Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-29

me my choice of cells, but l merely re-
quested to be shown the strongest ne
took me at once to murderers row, ana
indicated No. 2, the cell in which Gull
teau, the assassin of President Garneiu'
was confined This he said was the
strongest cell in the jail. asked TO
be confined in 1t.
Unfortunately it is occupied" said
Warden Harris, but at my earnest
solicitation the prisoners convicted
wife murderer-was given cellmate-
myself.
The officials stripped me to the skin,
locked me into the cell and retired to
await developments.
1t was with feeling the nearest TO
terror that 1 have ever felt that
looked about me in that awful cell that
for many years has never been without
tenant whose days were destined TO
end in the hangman's moose. The
walls of the cell are of brick, concrete
and STEEL not less than three feet In
| thickness. The door, of heavy steel
| bars, Is sunk into the walls fully three
| feet from the outer face of the wall.
When this heavily constructed door Is
| closed an arm, runs out to the corridor
| side of the wall and slips over steel
catch which sets spring and fastens
| the lock. The latter is one of the most
|
less than seven tumblers, which, 1t will
be said is impossible to pick.
How 1 got out of that cell would
/ make an interesting story that I may
write some day after I get through
doing my act on the stage and retire to
devote my declining years to literary
pursuits. could not stay-I had to go.
The surroundings were such that no
honest man would consent to remain.
| As in 10 coll q altar my
cape I wondered that I had ever con-
sented to be locked into chamber
with such gruesome history and asso-
Citations.
Plays Joke on Officials
1t then occurred to me to play joke
on the officials who were awaiting my
return in the warden's office,
I have clipping from the Washington
Post of Sunday, January Z, 1906 which
tells the rest of the story SO well that
cannot do better than offer it in full:
"In two minutes Houdini was out o.
that cell, free, the lock holding him hard
ly longer than it took him to get into tn,
place and get his bearings Then, with
) out the knowledge of the waiting officiall
who had retired from view, Houdin
quickly ran to the cells of Chase, Whit
ney, Mercer, Ferguson. Donovan, Gas
klnS, BackuS anQ f1OWietI. 10 edCH OC
cupant the unclad cell-breaker seemed
like an apparition from some other world
, and the astonishment he created when h
commanded each to come out and follow
! him can be better imagined than de
3 scribed.
3 "Chase gave gasp of fear and thel
: cried: Have you come to let me out
3 What are you doing without clothes
, He supposed then that Houdini was al
' escaping fellow prisoner He followed a
Houdinis heels and the cell breake
dashed with him down to the end of tn
8 corridor, where he opened the cell con
g taining Clarence Hewlett.
a "'What are you doing here? said Hou
e DIM to the astonished Hewlett 'Wha
are you in for?'
. "'Im a housebreaker,' said the pris
oner, as though making his last confes
: sion.
"'You're bad one.' said Houdini. q
d you could get out of here. Come along
I Hewlett followed his strange captor, an
S Houdini then thrust Chase into the ce
g and rushed Hewlett up to Chase's cell.
" ''This scene, strange and strenuous, wa
a repeated again and again. until ever
IL desperate man was changed into anotht
J. cell than his own. All were in tumul
: Twenty zone minutes after Houdini ha
been locked in the cell he had done a
r the quick changing and stood before h