HARRY HOUDINI
Harry Houdini was a Hungarian-American magician, noted for his sensational escape acts. He was born Enrich Weiss in Budapest on March 24 1874. From an early age he performed as a trapeze artist in circuses. Later after settling in New York, he performed in vaudeville shows but without much success.
It was from around 1900 that Houdini began to earn an international reputation for his amazing feats of escape from locked containers whilst shackled and handcuffed. He first attracted notice as “Harry Handcuff Houdini” on a tour of Europe where he challenged different police forces to try and keep him locked up, so when Houdini first visited Newport in 1905, he was already a star on both sides of the Atlantic.
April 17th 1905 was the beginning of a week-long engagement for Houdini with his own variety company at the Lyceum Theatre, Bridge Street (where the Travelodge now stands). He performed his exciting routines of escaping from regulation handcuffs and military leg irons. He also managed to escape from German handcuffs, which took longer, but he still was in full view of the audience when he freed himself.
On the following night, Houdini was challenged by four Newport carpenters to break out of a packing crate they had constructed. Houdini agreed once air holes had been drilled in the crate stating “I do need air sometimes”. Once the box was nailed down with Houdini inside, it was hidden from view behind a cabinet. Five minutes went by with no sign of Houdini and the carpenters smiled. Five minutes later, the curtains were flung aside and Houdini smiled.
As previously mentioned, Houdini had challenged different police forces to try and keep him locked up. The Weekly Argus of Saturday 22nd April 1905 reports the following “Escape of Houdini – breaks from Newport Police cell – Hilbert refuses the offer” (Frank Hilbert was a local escape artist and music hall performer). Houdini had accepted the challenge of Chief Constable Sinclair to try and break out of Newport jail. Huge crowds assembled in Dock Street at the back of the Police Station in the Old Town Hall and also in Commercial Street. At four o’clock, Houdini was accompanied by reporters and several town councillors to proceed towards the cells. Houdini left his clothes in one cell and entered another cell completed naked. His one stipulation was that the observation trap in the door be left open and no-one be allowed to see his movements. The reporters and officials walked round to the end of the corridor and waited for Houdini’s reappearance.
After three minutes, someone asked the Chief Constable what he would do with him if he could not get out - “Oh, he’s there and we’ll keep him there for three days”. With that, Houdini appeared fully dressed. He had escaped from the cell and dressed in 3 ½ minutes. Houdini then insisted on opening the locked gates of the corridor followed by a double-locked gate. Houdini went through the Town Hall onto Commercial Street to greet the cheering crowd.
On the last night of his week-long engagement at the Lyceum, he was challenged to escape from an army strait jacket from Newport Barracks. Houdini invited an inspection committee on stage with him which included an Argus representative. He managed to escape in half the allotted time of forty minutes. Hilbert, the local escape artist, who was appearing at the Empire on Charles Street at the same time refused the challenge to break out of the police cell in the Town Hall and also to escape from the strait jacket from which Houdini had escaped, even though he had easily escaped from the handcuffs and packing crate.
Eight years later, in March 1913, Houdini returned to Newport for a week long engagement at the Empire. On the Monday, he announced his intention, if given permission by the authorities, to leap from Newport Bridge, manacled into the River Usk where he would free himself underwater. Failing this permission, he would accomplish the task from a small boat. An article in the South Wales Argus of 6th March 1913 explains how Houdini dodged the police to leap from Newport Bridge. On the appointed day, there were huge crowds. The police were there to control the crowds and prevent the jump.
A car containing the manager of the Empire and and an assistant who vaguely resembled Houdini was used as a decoy, with Houdini bringing up the rear in a taxi cab. The crowds were so big that the police turned back Houdini and his party. Houdini then decided to cross the river by the Transporter Bridge and approach the bridge from the eastern side. When the two-car convoy approached the bridge, the assistant distracted the police enough for Houdini to climb onto one of the buttresses via a ladder. From here, manacled and feet shackled, he dived from twenty feet into the river, surfacing at a distance, free of chains and manacles. He was hauled on board a small boat by his assistants. During his descent on the ladder, he broke a toe but he suffered no other ill effects from his daring dive.
Newport Police served two summonses on him for his defiance of carrying out the feat. One declared he had broken the Borough Bylaws by holding and entertainment on Newport Bridge, the other that he had obstructed a public highway. Houdini sought maximum publicity by announcing the actions of the police from the stage of the Empire.
One week later, on 12th March 1913, Houdini appeared at Newport Police Court. After hearing evidence from both sides, the magistrate returned a verdict of “case dismissed”. Houdini walked free from court without any punishment. During the week-long engagement in Newport, he performed his feat of escaping from a box, this time specially constructed of green spruce, an inch and a quarter thick.
Houdini’s final appearance in Newport was in March 1914. During the week-long engagement at the Empire, he accepted a challenge from four employees of Messrs T B & S Batchelor & Co. The wording of the challenge was as follows “On your last visit you escaped from one of our packing crates, but as it was delivered ahead of time, you had an opportunity to tamper with same. To prove the contrary, we hereby challenge you to allow us to bring to the Empire Theatre, timbers, battens….and we will construct a strong box in full view of the audience. You must enter immediately, we will nail down the lid, securely rope up the box and defy you to escape without demolishing same”.
Before he entered the box at 10.45, he agreed to have a large B, denoting the firm Batchelor, imprinted on his forehead with a blue pencil. At 2 ½ minutes, he appeared with a flourish from behind the curtains “and he stood rather white and breathing a trifle hard with his dress sleeves crumpled and his right sleeve torn”
For the next thirteen years, Houdini continued to thrill audiences throughout the world with his apparent death-defying escapades. He died in Detroit on 31st October 1926 of peritonitis.
Sources
When “Handcuff King” Houdini visited Newport (David Jones, pqM160 793.8 HOU)
Master showman who captivated Newport (South Wales Argus January 15th 1986)
Account of Houdini’s appearance at the Lyceum Theatre, Newport, in the week commencing April 17th 1905, together with an account of his escape from the Newport police cells during the same week (pqM160 791)
How Houdini defied the Usk (Alan Roderick, pqM160 790 ROD)
South Wales Argus (various dates April 1905, March 1913, March 1914)
Through seven reigns: a history of Newport Borough Police (Islwyn Bale M160 352.2 BAL)
Harry Houdini was a Hungarian-American magician, noted for his sensational escape acts. He was born Enrich Weiss in Budapest on March 24 1874. From an early age he performed as a trapeze artist in circuses. Later after settling in New York, he performed in vaudeville shows but without much success.
It was from around 1900 that Houdini began to earn an international reputation for his amazing feats of escape from locked containers whilst shackled and handcuffed. He first attracted notice as “Harry Handcuff Houdini” on a tour of Europe where he challenged different police forces to try and keep him locked up, so when Houdini first visited Newport in 1905, he was already a star on both sides of the Atlantic.
April 17th 1905 was the beginning of a week-long engagement for Houdini with his own variety company at the Lyceum Theatre, Bridge Street (where the Travelodge now stands). He performed his exciting routines of escaping from regulation handcuffs and military leg irons. He also managed to escape from German handcuffs, which took longer, but he still was in full view of the audience when he freed himself.
On the following night, Houdini was challenged by four Newport carpenters to break out of a packing crate they had constructed. Houdini agreed once air holes had been drilled in the crate stating “I do need air sometimes”. Once the box was nailed down with Houdini inside, it was hidden from view behind a cabinet. Five minutes went by with no sign of Houdini and the carpenters smiled. Five minutes later, the curtains were flung aside and Houdini smiled.
As previously mentioned, Houdini had challenged different police forces to try and keep him locked up. The Weekly Argus of Saturday 22nd April 1905 reports the following “Escape of Houdini – breaks from Newport Police cell – Hilbert refuses the offer” (Frank Hilbert was a local escape artist and music hall performer). Houdini had accepted the challenge of Chief Constable Sinclair to try and break out of Newport jail. Huge crowds assembled in Dock Street at the back of the Police Station in the Old Town Hall and also in Commercial Street. At four o’clock, Houdini was accompanied by reporters and several town councillors to proceed towards the cells. Houdini left his clothes in one cell and entered another cell completed naked. His one stipulation was that the observation trap in the door be left open and no-one be allowed to see his movements. The reporters and officials walked round to the end of the corridor and waited for Houdini’s reappearance.
After three minutes, someone asked the Chief Constable what he would do with him if he could not get out - “Oh, he’s there and we’ll keep him there for three days”. With that, Houdini appeared fully dressed. He had escaped from the cell and dressed in 3 ½ minutes. Houdini then insisted on opening the locked gates of the corridor followed by a double-locked gate. Houdini went through the Town Hall onto Commercial Street to greet the cheering crowd.
On the last night of his week-long engagement at the Lyceum, he was challenged to escape from an army strait jacket from Newport Barracks. Houdini invited an inspection committee on stage with him which included an Argus representative. He managed to escape in half the allotted time of forty minutes. Hilbert, the local escape artist, who was appearing at the Empire on Charles Street at the same time refused the challenge to break out of the police cell in the Town Hall and also to escape from the strait jacket from which Houdini had escaped, even though he had easily escaped from the handcuffs and packing crate.
Eight years later, in March 1913, Houdini returned to Newport for a week long engagement at the Empire. On the Monday, he announced his intention, if given permission by the authorities, to leap from Newport Bridge, manacled into the River Usk where he would free himself underwater. Failing this permission, he would accomplish the task from a small boat. An article in the South Wales Argus of 6th March 1913 explains how Houdini dodged the police to leap from Newport Bridge. On the appointed day, there were huge crowds. The police were there to control the crowds and prevent the jump.
A car containing the manager of the Empire and and an assistant who vaguely resembled Houdini was used as a decoy, with Houdini bringing up the rear in a taxi cab. The crowds were so big that the police turned back Houdini and his party. Houdini then decided to cross the river by the Transporter Bridge and approach the bridge from the eastern side. When the two-car convoy approached the bridge, the assistant distracted the police enough for Houdini to climb onto one of the buttresses via a ladder. From here, manacled and feet shackled, he dived from twenty feet into the river, surfacing at a distance, free of chains and manacles. He was hauled on board a small boat by his assistants. During his descent on the ladder, he broke a toe but he suffered no other ill effects from his daring dive.
Newport Police served two summonses on him for his defiance of carrying out the feat. One declared he had broken the Borough Bylaws by holding and entertainment on Newport Bridge, the other that he had obstructed a public highway. Houdini sought maximum publicity by announcing the actions of the police from the stage of the Empire.
One week later, on 12th March 1913, Houdini appeared at Newport Police Court. After hearing evidence from both sides, the magistrate returned a verdict of “case dismissed”. Houdini walked free from court without any punishment. During the week-long engagement in Newport, he performed his feat of escaping from a box, this time specially constructed of green spruce, an inch and a quarter thick.
Houdini’s final appearance in Newport was in March 1914. During the week-long engagement at the Empire, he accepted a challenge from four employees of Messrs T B & S Batchelor & Co. The wording of the challenge was as follows “On your last visit you escaped from one of our packing crates, but as it was delivered ahead of time, you had an opportunity to tamper with same. To prove the contrary, we hereby challenge you to allow us to bring to the Empire Theatre, timbers, battens….and we will construct a strong box in full view of the audience. You must enter immediately, we will nail down the lid, securely rope up the box and defy you to escape without demolishing same”.
Before he entered the box at 10.45, he agreed to have a large B, denoting the firm Batchelor, imprinted on his forehead with a blue pencil. At 2 ½ minutes, he appeared with a flourish from behind the curtains “and he stood rather white and breathing a trifle hard with his dress sleeves crumpled and his right sleeve torn”
For the next thirteen years, Houdini continued to thrill audiences throughout the world with his apparent death-defying escapades. He died in Detroit on 31st October 1926 of peritonitis.
Sources
When “Handcuff King” Houdini visited Newport (David Jones, pqM160 793.8 HOU)
Master showman who captivated Newport (South Wales Argus January 15th 1986)
Account of Houdini’s appearance at the Lyceum Theatre, Newport, in the week commencing April 17th 1905, together with an account of his escape from the Newport police cells during the same week (pqM160 791)
How Houdini defied the Usk (Alan Roderick, pqM160 790 ROD)
South Wales Argus (various dates April 1905, March 1913, March 1914)
Through seven reigns: a history of Newport Borough Police (Islwyn Bale M160 352.2 BAL)
