Houdini evidently does not stick at trifles. He maneuvered until he got
a penknife from his waistcoat pocket. This he opened with his teeth,
and then, turning his coat inside out over his head, calmly proceeded
to cut it to pieces.
The novelty of the proceeding delighted the audience, who yelled
themselves frantic. The _Mirror_ representative had rather a warm five
minutes of it at this juncture. Many of the audience did not see the
reason of his refusal, and expressed their disapproval of his action
loudly.
Grimly, however, he looked on and watched Mr. Houdini once more reenter
the cabinet. Time sped on, and presently somebody recorded the fact
that the Mysteriarch had been manacled just one hour. Ten minutes more
of anxious waiting, and then a surprise was in store for everybody.