Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-30
STATEMENT CHALLENGED.
Manufacturers Of Houdini Boxes Deny
Prof. Joyce's Alleged Charges.

A statement alleged to have been ma de
by Prof. Maurice Joyce. after he es-
capped from a bag and box at the Column
bia Theater Sunday night last. that the
only way the trick can be done Is by col
fusion in some way with the builders OF
the boxes and bags. and by inference
accusing the parties in the city who
made the boxes and bags from which
Houdini escaped in his recent exhibition
at Chase's Theater, has stirred up the
makers of these boxes and bags to con-
siderable Indignation. The allegations
of Prof. Joyce are met with denlals by
all the parties interested. and they have
made affidavits denying that they were
IN any way a party to any deception.
The packers employed by s. kann, Sons
& Co., who made a box for Houdini. and
from which he emerged without appar-
ent difficulty, leaving the box intact to
all appearances. state most positively
that the box they made was the kind
ordinarily used in shipping goods. and
that it had no secret panels, or any other
means to allow the man inside it to es-
cape. They Indignantly deny having been
in any way in collision with Houdini.
and assert that they built the box in
good faith.
George p Killian of the company tina,
made the bags from which Houdini es-
capped, characterizes Prof Joyces state
ment as being utterly false and made
affidavit that the bags were without fold or
such as are usually made for holding flour.
Messrs. ]. E. Lewis. Sam Phillips. Henry
N. Ober, J. L. Rose and l.. 8. league, the
employees Of the packing department of
boxes from which Houdinf made his es-
cape, state in positive terms that they were
In no way in collision with Houdini. They
have made affidavit to that effect before
VIM. M. Hoffman, notary public.
The five Saks & Company packers state
that the people who attended the escape
feat will remember seeing the separate
boards Of the case on exhibit in the lobby
of the theater throughout the part OF the
performance preceding the feat and that
one of their number was constantly on
guard over the boards. Then the boards
were taken to the stage and, in full view
of the audience, the case was completely
built with these very boards. Under such
circumstances they declare 1t simply RI
diculous to assert that there was a secret
panel or any other previously prepared
mode Of egress In favor of Houdini.
Prof. Joyce in statement to a Star re-
porter this morning denies any intention of
charging the employees of the firms that
made the articles from which Honolulu es-
capped, with any completely witt. the per-
former in arranging the boxes and bags so
that he could escape. He gave the ex-
hibtion, he said, to demonstrate how the
trick could be done, and to show how box
might be manufactured aftera design which
would suit the needs of a performer.
Prof. Joyce states that the firms which
made the boxes from which he escaped,
knew nothing of his arrangement OF the
boxes, and that they were critically exam
ined by large audiences
Regarding the challenge to escape from
a box made by the stage carpenter Of q
local theater, Prof. Joyce says he would
not take the chance to escape from such q
box unless he or his agents had possession
Of 1t for time before the performance.