HOW HE WORKED

Evening Star, Issue 20958, 24 November 1931, Page 9

HOW HE WORKED

HOUDINI’S MYSTERIES The tricks employed by Houdini in making his famous spectacular escape trom handcuffs, bank safes, iron boilers, and scaled paper bags aro divulged by Mr J. C. Canned, vice-president of the Club, in his book, ‘The Secrets ofTloudnn. His method, according to Mr Cannoll. was whenever possible to secure possession of the safe or other stronghold from which ho was later to oscapc—tho, intricate machinery could then bo considerably simplified without rousing suspicion (says the ‘Daily Mail ’). ... On one occasion, as he shook bands wilb tho umpire who had volunteered to come ■on to tho stage, the umpire slipped into Houdini’s hand a key which enabled him to unlock the safe from inside. A concealed safety razor blade enabled him to slit the top of a scaled paper bag in which ho was imprisoned, draw himsell out, and remove all traces of his exit by making a new Hap by a simple gumming and folding process. _ As in most of Ins tricks, a screen hid him from his audience. Ho practised much the same method in escaping from sacks in which ho had been sown up. He cut tho threads, sewed up the sack again, and appeared smiling from behind his screen. It occurred to nobody to mark the threads. It is interesting to learn that at a function attended by other magicians Houdini was completely baffled by a lock on a cellar door, although he had picked hundreds of the same sort in his time. Great natural resource, ingenuity, a quick-working brain, and showmanship are shown to have formed the basis of Houdini’s success, Ono of his most spectacular feats was liis escape from a packing case under water. A large case would be nailed up by local carpenters, with a small hole bored in tho lower side to make it sink—thus apparently depriving Houdini of any chance of escape. Tho case would finally bo roped and knotted. Then it would be hoisted over the water by a crane and submerged. In a minute or two the crowd would see the packing case being hoisted up again, and tho magician sitting on tho top. Mr Cannoll writes of this; “ The case looked exactly ns when Houdini had been put into it. This feat required dexterity, some during, and a little deception. Tho packing case was certainly genuine, but what the public did not know was that Houdini had concealed about him a pair of small nail cutters, “ Tho handcuffs he used on these occasions were faked and could be opened instantly by touching a secret spring. As soon as Houdini had been fastened into the packing case he would release himself from the handcuffs, and, with his nail cutters in hand, prepare himself for rapid work as soon as tho case was lowered into flic water. “]t needed only a few seconds to cut n sufficient number of nails to enable Tlouilini to push open one or more planks, forming the lid, to squeeze himself out, and (o’sit on the case to force the planks temporarily into position. H was certainly I'cmnr kahlo as a quick under-water feat, bub Houdini was an expert swimmer and accustomed to stay under water for several minutes. , , , “ As soon as the packing case was hauled ort board it was seized by two of Houdini’s men, who, in a cabin on tho tug, quickly removed the pieces of broken nails and substituted now nails before the case was bundled out for further inspection.”

T’hysical coinage and coolness combined to assist Houdini .in many of his apparently mysterious effects.