Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-29

if not tampered with. I have negotiated
this class of cuff many hundred times
Looking out of my hotel window L see
a street car passing which bears the an
nouncement "Houdini will dive from the
pavilion roof, heavily handcuffed in West
lake park, Saturday at 1890 noon." BY
the time this is printed that will be yes
terday, and 1 have every hope that l shall
still be alive Should 1 fail to get those
cuffs loose before my breath gives out
YOU can imagine where l am while you
are reading this.
Among the feats of similar character
that 1 have carried through might be
mentioned the leap from the Seventh
street bridge in Pittsburg, Pa, sixty feet
into the icy waters of the Allegheny river.
A crowd which is said to have numbered
nearly 1000 persons lined the bridge and
the banks of the river to witness this. In
December last leaped from the Belle Isle
bridge into the Detroit river in the pres
ence of one of the largest crowds that
ever assembled in that city.
Remarkable Escapes
Last Friday, which will be the last Fri
day week when you read this, l was
nailed into a strong packing case by the
EMPLOYEES Of the j. M. Hale Co., and the
case was then strongly roped by the same
men. I believe that 1t took nearly eight
minutes for me to escape without leaving
any indication of my means of egress.
| Among similar performances Whlcn
have attracted much attention from the
press was escaping from box made
nailed and roped by the packers of the
Henry Siegel store in Boston, and In
closed in another larger box which also
was nailed and roped by the same par
ties. 1 have a handsome gold medal pre-
sented to me by the Siegels in com
memoration of this event, which tool
place on the 25th of January last.
l have been confined in packing cases
leather mail pouches, paper sacks cof
fins, wicker baskets, tin-lined piano cases
roll topped desks, casks, plate glass case
with steel angle irons and a sheet stee
steam boiler All these events are de
, tailed in the daily papers of Boston ant
Toledo during the months of Februar.
and March last. Can you imagine cit,
with the reputation for staidness an
/ dignity which Boston boasts going Hou
: DIM crazy? 1t is hard but 1T Is true, an
nleasant for me- Nothing that eve
, visited Boston, except Tom Lawson, ha
n attracted as much attention or receive
so much newspaper notoriety as 1 an
my act last February.
l But 1 am Rgoing backward faster tha
was my intention. Let us get ahea
again In San Francisco two weeks ag
curious challenge was issued to m
and accepted Sailors often boast tina
what they cannot do with ropes Is nc
worth doing The men of the cruiser s
! Louis then in Frisco harbor, challenge
me to escape from their nautical knot
They roped and bound me much in tn
: manner that the spider does his victims
= but not with gossamar webs. Let m
= assure you that the cordage which Uncl
= Sam supplies to his navy is of the bes
1t will neither stretch nor slip whe
knotted by half a dozen stout tars. pi
I escape? Hes, but it was hard tria
8 When the last knot was loosed l wa
d SO exhausted that 1 could scarcely bo
e my acknowledgements to the applaus
d that followed. I will also say that
e was unable to escape until every knc
e was undone. They left me no chance
slip or wriggle through their meshes-
= = Fights on the Square
n I do not relish the thought of simils
v experience, burt as a public performer
It is almost compulsory for me to take l
IS any challenges OF this character that al
offered. ] approach every new challenl
1t with uncertainty for sometime / sha
II meet my Waterloo. In every career thei
e comes q Gettysburg. and | go to min
> Well. when it comes l shall say
A have fought good fight. and hay
IS fought fair" When am yanquishS