New-York tribune., 1921-11-01
Escapes from Everythinr-Houdini''

proofs.
Escapes from observation-disclosures
F. P. A.: For a number Of years
played the various Dime Museums Of
America and have often sat at the table
with Unthan, the legless wonder, who
would pass me the sugar, and the fat
lady, Big Alice, would oblingingly sit
at the edge of the table so as to give
poor little Emma Shallcr, the ossifcd
girl, plenty of room.
Jonathan Bass, who was announced
as his own living headstone, did not
become the cemetery ornament he
threatened to be.
Blue Eagle, the man who broke
boards over his head to show the
solidity of his Uranium, is running an
embroidery shop in New Jersey.
Mexican Billy Wells, who had ,cobble-
stones broken on his head, is soliciting
for a photograph gallery.
Billy Diamond, the great hypnotic
subject for the Kennedy Brothers and
Stanton, died about year ago and in
his last letter to me said that diving
on concrete floors in Dime Museums
was not beneficial to his body and that
all the tests he had undergone at the
hands of the hypnotists had under
mined his health.
At the old Moore's Museum, Colonel
Goshen, the giant, was so tall that
was always afraid he would look over
the top of my cabinet and see how my
tricks were performed. In those days
I did not have sense enough to put a
cover to the cabinet.
l was what is known as working
act and was supposed to entertain the
spectators while the freaks were wait
ing for their performance.
On the other hand, gave forty-four
shows at Kohl and Middleton's in Chi
cago, and Walter Stuart, the legless
and armless wonder, had an argument
with f. D. King, the greatest paper
tearer of this generation, who to show
he was on good terms with tho audi
ence used to sell them waterproof
blacking. These two men had fight
as to who had to do the hardest work.
Ben Turpin, the cross-eyed hero of
the movies, played at the Chicago Mu-
scum, and he was then as now hap
y-go-lucky actor.
To me the only inconsistent thing
was the lecturer with his remember"
| Old Hutch, of Cook, Austin and Stone
(Boston), would eulogize you to the
skies if you gave him tip.
When it came to introducing yours
truly Langdon, of Huber's Fourteenth
Street Museum, would say: "Your at
tention towards this end of tho hall!
Here you will find clever young man;
he will mystify you if he car, escapes
from everything makes no bluffs
Horairri, look at him, the king of hand
cuffs" HOUDINI.
If there is long white space pre-
ceding this paragraph, it will occasion
us no surprise. We stuck Houdini
contribution there last night, and by
this morning it may have escaped from
The Tower.
When the Rev. Percy Stickney Grant
says editors don't write what they
think but what they are told to write
he is wrong, at least in the only in
stance we know all about The editor
Of this Dome Of Delight writes what
he thinks, if any, but only because no
body around the office will tell him
what to write. The best we get when
we ask anybody what to write about is
"About column; or Something in
your own inimical style"
Among Speaker Gillett's objections
to the printing of Representative Blan-
tons speech was that it would "be read
by men and women and, worst of all,
children" Suggestion to Donald Ogden.
Stewart: How about a Bedtime Story
for the "tots" who read The Con-
gressional Record?
Yesterday The Boss got letter from
Bloomfield, N. j., suggesting that the
editor of The Coming Tower be dis
charged for lack of originality. The
Boss says if the letter writer could
emit as original an idea as that every
day the job is his.
1t may fascinate Mr.. Hugh Wiley to.
learn that the name of our cat, Mistah,
has been changed to Mistah vitus
Marsden. Because, Cap'n Hugh, yes
sub. he sho' is Wilecat.
History says Henry Ford, .is
bunk" Which is what we tried to tell
Professor Earl Wilbur Dow, of the
university of Michigan, in November,
1899; but all he gave US was condi-
tion. r, PA.