BERLIN, Sept. 20, 1900.
Harry Houdini, the American, was handcuffed and leg-ironed
with the irons used here, in the presence of a large number
of the highest police officials of Germany. Houdini managed
to free himself from everything, by mysteriously opening
the locks, in a manner which is unexplainable to us. The
cuffs were uninjured.
(Signed) VON HULLESSEM, Royal Police Director, Berlin.
VON WINDHEIM, The Royal Police President, Berlin.
* * * * *
Von Windheim was the highest police official in all Germany. The
Kaiser's signature was the only name that stood higher in Germany.
[Illustration: The Preparation for Incarceration in the Siberian
Transport Carette.]
[Text in illustration: Chief of the Secret Russian Police LEBEDOEFF
has HARRY HOUDINI stripped stark naked and searched then locked up in
the Siberian Transport Cell or Carette, May 10/1903 in Moscow and in 28
minutes HOUDINI had made his escape to the unspeakable astonishment of
the Russian Police.]
The Daily Illustrated Mirror, March 18th, 1904.
=HOW HE PICKED THE "MIRROR" HANDCUFFS IN ONE HOUR AND TEN MINUTES.=
Not a seat was vacant in the mighty Hippodrome, yesterday afternoon,
when Harry Houdini, the "Handcuff King," stepped into the arena, and
received an ovation worthy of a monarch.
For days past all London has been aware that on Saturday night last a
representative of the _Mirror_ had stepped into the arena, in response
to Houdini's challenge to anybody to come forward and successfully
manacle him, and had there and then made a match with America's
Mysteriarch for Thursday afternoon.
In his travels the journalist had encountered a Birmingham blacksmith
who had spent five years of his life in devising a lock, which, he
alleged, "no mortal man could pick." Promptly seeing he was in touch
with a good thing, the press man had at once put an option upon the
handcuff containing this lock, and brought it back to London with him.
It was submitted to London's best locksmiths, who were unanimous in
their admiration of it, asserting that in all their experience they had
never before seen such wonderful mechanism.
As a result the editors of the _Mirror_ determined to put the lock to
the severest test possible by challenging Mr. Houdini to be manacled
with the cuffs.
Like a true sportsman, Mr. Houdini accepted our challenge in the spirit
in which it was given, although, on his own confession, he did not like
the look of the lock.