Professional Wizard & Escape Artist
More than any novel or work of fiction can describe, Houdini’s life was as much a melancholic romance, with adventure at every corner as any other great piece of literature. Harry began his professional magic career with his brother Theo, who went by the stage name Dash, under the headline of “The Brothers Houdini”, but later on, he met his soon to be wife, Beatrice Raymond, or “Bess”. Bess was attempting a career in show business as well, and they were married 1894. Theo went off to become a solo magician under the headline of “Hardeen”, and Bess joined the act, now called “The Houdinis”. Bess worked on stage with him for the rest of his career, and for the rest of Houdini’s life.
Many of the so-called Harry Houdini facts, state that Houdini was largely unsuccessful throughout the start of his career, however, it’s easier to look at the first few years as a more developmental process. After working in a few minor Vaudevillian acts, Houdini’s act was discovered by a man named Martin Beck. It was Houdini’s act with escaping handcuffs that attracted Beck, who convinced Harry to expand more on his escapology. Houdini went from town to town, offering $100 to any man who could provide him with handcuffs that he could not escape from. Naturally, Houdini never had to pay anyone. More Harry Houdini facts state that it was Martin beck who arranged for Houdini to tour Europe with Bess.
It was through this method that Harry Houdini went to jail in the British Isles; not because he was a criminal, but to test any holding cell, in many different countries. There was no such thing to Houdini as an escape proof prison, and he set out to prove the fact, one prison at a time, all over the continent. He was chained in Scotland Yard to a pillar, and escaped, and then held prisoner in an impenetrable prison cell in Moscow, but managed to free himself still. The only key to the prison cell was said to be located in Siberia. All told, Harry Houdini spent five years in jail in the British Isles, –or at least escaping them.
Because of the remarkable nature of Harry Houdini’s escapes, many have claimed it was black magic behind his wondrous feats. Others claim it was never magic, but instead that he used bribery to cheat his way out of the prison cells. One such man, Werner Graff, a police officer, made public allegations that it was through bribery that Houdini was able to escape so cleverly. Houdini sued him, and eventually won the case with a demonstration. He was able to open the judge’s safe! However, later on he claimed that the judge had actually forgotten to properly lock it. Natheless, it might be ruled out that bribery was a factor, but some of the more ludicrous allegations of black magic are still interesting, and make for the occasional entertaining bit of speculation.