Houdini
- Date Submitted: 01/28/2010 06:28 AM
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Kendall, Lace Houdini Master of Escape Philadelphia: Macrae Smith Company, 1960, 187
pages.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you can see there isn't anything up my sleeve."1 Erich
Weiss states at the beginning of the book. Even as a child Erich Weiss, a.k.a. Harry
Houdini, knows that his goal in life is to become a world famous illusionist. It was
difficult for Erich's family being pilgrims from Europe. His father worked hard, but being
from Germany and not knowing English made it difficult. "Promise me you will always
look after your mother and see to it that she is never in want."2 Erich promises his father
that he will look after his mother and other brothers. At the age of thirteen he decides to
leave and join the circus. He journeys to Texas performing small, road-side shows on the
way, but only gets half-way when he turns around. Erich realizes it's not his time.
At the age of fifteen he moves with his family to New York. That is when he
acquires his name, Harry Houdini. He dubs himself Houdini after the famous French
magician Robert Houdin. In one of his small shows in New York he spills acid on the
audience member's dress. Little did he know how much that would change his life. He
offer to have his mother make a new dress for Miss Beatrice "Bess" Rahner. It was love
at first sight. He and Bess are married at Coney Island the day he gives her the new dress.
Often when I here of Houdini I think, and even have been told, that he died in an
escape accident. That is not only untrue it is nowhere near his true means of death.
During a performance one night he broke an ankle. That is when it all started. He began
feeling worse everyday. He had stomach pains. He waited to late. He had a ruptured
appendix and gangrene had set in. The doctors told him that he would not survive more
that twelve hours....
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