The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-01-17
CLEVER HOUDIRL.
No Handouts Made. He Cannot Take
From His Wrists.
His Trek Has rG1lsi the Police Officials
in Nam Cities.

Within the past few months. the po-
lice OF many cities In different parts OF
the country have been considerably
Stirred uD by the advent OF a young
man Who has detied all their efforts TO
secure him with handouts. Although
the most expert police officials ana de-
, tectiyes have placed uDon his wrists
7 bracelets ot every known kind and
! OF all degrees OF age. ana although he
has been subjected 10 every possible test
10 prevent the cOncealmeuA on his per-
son OF keys or other means OF opening
The handouts, ne in every Instance
within very few minutes succeeded
In freeing himself from them IN some
mysterious way.
His wonderful feats OF this kind have
created a decided sensation among po-
lice authorities: and although he de-
clares that he accomplish them by n
trick Wh Ga he says T. exceedingly
simple, that trick yet remains the
most unfathomable mystery that has
ever bahied the keenest ana most ex-
I perienced police officials OF this coun-
: Try.
/ The young man. who is known as
! Houdini, Is a Hungarian by birth hav-
I ing been born IN Budapesth and is
/ feet ana inches I'm height and weighs
about l65 pounds. lie has been magf-
/ clan for the past - years. and during
( the last y has made a speciality az es-
| Gaping from handouts. though il is
/ stated 70 his credit that the minions of
\ the Law never had occasion To brace
/ let him except upon his own invita-
/ tion.
/ During the past ter davs he has been
setting Chief Inspector Watts and 9TH
I en- police officials Of Boston by the ears
! 10y the ease with which he mas escaped
I from every form of manacle they could
produce. and doing it under con lttions
1hat rendered his success apparently
/ imposs bic. Indeed. 80 annoyed have
! they become by their failure 10 battle
/ his cleverness that IL Is stated that they
/ have refused 10 have anything further
/ 10 do with him. claiming thai ne hurts
/ their business" by demonst rating how
powerless they may be- TO successfully
! secure a desperate and clever prisoner.
/ Houdini. however. claims that this is
! nonsense and says that the troubIe
| Is only that their pride has been hurt.
The Boston Journal thus describes
an incident OF lioGdini's appearance at
! police headquarters I'm thar city.
! Harry Houdini, the young man wlro
J claims thar he is the only man living
VINO can unlock any kind Of a hand
cum placed upon him by the police. APP
! peared before Chief Inspector William
! u. Watts at police headduarters this
morning, and. despite the efforts OF the
/ entire force of the office. walked ont Of
! every Kind of a leg iron or handcuff
| placed upon him.
! His exhibition was really surprising.
! although a trick and every detective
! present sai1 after the exhibition. Il
would not want to be the unlucky man
! detailed 10 bring Houdini from any dis
! tanit city"
| Chief Inspector Watts had pair OF
! handouts which are 100 years old They
| are handmade and have peculiar
! screw lock which worA with an odd
| shaped key. These handouts We're dug
J from cellar i'm Plymouth some years
! ago and were kept by the chief as a rel
| ic Of old days.
''I am glad To see YOU. Houdini but
| guess I've got YOU up against the wall
! his time, said Chief Watts at the
same time showing the handouts to
/ Houdini.
'Well,s chief / feel little nervous
! because if | fail on these old cuffs T
/ am a ruined man i'm this business. ex-
/ claimed Houdin as he anXiously looked
| the cuffs over
Turning to the crowd which had
sttt if-t-ea in the room composed OF
/ officers, he said i want you To see
I have no key about my person. so / will
! strip naked"
/ This was done, and he soon appear
1 ed naked and was examined 10 see II
! he held any kind OF a key His mouth
+ was covered with court plaster So he
/ could not omen H. and then he was
! handcuffad. and foot fdtters were plac-
/ ed on his right foot and the shackle
J faY . h., laft r,1a Ia.
! bars on the inside of the safe vault and
+ securely locked. In exactly II minutes
I and 20 seconds Houdni walked ont
/ from the safe with the irons unlocked
from his body and from the safe bars.
/ and handed them to chief Watts
J After resting a moment he was then
I hsndcuffed with the old pair aud In
[ exactly nine minutes he appeared with
/ them open. The assembled crowd were
| astounded but they could not dispute
/ the facts npscntcd there before their
| eyes So tightly did the last pair of cuffs
| III that Houdinis hands were bleeding
I from the tight squeeze of the metal.
! AT the conclusion. as an amusing
! feature. ne swallowed. apparently, two
I mn papers % small needles. and chen
/ some silk thread and thpn brought
/ them up again. threaded Although his
/ listeners We're within two feet OF him
/ and one OF them assisted him no one
! could SEQ how the act was done
! "When ne lft HEADQUARTERS Houdlni
I told chief watts and Cant. Dugan that
he had The hardest tussle h. ever had
! in his life 70 open the last pair or old
/ cuffs, ana that they came near finishing
I him He was looked upon i'm wonder
| ment bv the officers. and he is 10 appear
tomorrow az 10 o'clock before the po-
J lice commissioners ana give the same
/ exhibition ANA guarantees 10 open any
amount OF handouts they can place on
/ him
The oldest existing church In New
/ Hampshire is the Congregational, at
I IIoy,pton v.hfeb ,yac opuo nfya1 fn An