The Washington herald., 1906-10-30
AROUSED By PROF. JOYCE
His Charge Of CollusiOn with Hou-
diai Deeply Resented.
Employees of Mercantile Houses Who
Took Part In Theater Tests
Enter Vigorous Protests.

Prof Maurice Joyce. the physical cul-
/ ture teacher. wfo gave a clever perform
ance at the Columbia Theater Sunday
! IS. perhaps-in his talk about Houdinrs
( feats. especially the so-caIled box trick ="
/ He said that the escape from the box
was made possible by collusion with the
+ carpenter. This assertion is vigorously
resented by the employees of several
I Washington houses. notably those Of s
Kann. Sons & CO. and Saks & Co. who
+ furnished boxes for Houdinis tests. dur
( ing his engagement here Ut Chasc's
Prof. Joyce certainly could not have
meant 10 say what he did, said Howard
/ =. Campbell. advertising manager of :.
I Kann Sons & Co. I know him too We'll
20 believe that he would question the in
/ tegrity of the men from our store who
/ furnished the box for one of Houdini' :
tests Collision, was absolutely impossi-
Bile 10 my personal knowiedge. as / close
/ j. superseded the construction and hand
I ling of the box. and saw the test The
/ box wss not allowed to be out Of our
I sight from the time it was prepared until
/ HOudini entered II on the stage. There
I Houdui does il, but certainly Prof. Joyce
/ Is wholly wrong when he asserts that il
( Is done through collusion with the car
I penteT." Tie employees of Kann Sons &
I Co. yesterday united in an indignant
/ protest against Prof. J9yce's statement.
! The employees Of Saks & Company,
+ who challenged Houdini 10 escape from
( a packing case which they were TO build
/ on Chase's theater stage, and from which
( he did escape. leaving 10 trace Of his
egress. are also highly indignant that they
should be charged with having been in
COllusion, either separately or collective
+ ly with Houdlni. and that a secret panel
/ in the packing case provided the means
/ for Houdini 10 escape. The 1--WE shippers
end packers say that al who Witnessed
the escape feat will remember seeing the
! separate boards OF the case on exhibit in
/ tho lobby of the theater throughout the
/ part Of The performance preceding the
.aat. and that one Of their number was
constantly on guard over the boards
/ Then the boards were taken 70 the stage
and in fun view OF the audience. the
/ case was completely built with these very
boards. Under such circumstances they
declare 1t simply ridiculous to assert that
/ there was a secret panel or any other
previously prepared mode Of egress in
favor OF HOudini The case was thor
Oughly nailed along all edges and corners
and there were several rows OF nails
everywhere. Moreover. Houdini entered
the box handcuffed and leg-irOned. Then,
afterward, the box was strongly roped
Even had q secret panel or any other
means been employed, the nails and
ropes made il futile
They have prepared an affidavit cover
I Tn.a- IN
~ swear that the statement made by
Prof. Joyce IS absolutely false and IN
warranted" and detrimental to their char
acter as men and citizens; that their
challenge Of Houdini was genuine ard
honestly carried out on the part OF al
parties concerned, and that HOudini did
fairly escape. as stated by the press at
the time"
The stage carpenters and mechanics Of
Cbase's Theater are also aroused by
Prof. Joyce's announcement that Hou-
dini's escape was made possible by coIIu-
sion with the carpenter. They deny that
any compact was made with them by
Houdini during his recent appearance at
that theateT and say they are willing to
wager any amount up to 81 900 that they
can construct box from which It will
be impossible for Prof Joyce to escape
Mr.. George p. killian, OF the firm which
manufactured the paper bags used By
H0udini in his performances in this city.
says that The bags used were made under
his personal supervision. He says the
bag trick as performed by Maurice
Joyce is utterly unlike that done by Hou-
DIM. and that there was absolutely no
coilusion between the performer and his
employees
The bags were made Of a single sheet
OF paper, and not with an outside wrap
per.