ,houdini left the bridewell the proud possessor of the certificate which is reproduced at the head of this article4 ,,another ,,experiment ,in the evening ,houdini1 accompanied by an ,express representative1 again walked into the bridewell to settle a point which had been raised since his feat in the afternoon4 ,was the door which had been fastened against him single1 double1 or triple locked8 ,the matter could easily be settled4 ,houdini would just do the trick again4 ,only this time he would do it with his clothes on1 as time was pressing4 ,liverpool's bridewell is as an unsightly a place as a bridewell can be4 ,no one would mistake it for a spa hotel or a convalescent home4 ,beneath a dark arch you pass1 and in the great door which you find opposite is a little window which is unlocked when you knock1 and through which you are viewed before you are permitted even to stand upon the threshold4 ,houdini and his companion were admitted4 ,more lock-breaking8 ,yes2 ,i am ready for more--as many as you like4 ,accompanied by a gaoler1 ,houdini and the ,express representative ascended a flight of stone steps and passed along dimly lighted corridors1 whose atmosphere seemed to reek with crime and mystery4 ,passing through a gate1 a row of cells was reached1 upon any one of which ,houdini might operate4 ,here was one marked with a strange device4 ,houdini would try this one4 ,it was a felon's cell--stronger than some of the others1 though it could not have been darker or more forbidding4 ,houdini entered4 ,he was backed in by the ,express representative4 ,he was inside1 safe and sound4 ,,second ,,escape ,there could be no doubt about that4 ,at the first turn of the key the lock went forward twice2 at the second1 once4 ,houdini was behind a triple lock in the dark1 dreary cell4 ,the ,express representative and the gaoler left him there1 and retired beyond an iron gate which bars the passage4 ,the gate is a greater test than the cell1 said the gaoler4 ,it's locked before it's locked1 if you understand4 ,shut it1 and it's locked1 and then you can lock it again4 ,the gaoler hand only secured it when ,houdini presented himself4 ,that's as quick as ,i've ever done it1 said he4 ,and then he tackled the gate4 ,a moment's hesitation4 ,the gaoler shook his head1 and a smile was just overspreading his features1 when lo6 ,houdini flung open wide the gate4 ,he agreed that the gate was tougher1 as he expressed it1 than the cell4 ,houdini is an ,american4 ,only his strong arms and his supple1 yet powerful hands give the slightest clue of his prison-breaking capacity4 ,he does not look a gaolbird1 but the escape he made for the benefit of ,express readers was his #fast4 ,bright-eyed1 smart1 active1 and a good talker1 he has traveled far and wide1 and has broken out of the prisons of many countries4 ,i have never failed1 said ,houdini1 but ,i don't say there is no cell ,i cannot break out of4 ,as to handcuffs1 the hardest job ,i ever had was with a pair made at ,krupp's4 ,it took me #dj minutes to get out of them1 but ,i did it4 ,illustration3 decorative ,illustration3 ,hou'di-ni1 #a h'd-n2 #b hu'd-n1 ,harry 7#d_/f #ahgd- 74 ,american mystericist1 wizard1 and expert in extrication and self-release4--hou'di-nize1 vt4 ,to release or extricate oneself from 7confinement1 bonds1 or the like71 as by wriggling out4 ,,from ,,funk ,,wagnall',s ,,new 7#aibj7 ,,dictionary ,houdini ,outwits ,fiji ,islander ,swimming ,champion4 ,houdini1 the man of mystery1 who is now appearing in our midst1 is certainly a peculiar species of a human being4 ,from all accounts1 the energy1 the work and feats of this man will1 sometime in the future1 be the finish of this now wonderful and famous performer4 ,the restless striving to do something better than another human being has brought him to the highest pinnacle of fame1 has earned for him princely salaries1 and when one considers the risks he has taken1 no one can begrudge him the prime minister's salary1 which he is earning4 ,to show the restless craving of this man for excelling in things where it is impossible to be of any value to him in any way or form1 an incident regarding this man is well worth relating4 ,he was returning from ,australia1 and the steamer1 after leaving ,brisbane touched ,suva1 on the ,fiji ,islands1 a place infested with the most voracious man-eating sharks1 known in the world's history4 ,it is stated that they will not touch a black man1 and perhaps1 that is why the ,fiji ,islanders stand in no fear of being devoured by sharks1 and whenever a shark enters the harbour1 it is one of the sights of the country1 same as it is in ,colombo or ,port ,said4 ,the ,natives dive for coins that the passengers throw overboard4 ,one big fellow seemed to be a most wonderful diver and would always come up with the coin in his mouth1 pretending to the average spectator that he had cought the coin in his mouth4 ,houdini1 being an observant spectator1 claimed that the man caught the coins in his hand1 that is1 picked the coin in the water with his hand and placed it in his mouth4 ,this was disputed4 ,houdini1 being offered to wager that if the man's hands were tied behind his back1 which would not impede him in making his dive1 that he could not catch the coin in his mouth1 and ,houdini agreed that he would allow himself to be handcuffed1 with his hands behind his back1 and that he would come up with the coin in his mouth4 ,an interpreter was called and the ,black agreed to undergo the test4 ,the dive was to be made off the steamer1 and the ,captain warned ,houdini that he stood in grave danger of the sharks4 ,undaunted1 ,houdini went below1 donned a bathing suit1 had a pair of regulation handcuffs locked behind his back2 the ,black had his hands tied behind him with a cord--he refused to have the handcuffs placed on him1 and he said they were too heavy--two coins were thrown overboard1 two splashes were simultaneously heard4 ,quick as a tiger's spring the ,fiji ,islander1 with his sleek1 glossy body1 hurled himself through the air and was beneath the surface of the water even while ,houdini was perched for his spring4 ,but the jumps were so quickly made1 one after the other1 that unless you saw the men as they entered the water1 you would have thought that it was one prolonged splash4 ,thirty seconds passed2 neither one of the two men appeared4 ,one minute passed1 and the black head of the ,fiji ,islander came up1 almost livid for want of air4 ,fifteen seconds passed by1 and1 feet first1 up came ,houdini4 ,the ,fiji ,islander did not have his coin1 and it seems that ,houdini had gathered both of them and had them in his mouth4 ,he was drawn up with exciting hurry1 for the fins of the sharks were seen moving about with rapidity1 and1 being hauled on deck1 ,houdini was declared to have won the wager4 ,the ,black's hands were released1 were cut apart1 the handcuffs were unlocked from ,houdini's wrists1 and instead of keeping the money1 ,houdini made it a present to the ,black4 ,in a private interview1 on being asked how he defeated the ,black1 ,houdini said with a good-natured smile1 ,you can pick up a coin in a glass tank with your hands tied behind your back1 because you can use your mouth1 teeth and tongue to manipulate the coin1 but when you are in an ocean and the coin is falling downwards it is almost next to impossible to catch a coin and bring it up in your mouth4 ,you ask me how ,i did it8 ,i will let you in the secret--,i didn't do it at all4 ,when ,i was under the water ,i released one of my hands which gave me the use of both of them2 ,i caught my coin and ,i noticed that the ,black was unable to get his coin4 ,i swam after him until he had given up trying to get it1 and we had gone down to such a distance that my ears rang1 my head was splitting1 and all ,i could see was the white shining piece of money--it was an ,english two-shilling piece4 ,eventually ,i grabbed the coin1 put it in my mouth and came up4 ,as ,i came up1 ,i happened to have my hands free and as ,i could not stop myself with the force ,i had sent myself up with my hands ,i turned around and came up feet first1 and this allowed me to put my hands behind my back and the regulation handcuff1 as you know1 being a snap lock1 ,i locked my hands together and to all intents and purposes my hands were locked during the entire feat4 ,that is why ,i gave the ,fiji ,islander the entire amount at stake4 ,was ,i afraid of the sharks8 ,yes and ,no6 ,being able to see under water1 ,i kept a sharp look-out1 and as soon as ,i would have seen anything that looked like a shark ,i would have done a record swim to the boat4 ,no1 ,i would not care to do it again2 it was not for the money1 it was simply to show that ,i was as good a swimmer as some of those ,fiji ,islanders4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,historical ,,lock ,,pickers4 ,it used to be the fashion among inventors to challenge the trade and other persons1 to pick them4 ,in some cases1 even rewards were offered to any one who could do so4 ,it is believed that ,mr4 ,joseph ,bramah was the first to do this and in #ahja1 he displayed in his shop window in ,piccadily1 ,london1 a board to which was attached a padlock1 manufactured by himself1 and which bore the following inscription3-- ,the artist who can make an instrument that will pick or open this lock shall receive #bjj guineas the moment it is produced4 ,in #ahcb1 a ,wolverhampton locksmith1 having claimed to having picked #ah ,chubb locks1 ,mr4 ,chubb challenged him to open one of his locks under certain conditions4 ,mr4 ,hart tried and failed1 giving the explanation that it was not the regular commercial ,chubb lock1 but one that had a special bridge ward4 ,mr4 ,chubb replied that ,mr4 ,hart did not pick any lock1 but made false keys by a process of cutting blanks4 ,in ,america the great lock of ,dr4 ,andrews1 in #ahda1 being heralded as an unpickable lock1 with two sets of tumblers1 was produced1 the inventor offering #ejj dollars to any one who could pick this4 ,it was picked by ,pettitt and ,hall1 of ,boston1 with what is known as the smoke process4 #ahea4 ,,hobbs ,,picks ,,bramah ,,and ,,chubb ,,lock4 ,in #ahea ,mr4 ,a4 ,c4 ,hobbs arrived from ,america1 picked a ,chubb lock before a committee1 and picked the ,bramah lock1 winning thereby the #bjj guineas that for #ej years no one was able to claim4 ,mr4 ,hobbs offered #bjj guineas to anyone who would pick his lock4 ,an engineer named ,garbutt1 known as an expert1 took up the challenge1 and failed after trying thirty days4 #ahee4--,,yale ,,picks ,,hobbs' ,,lock4 ,as an additional element to this controversy1 in #ahee1 ,linnius ,yale1 ,jr41 discovered how to pick the then celebrated ,day and ,newell ,parautoptic ,bank ,lock4 ,it was of ,american origin1 and was known in ,england as ,hobbs ,lock1 but was the invention of a ,mr4 ,pyle4 ,yale also discovered that he could pick the best ,bank ,lock--the ,double ,treasury1 which he himself had designed4 ,and eventually demonstrated that any lock having a key hole could be opened by any expert with the necessary skill and time at his disposal4 ,accordingly ,mr4 ,yale proceeded to develop the combination or ,dial ,lock4 #ahgj4--,,sargent ,,picks ,,yale ,,lock4 ,the general use of this lock led to the controversy in the ,united ,states in #ahgj2 and the ,yale lock was picked by ,james ,sargent1 of the firm of ,sargent and ,greenleaf1 a lock inventor1 a leading maker of ,bank ,locks1 and the inventor of the ,time ,lock4 #aije4--;,,houdini ,,picks ,,sargent ,,lock4 ,houdini bearded the lion in his den by escaping from a ,police ,cell in ,rochester1 ,n4 ,y41 which was securely locked with one of the ,sargent and ,greenleaf ,locks1 placing himself on record as one of the great lock pickers of the world4 ,of the thousands of locks he has picked all over the world1 the following police certificates places him among the historical lock pickers1 in fact1 second to none4 ,,police ,,headquarters1 ,,rochester1 ,n4 ,y4 ,u4 ,s4 ,,of ,,america4 ,we1 the undersigned1 certify that we saw ,harry ,houdini1 the bearer of this note1 stripped naked1 searched1 locked in one of the cells at ,police ,headquarters1 and handcuffed with three pairs of cuffs1 also strapped with a strap extending from pair of cuffs and buckled at the back4 ,he removed the cuffs1 unlocked the cell1 got into an adjoining cell and returned with his clothes on4 ,after unlocking the cell in which he was first placed1 he had to unlock the cell in which his clothing was left4 ,this was witnessed by the following persons1 at ,police ,headquarters1 this city1 ,december #dth1 #aije4 ,j4 ,c4 ,,hayden1 ,chief of ,police4 ,mr4 ,james ,sargent personally complimented ,houdini on his rare skill4 ,they became friends and spent hours together exchanging lock opening secrets4 ,,note4--,we beg to acknowledge our indebtedness to the following publications for data used in this article--,price's ,book on ,locks and ,keys #ahef2 ,new ,international ,encycleopedia #bnd ,edition2 7,dodd ,mead and ,co41 ,new ,york72 and ,encycleopedia ,americana1 ,j4 ,m4 ,stoddart1 #ahhf4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,police ,,headquarters1 ,,chicago1 ,,ill41 ,u4 ,s4 ,,of ,,america4 ,this is to certify that the undersigned saw ,harry ,houdini stripped stark naked1 searched from head to foot1 and shackled with handcuffs around the wrists and leg irons around his ankles4 ,he was then placed in a cell which required ,,two ,,large keys of different makes and patterns to open the lock4 ,the keys are of such a nature that it would have been positively impossible for him to have concealed them on his body4 ,we searched the cell and thoroughly searched ,houdini from head to foot1 also between his toes and the soles of his feet4 ,nevertheless in fifteen minutes he managed to release himself from the manacles and make his escape from the cell4 ,there was positively no chance for outside assistance4 7,signed71 ,,andrew ,,rohan1 ,chief of ,detectives4 ,nov4 #bd1 #aijf4 ,the ,only ,paper in the ,city that ,dares ,print the ,news ,los ,angeles ,record #bast ,year4 ,,wed4 ,,dec4 #a1 #aiae4 ,no4 #fdhe #b1jjj ,,hiss ,j4 ,,willard4 ,,champion ,,driven ,,from ,,theater ,,by ,,hoots ,,and ,,calls ,boxing has been given its worst black eye here to-day by none other than ,jess ,willard1 heavy-weight champion who was so badly worsted to a wordy clash with ,harry ,houdini1 a performer at the ,orpheum ,theater1 last night1 that the audience hissed him from the house4 ,nearly #b1jjj persons were present at the dramatic scene and seemed unanimous in groaning1 hooting and booing ,willard4 ,the trouble was precipitated by ,willard's gruff refusal to comply with a friendly request made by ,houdini that he act on a committee to watch the performer's act from the stage4 ,it was not known that ,willard was present until ,houdini came before the footlights and requested any gentleman in the audience to step on the stage and guard those present from any possible deception4 ,after about #aj men had stepped on the platform1 ,houdini stepped forward and said1 smiling3 ,now ,i need three more gentlemen on this stage and there is a man here to-night who doesn't know ,i am aware of his presence4 ,he will be enough for three ordinary gentlemen if he will serve on this committee4 ,he is ,jess ,willard1 our champion4 ,taken by surprise1 the audience was silent for a moment and then broke into tumultous hand-clapping4 ,cheers and shrieks resounding throughout the house4 ,houdini looked up on the balcony1 where ,willard was seated1 and said3 ,i will leave it to the audience1 ,mr4 ,willard4 ,you see they want to see you4 ,a fresh outburst occurred1 even more violent than before4 ,aw1 g'wan with your act1 came ,willard's rough reply as the audience stilled itself4 ,i paid for my seat here4 ,but1 ,mr4 ,willard1 expostulated ,houdini1 ,i-- ,give me the same wages you pay those other fellows and ,i'll come down1 rumbled ,willard's deep voice4 ,the audience1 scenting something unusual1 was very quiet4 ,sir1 ,i will gladly do so1 returned ,houdini1 heatedly4 ,come on down--,i pay these men nothing4 ,aw' g'wan with the show1 roared ,willard1 growling something that sounded like four-flusher and faker4 ,willard's boorish replies evidently displeased those present1 for a few scattering hisses came about this time4 ,houdini stepped to the footlights and held up his hand for silence4 ,it was readily granted4 ,jess ,willard1 ,i have just paid you a compliment1 said ,houdini dramatically4 ,now ,i want to tell you something else4 ,i will be ,harry ,houdini1 ,jess ,willard1 when you are ,,not the heavyweight champion of the world4 ,a roar of applause shook the house4 ,men and women alike joined in the clapping and cheering4 ,a deep rumble from the balcony indicated that ,willard was trying to make some retort1 and the cheers veered suddenly to hoots and groans4 ,i made a mistake1 said ,houdini1 addressing the audience4 ,i asked ,,gentlemen to step on this stage and ,,gentlemen only4 ,a renewed outburst occurred1 during which ,willard evidently left the theater4 ,he was not to be found after the next act had started4 ,,the ,,picture ,,show4 ,mar4 #bjth1 #aibj ,half-an-hour with ,houdini1 ,,the ,,expert ,,of ,,extrication ,danger does not mean anything to me2 ,i was just born without the ingredient of fear4 ,apart from the many risks ,i have taken in the course of my professional career1 ,i have saved lives any number of times1 and ,i have simply taken it all as a matter of course4 ,people talk of being afraid to die2 on the contrary1 ,i am so well prepared for such an emergency that not only is my will drawn up1 but ,i have a bronze memorial bust all ready1 because ,i thought it better to have one that was really like me6 ,,the ,,handcuff ,,king ,thus spoke ,houdini1 the handcuff king1 the great magician and genius of escape1 on a certain sunny morning a few weeks ago4 ,he sat with his back to the light1 but though his face was in shadow the compelling blue grey eyes1 and strong1 bronzed features glowed with an intensity and vitality such as one rarely meets4 ,tell me1 ,i begged1 are the feats you do on the screen different to those you do enact before the footlights8 ,entirely different1 was the reply4 ,in fact1 some of the biggest critics have said that ,i am more wonderful on the screen than on the stage4 ,that1 ,i consider1 is one of the greatest compliments ever paid me4 ,but it has taken years of training to produce the tricks1 or problems1 ,i do in my films4 ,houdini has made1 to date1 three pictures4 ,the first of these1 ,the ,master ,mystery1 a serial1 is now enjoying enormous popularity all over the country4 ,the remaining two1 ,the ,grim ,game1 and ,terror ,island1 are feature pictures1 and are still unreleased by ,paramount ,artcraft though this year will see the first-named on our screens4 ,in the making of ,the ,master ,mystery1 ,houdini sustained seven black eyes and a broken wrist4 ,he also broke his wrist whilst making ,the ,grim ,game4 ,a ,,tense ,,moment ,during the screening of this picture ,i thought at one time in the course of the action1 that my end had come1 he told me4 ,i was #c1jjj feet up in an aeroplane1 circling over another machine4 ,the plan was for me to drop from my 'plane into the cockpit of the other by means of a rope4 ,i was dangling from the rope-end ready for the leap4 ,suddenly a strong wind turned the lower plane upwards1 the two machines crashed together--nearly amputating my limbs--the propellers locked in a deadly embrace1 and we were spun round and round and round4 ,houdini pronounced the latter words with a peculiarly apt whirring intonation1 graphically illustrating them by the circular action of the arms4 ,but1 he continued1 by a miracle1 the 'planes were righted into a half-glide1 and1 though they were smashed into splinters by their terrific impact1 ,i managed to escape unhurt4 ,as usual1 ,houdini became undone6 concluded the narrator with a laugh4 ,,his ,,greatest ,,stunt ,what do you consider the greatest stunt you have done for the screen8 ,i asked1 when ,i had recovered my breath4 ,another incident in the same picture1 answered ,houdini4 ,i stood in the archway of a prison1 thus---- ,here he took up a crouching position in the corner of the room1 and enacted the whole thing for my benefit4 ,a heavily loaded lorry1 going at twenty-two or four miles an hour rolled by me4 ,i threw myself on the ground1 completely rolling over between the fast revolving fore and hind wheels1 over and over1 till ,i caught the transmission bar1 and hung there for very dear life6 ,thus was ,i carried to the aid of the heroine4 ,though my words may not convey very much1 this was my greatest stunt4 ,it allowed for no rehearsals--,i said to the camera-man1 ',get this now or never6' ,and had ,i made the slightest false move ,i should have been crippled for life1 if not killed4 ,in spite of the risks he has taken before the camera1 ,houdini has a profound love and admiration for the movies4 ,i think the film profession is the greatest1 he told me and that the moving picture is the most wonderful thing in the world4 ,one reason why ,i love the screen is because it has use for the derelicts of life1 and gives employment to the old as well as the young4 ,i entered the profession myself because ,i knew ,i should eventually be losing my strength1 and before that happened ,i wanted to perpetuate my feats1 and by so doing everyone1 in all parts of the world1 can see them4 ,pictures have increased my drawing power two-hundredfold4 ,houdini1 as related at the commencement of this chat1 had one of his greatest compliments paid him by critics of his film work1 but before ,i left him he confessed that what he considers the very greatest tribute ever made to his unique achievements is recorded in a dictionary6 ,turn to ,funk and ,wagnall's ,standard ,dictionary1 and there you will find it3 ,,hou',,di-,,ni4 #a1 hu'di-ni2 #b1 hu'di-ni1 ,,harry 7#d-f1 #ahgd74 ,american mystericist1 wizard1 and expert in extrication and self-release ,,hou',,di-,,nize vt4 ,to release or extricate oneself from 7confinement1 bonds1 or the like71 as by wriggling out4 ,so1 taking ,houdini all in all1 ,i may consider the fact that this wonder-man1 this expert in extrication1 made no effort to escape from at least one thing this interview6 ,,may ,,herschel ,,clarke4 ,illustration3 decorative ,sat4 ,,rochester ,,evening ,,times ,nov4 #d #aiaf ,minister uses ,houdini's name for ,sermon ,his ,art of ,getting ,out of ,things as ,topic of ,sermon ,the name of ,houdini1 who has been a headliner at a local theater this week will figure in the sermon at the ,genesee ,street ,baptist ,church1 to-morrow morning1 where the pastor1 ,rev4 ,clark1 will talk on ,houdini and the ,art of ,getting ,out of ,things4 ,the pastor1 however1 insures that he will reveal none of the vital points of the art1 but declares that the sermon will be entirely spiritual4 ,,the ,,sun ,pittsburg ,monday1 ,nov4 #fth1 #aiaf #bj1jjj ,people see ,houdini ,thrilling ,air ,struggle4 ,illustration3 ,houdini hanging upside down from building ,,wizard ,,tied ,,in ,,jacket ,,is ,,free ,,in #c ,,minutes4 ,,strapped ,,tightly ,,by ,,guards ,,from ,,mayview ,,he ,,hangs ,,head ,,down ,,ward4 ,,sun ,,building ,,is ,,scene4 ,,while ,,spinning ,,dizzily ,,fifty ,,feet ,,above ,,pavement ,,he ,,escapes ,,from ,,bonds4 ,swaying1 head downwards1 like a grotesque human pendulum1 #ej feet above the pavement in front of ,the ,sun ,building1 ,harry ,houdini1 handcuff king1 defier of locks1 bars and bonds1 freed himself from the grip of a canvas1 leather-reinforced straight-jacket1 in a fraction more than three minutes1 shortly after #ab4dj o'clock this afternoon4 ,the waving of his free hands and arms1 that a crowd estimated at #bj1jjj has seen bound by two attendants from the ,mayview 7old ,marshalsea7 ,hospital for the ,insane1 told the watchers that ,houdini had achieved one of the most unique feats in his strange career4 ,as he was lowered swiftly to the ground1 a great cheer arose1 followed by another and another as he stood upright and bowed to the throng which not only packed the streets but filled every window and roof top within view of the scene4 ,,wizard ,,is ,,on ,,time ,urbane1 smiling1 the elusive ,houdini appeared in the office of ,the ,sun at #ab o'clock4 ,r4 ,d4 ,polling and ,h4 ,guthrie1 the two attendants from ,mayview detailed to truss him up1 awaited him1 and with them the straight-jacket1 in a satchel4 ,houdini shook hands with both men1 speaking humorously of his position as substitute for the deranged persons the two ,attendants ordinarily handle4 ,the two men1 clad in the white uniforms used by them when on duty1 surveyed their voluntary victim noted his short1 stocky form1 his powerful arms and shoulders1 his steady1 bright eyes4 ,both have had long experience in binding frenzied men4 ,both were determined1 they told ,houdini1 to use the full resource of that experience in binding him4 ,they knew the prowess of the man they had to deal with4 ,they did not comment upon the outcome of the test4 ,they were there1 they said1 to do their work as best they knew how4 ,houdini urged speed of action1 and absolute surety in fastening the innumerable straps of the straight-jacket4 ,treat me1 he advised1 smiling1 as you would the most dangerous of the criminal insane4 ,,every ,,move ,,is ,,watched ,the strait-jacket was taken out of the satchel4 ,the handcuff king examined it carefully1 while a group of persons looked on4 ,not a move he made was lost4 ,he dropped the piece of canvas and leather carelessly1 smiled again1 and said3 ,very good4 ,are we ready8 ,it was almost #ab4cj o'clock4 ,houdini glanced out the window1 and again his characteristic1 quiet smile came to his face as he saw ,wood street and ,liberty avenue congested from wall to wall with closely packed1 restless humanity4 ,then a white-clad attendant on each side1 he went downstairs to the street to be bound4 ,a suppressed shout came from the crowd as he appeared in the doorway of ,the ,sun building4 ,it increased in volume as with the attendants and two members of ,the ,sun at #ab o'clock4 ,r4 ,d4 ,polling wagon that had been pulled up on the pavement1 and that was serving as a stage4 ,above him1 like a gallows1 a single beam projected from a window at the top story of the building1 and a rope swung clear1 coiling in sinister fashion at his feet4 ,houdini had removed the outer clothing from the upper part of his body4 ,ready1 he said4 ,,straps ,,are ,,fastened ,the two attendants pressed close4 ,his arms were inserted in the long1 closed sleeves of the straitjacket4 ,one of the attendants clasped him about the body1 as if fearing he would make some mad effort to escape4 ,the other standing behind him1 fastened strap after strap1 with a steady deftness that made both for security and speed1 and revealed long practice4 ,make it tight1 came the quiet word from the prisoner4 ,the man's knees went up for purchase in the small of ,houdini's back4 ,using apparently every ounce of strength in his broad-shouldered six-foot body1 the attendant drew the big strap through the buckle until it would not yield even a sixteenth of an inch more4 ,he caught it there and made it fast4 ,then the arms of the prisoner were crossed over his body1 and the ends of those closed sleeves were brought around in back4 ,again the knee was brought into use4 ,again the strap was pulled to its highest tension4 ,the crowd watched1 stirred with a constant murmur and movement4 ,then ,houdini's ankles were fastened to the rope1 by a special appliance that prevented injury1 but insured safety4 ,a word was spoken4 ,the two attendants seized the bound man's body4 ,workmen drew the rope steadily through the pulleys4 ,houdini's feet went up1 and as his body cleared the platform1 it was released4 ,,hangs ,,in ,,mid-,,air ,the handcuff king dangled head downward4 ,each moment he was drawn higher1 swaying slightly1 spinning dizzily4 ,up-up1 past the windows in the fifth story of the ,sun building4 ,houdini was drawn4 ,then he hung still4 ,only for a second4 ,while watchers gleamed in the crowd below1 the handcuff king was seen to struggle1 not frantically1 but with a steady1 systematic swelling and contracting of muscles1 and almost imperceptible lithe1 wrigglings of the torso4 ,the struggle went on4 ,one minute--two--then three---- ,would he do it8 ,hundreds in the crowd undoubtedly were asking that question4 ,from above came an inarticulate shout4 ,the muffled arms writhed one after another over ,houdini's head4 ,his hand1 still encased in the sleeves of the strait-jacket1 fumbled quickly and effectively with the buckles at his back4 ,another contortion and the strait-jacket slipped down over his chest1 over his head1 and was flung from his arms to the street1 in a crumpled heap4 ,houdini was free4 ,the arms waved4 ,houdini had triumphed--as he always triumphs4 ,less than a minute later1 while the crowd's cheers still rang against the grey walls of surrounding buildings1 he slipped down the face of the building to the platform4 ,the attendants received him in a twinkling1 and he stood erect1 unconsciously throwing back his broad shoulders4 ,the little man with the touch of grey at his temples bowed quietly1 still with that imperturbable smile4 ,and the crowd cheered him again1 before it began slowly to dissolve4 ,houdini duplicated this feat at the ,boston ,post1 ,boston1 ,mass41 ,december #bb1 #aiba1 drawing the biggest crowd that ever crushed into ,tremont ,street4 ,illustration3 decorative ,illustration3 ,trophy won by ,houdini4 ,the accompanying illustration is the prize offered by the ,australian ,aerial ,league for the first successful flight on a heavier than air machine4 ,won by ,houdini ,march #af1 #aiaj1 ,digger's ,rest1 near ,melbourne ,australia4 ,houdini piloted his own machine--a ,voision ,biplane equipped with a ,e4,n4,v4 #fj4hj ,h4,p4 ,motor4 ,during his ,australian ,tour ,houdini made #ah successful flights4 ,,london1 ,,england ,,holborn ,,empire ,,besieged ,,by ,,crowd ,,inside ,,and ,,outside--,,unparalleled ,,scenes ,,witnessed ,,in ,,high ,,holborn--,,police ,,reserves ,,called ,,out ,a packed house1 to show its disapproval of the management's action1 remains at the ,holborn ,empire1 from #b3jj to #i3jj ,p4 ,m41 waiting for ,houdini's appearance as advertised4 ,police forces were called out as the matinee crowd1 refusing to leave the theatre1 the evening crowd blockaded traffic1 being unable to gain admittance4 ,unparalleled scenes witnessed in ,high ,holborn4 ,,the ,,performer ,,london ,,england1 ,,december #ae1 #aiaj4 ,a ,,stand ,,for ,,justice ,houdini's ,protest ,for some mysterious reason1 surprisingly little attention has been given in the daily papers to a remarkable 'scene' at the ,holborn ,empire last ,thursday1 when ,houdini made a plucky and public-spirited protest against prevailing matinee methods4 ,we must1 we suppose1 attribute to the present obsession of politics the scant attention given to a very unusual incident1 of interest alike to the public and the profession4 ,having received an intimation from the management that1 although he was topping the week's bill1 his services would not be required at the ,thursday matinee1 'owing to the length of the programme1' ,houdini expressed himself perfectly agreeable to this arrangement1 subject to the condition that due intimation should be given to the public that he would not be appearing4 ,this condition not being complied with1 he took an opportunity of going on to the stage at the conclusion of one of the matinee turns in order to quietly explain the reason for his non-appearance and to show that it was not his fault that he was breaking faith with the public4 ,he did not urge the audience1 as was stated in some reports1 to stay until he appeared1 but said that he assumed some at least had come to see him perform and that it seemed to him such were certainly to have their money back if they did not see him4 ,the performance went on quietly until ',god ,save the ,king1' when the audience took the matter into its own hands and refused to disperse1 calling for ,houdini to appear4 ,after a scene of considerable excitement1 #aej persons ultimately accepted the management's offer of vouchers for another performance and left the building1 but the great bulk of the audience remained until after the conclusion of ,houdini's performance at the first evening house1 when they trooped out1 leaving the place only a quarter full4 ,the queues which formed up for the first house had in the main to be accommodated at the second house1 and great difficulty was experienced in controlling the further arrivals for the second performance4 ,the audience's just appreciation of ,houdini's protest was voiced in the remarks of a ,labor leader who helped to beguile the interval between the afternoon and evening houses by making a speech4 ,he said that he had frequently attended such matinees1 and had always attributed the frequent failure of some one or more well-known artists to appear to his 7or her7 personal indifference or indolence1 but that now they knew the real reason why the public were disappointed4 ,in view of a managerial allegation to the afternoon audience that ,houdini was not allowed to appear because he had broken his contract1 we quote from a further considered protest with which ,houdini prefaced his performance at the first house in the evening4 ,he said3 ',before proceeding with my performance this evening1 ,i believe that there is an explanation due to a great many who are assembled here as to the cause of my non-appearance here this afternoon1 and if it would interest you to hear1 ,i will explain4 ,i wish to inform you that it is positively no fault of mine1 because ,i was here in the building1 ready to work1 but the management refused to allow me to go on4 ,i will read a number of letters that ,i have here1 which thoroughly explain the case1 and ,i wish to inform you that ,i have played a good many weeks on this tour1 and never knew exactly where ,i was going until a few days ahead4 ,i was billed to appear at the ,holborn a short time ago1 and1 without any notification whatever1 ,i was sent to ,woolwich1 and the public received no explanation why ,i did not appear here4 ',very likely a great many thought that ,i had broken faith with the public1 and last night ,i received a letter--dated the #fth--after the second performance 7about #aa o'clock7 which was #cc hours later than dated1 notifying me that my services were not required for the matinee performance4' ,having quoted this letter and his reply stating the condition on which he was agreeable to the arrangement1 ,houdini continued3 ',now1 ladies and gentlemen1 ,i wanted to keep faith with the public1 and informed the management that ,i would give the salary that ,i was earning at the matinee to the ,v4 ,a4 ,b4 ,f4 if they would only allow me to appear1 as ,i knew my reputation was at stake4 ,being billed1 and not appearing1 what would the public think8 ,despite this1 ,i was not allowed to appear1 and ,i trust that those who are assembled here this evening will see my motive in allowing the public to know the real cause of my non-appearance1 and that it was positively not my fault4' ,the first result of this dignified protest was that ,houdini's services were1 notwithstanding notice to the contrary1 requisitioned for the ,saturday matinee4 99 99 99 99 99 ,houdini1 in his speech to the audience that evening1 was forcible and to the point1 informing them that it was the greatest compliment that had ever been paid him--an audience waiting seven hours in a theatre for him--and that he would never forget it--and he never will4 ,boston ,daily ,globe1 ,march #ai1 #aijf4 ,,houdini ,,escapes ,,from ,,city ,,prison ,handcuffed1 ,ironed1 and ,locked in ,cell1 ,he takes only #af ,minutes to ,get ,out and over the ,wall ,harry ,houdini1 the young man who1 apparently1 cannot be held in restraint by steel bars1 handcuffs1 prison locks1 or other restraining measures1 gave the ,boston ,police ,department a terrific jolt this forenoon when he escaped from double confinement in the city prison1 commonly known as the ,tombs1 a prison which the heads of the police department had confidently believed to be escape proof4 ,illustration3 ,,supt4 ,,william ,h4 ,,pierce1 ,,who ,,locked ,,cell ,,doors ,superintendent of ,police ,william ,h4 ,pierce personally superintended the confinement of ,houdini1 himself locked the wizard into a cell on the second tier of the prison1 after he had clamped handcuffs on his wrists and leg irons about his ankles1 and the superintendent's face wore a smile of confidence and assurance after he had locked the cell doors and went down into the office of the prison to await results4 ,the superintendent's smile didn't wholly come off when1 a few minutes later1 he learned that ,houdini not only had escaped from his cell1 but that he had escaped from the prison1 and was nearly a half-mile away2 but the smile was faded and frayed at the edges1 and no questioning could get the superintendent to say what he thought of the wonderful performance4 ,all that could be gotten out of him was1 ,i have nothing to say4 ,heretofore the police have believed that no one locked in a cell at the ,tombs could possibly get out2 but ,houdini not only got out1 but he opened door after door after he had removed the handcuffs and leg irons1 and walked from one part of the prison to another with apparently as much freedom as though he wasn't met every few feet with a lock that had been considered impregnable4 ,,closely ,,searched ,,for ,,keys4 ,briefly1 here is just what happened3 ,houdini had secured permission from ,superintendent ,pierce to make an effort to escape from the city prison1 and this forenoon1 in the presence of about #cj men1 the superintendent let ,houdini into cell ,no4 #gg on the ground floor of the ,tombs1 where ,houdini1 in the presence of the witnesses of the test1 removed every stitch of his clothing1 which he left lying on the bunk in the cell4 ,when he came out1 ,capt4 ,clarence ,a4 ,swan1 the keeper of the prison1 locked the cell door upon ,houdini's clothing1 and then the young man was taken to the second floor of the block of cells1 where ,superintendent ,pierce and a number of the men witnessing the test searched his hair for possible concealed keys or other instruments4 ,not a thing was found1 and ,houdini even asked to have his feet examined so there would be no question of his having a key concealed between his toes1 and this was done4 ,illustration3 ,boston ,journal1 ,tuesday1 ,march #bj1 #aijf4 ,,shackled ,,and ,,locked ,,in1 ,,houdini ,,breaks ,,jail4 ,,central ,,figures ,,in ,,wizard ,,houdini',s ,,mystifying ,,jail ,,escape ,,and ,,diagram ,,of ,,his ,,movements4 ,cut by permission of ,the ,boston ,journal4 ,illustration3 ,inside the ,cell at the ,city ,tombs1 ,boston1 ,mass4 ,illustration3 ,,sup',t4 ,,pierce ,,left ,,him ,,shackled ,,and ,,handcuffed ,,in ,,cell ,no4 #fj ,illustration3 ,,sup',t4 ,,pierce ,,sat ,,chuckling ,,in ,,the ,,captain',s ,,office ,,waiting ,,for ,,houdini ,,to ,,whistle ,,for ,,him4 ,illustration3 ,,in ,,sixteen ,,minutes ,,after ,,being ,,locked ,,up ,,he ,,escaped ,,over ,,the ,,wall4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,sup',t4 ,,found ,,the ,,shackles ,,and ,,handcuffs--,,but ,,no ,,houdini4 ,caricatures by permission of ,boston ,post4 ,then ,superintendent ,pierce took a pair of the most approved handcuffs used in the police department and fastened them securely about ,houdini's wrists1 and on his bare ankles he clamped a pair of tested steel leg irons so tightly that the iron sank into the flesh4 ,after that ,houdini was locked in cell ,no4 #fj1 and ,superintendent ,pierce and the witnesses went downstairs and out into the office1 expecting ,houdini would go there1 providing he got out of his cell1 and the police officials who were present seemed to feel pretty confident that he couldn't do that4 ,this feeling was shared by some of the outsiders present1 who could not bring themselves to believe that it could be done4 ,illustration3 ,over the ,wall at the ,city ,tombs1 ,boston1 ,mass4 ,photo with permission of the ,boston ,globe4 ,the only condition ,houdini attached to his performance was that no one should be allowed to go into the part of the prison where he was confined to watch him escape1 and the superintendent and the witnesses respected that condition1 and most of them stayed in the captain's office4 ,a few of the witnesses1 however1 went out into ,somerset ,street to wait and watch2 for1 knowing ,houdini1 they were prepared to see him come out anywhere4 ,these confident ones were rewarded for their trust1 for #af minutes after ,houdini had been locked1 naked1 handcuffed1 and ironed by the legs1 into cell #fj1 he was seen running1 fully dressed1 except that he had not put on his collar and tie1 across the prison yard1 to climb up the wall leading into ,somerset ,street1 to vault the iron railing at the top1 and then to leg it like a scared rabbit over the hill in the direction of ,keith's ,theatre4 ,,the ,,literary ,,houdini ,as is the case with many great men1 the gift of being able to do many things1 and to do each thing well1 is ,houdini's1 who besides his achievements as a mystifier has also won wide recognition as an author4 ,that he has found time to write a great deal is attested by his list of books1 namely3 ,miracle ,mongers and ,their ,methods1 ,the ,unmasking of ,robert ,houdin1 ,the ,sane ,side of ,spiritualism1 ,the ,right ,way to do ,wrong1 ,magic ,made ,easy1 ,my ,training and my ,tricks1 ,paper ,prestidigitation1 ,handcuff ,secrets1 ,magical ,rope ,ties and ,escapes1 ,good ,night ,stories for ,children1 ,dan ,cupid the ,magician 7a series7 and ,magicians' ,romances4 ,numerous magazine articles and stories swell his literary output to greater proportions4 ,editor for two years on standard work of magic1 ,the ,conjurors ,magazine4 ,in addition he has also written the stories for the feature films in which he was starred1 namely1 ,the ,man ,from ,beyond and ,haldane of the ,secret ,service1 which were picturized by his own producing organization1 ,houdini ,picture ,corporation2 ,the ,grim ,game and ,terror ,island1 written in collaboration with ,arthur ,b4 ,reeve and ,john ,w4 ,grey1 produced by ,famous ,players-,lasky ,corporation4 ,,houdini ,,picture ,,corporation ,in #aiba1 upon returning from his triumphant tour of ,great ,britain1 ,houdini organized his own film producing company for the purpose of making special feature pictures4 ,the company1 incorporated as ,houdini ,picture ,corporation1 capitalized at #ejj1jjj1 began operations in the spring4 ,at the time of this writing two features have been completed--,the ,man from ,beyond and ,haldane of the ,secret ,service4 ,the first is characterized by those who have seen it at private pre-release showings as the most unusual picture ever screened1 containing1 as it does1 originality of thought1 novelty of treatment1 and a thrilling finish that encompasses any thrilling situation yet produced for motion pictures4 ,the second picture1 with interlocking scenes taken abroad1 tells a mystery story and likewise demonstrates the ingenuity and resourcefulness of ,houdini as producer1 author and star4 ,both pictures will soon be released to the public4 ,scenes from ,photoplays ,,jesse ,l4 ,,lasky ,presents ,,houdini ,,in ,the ,grim ,game ,a ,paramount-,artcraft ,picture ,this picture contains the only airplane collision in the clouds ever photographed4 #a1jjj reward to anyone proving the collision in the clouds is not genuine4 ,illustration3 ,houdini on wing of plane ,illustration3 ,houdini in hat ,illustration3 ,planes colliding in air ,starring ,houdini ,,jesse ,l4 ,,lasky ,presents ,,houdini ,,in ,,terror ,,island ,a ,paramount-,artcraft ,picture ,the most amazing under water scenes ever enacted were recorded by the camera for ,terror ,island4 ,illustration3 ,houdini in trap ,illustration3 ,houdini fighting ,illustration3 ,houdini hanging upside down with spears pointing at him ,scenes from ,photoplays ,,houdini ,,picture ,,corp4 ,presents ,,houdini in ,the ,man ,from ,beyond ,shortly to be ,released ,illustration3 ,houdini hanging on rock in surging water ,illustration3 ,staircase with water flowing down ,illustration3 ,houdini hanging over cliff ,starring ,houdini ,,houdini ,,picture ,,corp4 ,presents ,,houdini in ,haldane of the ,secret ,service ,an ,international ,mystery ,drama shortly to be released4 ,illustration3 ,houdini talking to man in busy street scene ,illustration3 ,sitting at a table ,illustration3 ,crowd watching ,houdini ,picture ,plays1 ,confessions ,album4 ,no4 #ad4--,,mr4 ,,harry ,,houdini #a4 ,what is your favorite theater8 ,all the world is a theater to me4 #b4 ,which is your favorite hobby8 ,browsing in old bookstalls1 seeking old dramatic items for my library4 #c4 ,which is your favorite pastime8 ,out door athletics and long distance swims4 #d4 ,which is your favorite song8 ,auld ,lang ,syne4 #e4 ,which is your favorite sweetmeat8 ,candied fruits4 ,illustration3 ,mrs4 ,,harry ,,houdini #f4 ,what is your idea of comfort8 ,seated in a large arm chair in library and hearing ,mrs4 ,houdini call up3 ,young man your lunch is ready4 #g4 ,which is your unlucky day8 ,haven't any2 an unfortunate incident at any time simply builds a foundation for something better4 #h4 ,what is your favorite motto8 ,and this1 too--shall pass away4 #i4 ,when have you felt at your worst8 ,once when sailing round the world1 at a longitude of #hj1 we had two ,tuesdays in one week and no ,wednesday1 which meant losing a ,christmas1 and ,i was seasick at the time4 ,it will be an awful thing to eclipse my painful anguish4 #aj4 ,what is your pet aversion8 ,the bald-headed man who says3 ,ah1 ,i remember you when ,i was a boy4 ,illustration3 ,,my ,,mother #aa4 ,what is your greatest ambition8 ,to live a life and die being worthy of the mother who bore me4 #ab4 ,what is your favorite holiday resort8 ,hollywood1 ,california4 #ac4 ,who is your favorite author8 ,my dad4 #ad4 ,what is your idea of misery8 ,arriving in a town at midnight on a drizzly wet1 foggy night1 and finding all the hotels full up4 ,illustration3 ,snap shot photograph of packing case containing six hundred pounds of iron weights and ,houdini1 as it was dropped into ,new ,york ,bay4 ,houdini escaped from the box at the bottom of the bay in two minutes and fifty-five seconds4 ,illustration3 ,,dr4 ,,williams ,,engineering ,,the ,,thread ,,the ,,needles ,,trick ,,houdini ,,about ,,to ,,disappear ,,well1 ,,goodbye ,the ,national ,casket ,company challenged ,houdini to escape from one of their heavy hickory coffins after they had fastened the cover down with six inch screws4 ,houdini accepted the test1 which took place before members of the ,boston ,athletic ,association1 ,boston1 ,mass4 ,he escaped1 the coffin was intact1 showing no means of egress4 ,illustration3 ,,mr4 ,,phil ,,sears ,,mr4 ,,cotton ,,interested ,,spectators ,,in ,,the ,,front ,,row4 ,a ,,little ,,more ,,air ,,for ,,mr4 ,,houdini ,,the ,,haggard ,,houdini ,,reappears ,,hope ,i ,,get ,,out ,,of ,,mine ,,as ,,quickly ,illustration3 ,letter from ,warden of ,u4 ,s4 ,jail in ,d4 ,c4 ,how does he do it8 ,,james ,h4 ,,harris1 ,,warden1 ,w4 ,,grayson ,,urner1 ,,deputy ,,warden1 ,united ,states ,jail1 ,washington1 ,d4,c41 ,january #fth1 #aijf ,this is to certify that ,mr4 ,harry ,houdini1 at the ,united ,states ,jail today1 was stripped stark naked1 thoroughly searched1 and locked up in cell ,no4 #b of the ,south ,wing1--the cell in which ,charles ,j4 ,guiteau1 the assassinator of ,president ,garfield1 was confined during his incarceration1 from the date of his commitment1 ,july #bnd1 #ahha1 until the day on which he was executed1 ,june #cjth1 #ahhb4 ,mr4 ,houdini1 in about two minutes1 managed to escape from that cell1 and then broke into the cell in which his clothing was locked up4 ,he then proceeded to release from their cells all the prisoners on the ground floor4 ,there was positively no chance for any confederacy or collusion4 ,mr4 ,houdini accomplished all of the above-mentioned facts1 in addition to putting on all his clothing1 in twenty-one minutes4 ,j4 ,h4 ,harris ,warden ,united ,states ,jail1 ,d4 ,c4 ,,audubon ,,printers ,,mitchel ,,square ,,new ,,york 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's ,notes ,minor punctuation typos have been silently corrected4 ,some descriptive captions were added by transcriber to ,illustrations in text version and are placed in the public domain4 ,page #b3 teems should probably be teem4 7,orig3 ,his press clipping books teems with stories7 ,page #b3 that should probably be than4 7,orig3 reader's attention more closely that if he were absorbing7 ,page #b3 ad infitum4 should probably be ad infinitum4 7,orig3 ,and so1 ad infitum47 ,page #h3 ,retained ,schutzmann as a variation of ,schutzman4 7,orig3 ,the chief one was ,schutzmann ,werner ,graff17 ,page #ad3 ,changed ,hollard to ,holland4 7,orig3 ,amsterdam1 ,hague2 ,dordrecht1 ,hollard27 ,page #cg3 ,in the dictionary1 the umlauts in ,hou'di-ni1 #a h'd-n2 represent macrons in the text version4 ,in #b hu'd-n1 they are umlauts4 ,page #ch3 cought might be a typo for caught4 7,orig3 he had cought the coin in his mouth47 ,page #dj3 ,changed a to as4 7,orig3 and a soon as ,i would have seen anything7 ,page #dc3 tumultous might be a typo for tumultuous4 7,orig3 broke into tumultous hand-clapping47 ,page #dc3 ,changed show1 roarded ,willard1 to show1 roared ,willard1 ,page #dg3 ,added missing of between straps and the4 7,orig3 in fastening the innumerable straps the straight-jacket47 ,page #dg3 ,changed smilling to smiling4 7,orig3 ,treat me1 he advised1 smilling7 ,page #di3 ,changed arrangemnt to arrangement4 7,orig3 perfectly agreeable to this arrangemnt7 ,page #eg3 ,changed orgnized to organized4 7,orig3 ,houdini orgnized his own film producing company7