HOUDINI’B LATEST PERFORMANCE

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1681, 18 May 1904, Page 80 (Supplement)

HOUDINI’B LATEST PERFORMANCE

During the past few weeks we have published accounts of the exploits of Harry Houdini, the handcuff king and baffler of locksmiths. The clever American/ who has just finished a tour of the English provinces, was at latest advices playing a season at one of the London halls. On the 17th March he had a tough proposition put up against him which was confidently asserted by those in the know would be his “Waterloo.” However, the clever American came out of the ordeal with flying colours.' Wiiting under date. March 18th, our London correspondent says:—Jack Shepherd was undoubtedly a master of craft in the matter of ridding himself of the clumsy iron contrivances with which the guardians of the peace of his day sought to secure the metropolis against his depredations, and at picking the outwardly formidable locks of the prisons of that period he was certainly no dunce. But Shepherd owed much to the assistance of friends and admirers who contrived to supply him with saws, files, and other aids to his natural ab'lities for overcoming obstacles to his freedom, and his exploits in lockpicking and manacle slipping will not bear comparison with those of Houdini, the “handcuff lying/' of to-day. With this clever showman’s recent exploit in breaking out of the strongest cell in the Liverpool gaol your readers are already famikar. Yesterday Houdini accomplished the feat of his life. Hitherto no handcuff in ordinary use has been able to hold the “handcuff king” more than a few minutes, and though much ingenuity has been shown by locksmiths and others in dev I 'sing manacles solely for the purpose of defeating Houdini. he has surmounted every trial of his skill with comparative ease. A few days ago, however, the proprietors of the “Daily Express” threw out a challenge to Houdini under the impression that they had discovered a bai'-cuff which would baffle even his ingenuity. Houdini accepted, but when shown the cuff expressed it as hia opinion that he would probably fail to release himself from its grasp. Certainly it was a formidable undertaking, for the cuffs were the outcome of five years’ experimenting by their inventor, and when it is explained that the key is made on the Brahmah principle with 31 wards, controlling some twenty levers within the bar of the cuff the nature of Houdini’s difficulty can be readily realised. Yesterday at the Hippodrome he tackled his task, and after an hour's hard work triumphed. The cuffs were fitted on him by a representative of the “Express” and Houdini then entered his little cabinet—a tent-like structure of silk 3 feet square and 4 feet high. There for a ciuarter of an hour Houd ni battles with the cuff. He was, of course, hidden from view, and only the flutterings of the silken tent denoted the struggle going on within. Then he was seen to wriggle partially from under the canopy lying face downwards with arms extended. Some thought he had already accomplished lr® task and cheered lustily. But they were “too previous”; the cuffs still retained their mastery and Houdini wriggled back out of sight. After the expiry of 32 minutes he re-appeared sweating profusely. and with his collar hanging down his back. He wanted a drink of water and having nuenched his thirst retired once more. This time lie disappeared for less than a quarter of an hour, and when he came in view again seemed to be on the point of giving up the struggle. But, cheered by the spectators, he proceeded, with the aid of his teeth and a small knife, to rip off his coat and (h&a crept back *to his cabinet. An hour had now gone since the cuffs were fixed on him, and Houdini’s frieffids had well-nigh given up hope. Suddenly, however,— 1 just 62 minutes from the time the task began —there was an excited crv from within the cabinet, “I’ve done it.” and Houdini darted out of his little pen flourishing the handcuffs aloft. The crowded audience which had sat with wonderful patience for over an hour broke out forthwith into such a roar of cheering as has seldom been heard in a nlaco of entertainment, the band struck up “See the Conquering Hero Comes’’ and Houdini, quite overcome and in tears, was lifted up on the shoulders of those in tho arena and carried off in triumph.