Broke out of the Siberian Prison Van in Moscow, Russia, in
May, 1903.
Leaped, heavily handcuffed, in zero weather, from Belle
Island Bridge, in Detroit, Mich., in December 2nd, 1906,
and released himself under the icy water.
Leaped into San Francisco Bay, San Francisco, Calif., on
August 26th, 1907, handcuffed with hands behind his back,
with more than 75 pounds of ball and chain locked to his
body.
Escaped from a plate glass box made by the Pittsburg Plate
Glass Co., and did not even scratch the glass. Boston
Mass., Jan. 20th 1907.
After being rivetted into a large hot water boiler by the
employees of the Marine Boiler Works, of Toledo, on March
15th, 1907, Houdini escaped without leaving any traces of
his exit.
[Illustration: The biggest-little mystery feat--the East Indian needle
masterpiece, wherein Houdini swallows 100 needles, 20 yards of thread,
and brings up the needles threaded.]
Escaped from paper bags, zinc lined piano boxes, packing
cases, padded cells, straight-jackets, insane cribs,
willow hampers, iron cages, a U.S. Mail Pouch furnished
with a rotary lock belonging to the U.S. Government, a
large Football, made by Reach Company, of Philadelphia, a
large Derby Desk, with secret locks, Burglar-proof safes,
etc., etc. Handcuffed nailed into a packing case, 200 lbs.
of iron weights chained to the box and was then thrown
overboard into New York Bay.
Houdini has escaped from cells in almost every city in
America, the most notable one being from the Murderers'
Cell in U.S. Jail at Washington, D.C., which confined
Guiteau, the murderer of President Garfield.
Houdini presents the largest, the smallest and most
perplexing mystery in the world and history of magic.
The smallest. The East Indian Needle Mystery, in which he
swallows 50 to 100 needles, 20 yards of thread, and brings
them all up threaded, after his mouth and throat have been
examined by a committee of Surgeons. In Boston, at Keith's
Theatre, 1906, at special morning performance, he performed
this feat before sixteen hundred physicians, and not one
could give a correct solution as to his method.
The largest and one of his original inventions being the
complete vanishing of a Ten Thousand pound Elephant, 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 Hippodrome, 1916-1917. He performed this the entire
season, creating the greatest amount of talk ever caused by
any Illusionist with any vanishing mystery.
The greatest mystery ever presented, original inventions of
Houdini, one of the Chinese Torture Cell, and the Escape
from a Packing Case which being weighted with 300 lbs. of
pig iron is thrown overboard into the ocean, and from which
he releases himself in less than two minutes.
* * * * *
KANSAS CITY, MO., April 11, 1900.
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: We, the undersigned, do hereby
certify that we saw Harry Houdini stripped nude, thoroughly
searched from head to foot, and his mouth sealed up,
making it an utter impossibility for him to have anything
concealed on his person. We saw him handcuffed and
leg-ironed with five different cuffs, and his hands locked
to his feet.
He was led into a cell, which was also securely locked with
what is known as the three-bond lock, guaranteed by the
makers to be burglar proof. Nevertheless, Houdini succeeded
in making his escape out of all the irons, also from the
cell, in less than 8 minutes. There was no possible chance
of confederacy.
Signed and sealed by JOHN HAYES, Chief of Police.
JOHN HALPIN, Inspector of Detectives.
J. C. SNAVLY, Jailer.
[Illustration: THE DISAPPEARING ELEPHANT
The largest vanish the world has ever known, as invented and presented
by Houdini at the New York Hippodrome.]
_Daily Express, London, Feb. 3, 1904._