Handcuff secrets by Conjuring Arts Research Center

HANDCUFF SECRETS BY HARRY HOUDINI

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HANDCUFF SECRETS

111 J l

HANDCUFF SECRETS HARRY HOUDINI

LONDON GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS, NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON & CO. 1910

LIMITED *•*

PREFACE TN publishing this book, revealing as it docs, clearly and concisely, the various tricks performed, and artifices used, by many of the so-called Manacle Monarchs, Handcuff Kings, and Jail Breakers, I do so without intent to offend those performers who work on thoroughly legitimate lines. Doubtless, however, those performers who issue lying challenges at Jail Breakers and Handcuff Kings, those who feebly endeavour to imitate, those who make fictitious statements and offers of large sums of money to any one who can produce police regulation handcuffs from any part of the universe from which they cannot release themselves, those who evade the critical tests (which might crop up in such challenges) by fraud and colossal lying, those are the individuals who may have something to say against the divulging of their various methods of hoodwinking a credulous public ; nevertheless, in the following pages startling revelations of the modus opcrandi of such performers are to be found. You will doubtless have seen announcements of some so-called Handcuff King who issues such a challenge as mentioned, couched in sensational phraseology, and perhaps you have paused and wondered that " such things

PREFACE

could be," and you would have wished to test him, sceptical as to the genuineness of the challenge, but you refrained from doing so. Had you, however, done so, and sought permission to step on the stage as a member of the committee to apply your tests, it would be very probable you would not have been allowed to appear before the audience, unless you had the common ordinary handcuff alone, and not special irons, the manipulation of which might baffle him, and if you persisted in your desire to test him, you would in all probability be escorted off with the accompaniment of very forcible language, and you would find yourself promptly ejected through the nearest exit by some one of more physical prowess than yourself, amid derision and taunts, as such a type of performer hesitates at nothing to gain his ends, and only permits on his stage those with the common ordinary manacles, and confederates who have already been " planted" amongst the audience and supplied with handcuffs and other irons by the performer and his assistants. Confederates ? Impossible that such could be the case â&#x20AC;&#x201D;that the performance could be repeated night after night, with a change of committee each time, without exposure, but as the original Handcuff King of world-wide experience, I think I may be accepted as an authority, and I know for an absolute fact that it is so, having met such adventurous, would-be imitators in various parts of the world. In speaking of confederates, it is quite admissible to have a few pair of handcuffs given to some persons in your

PREFACE

audience beforehand, as it is quite possible that no one might have brought any, and if there were no cuffs present you could not perform, unless you introduced some of your own on the stage, which would weaken the performance considerably, and it is always well to be ready for such contingency ; but this act does not prevent others of your audience acting on committeeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and my remarks relative to confederates are, where none are allowed on the stage, except confederatesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;herein chiefly lies the imposition. To my present knowledge no reliable work has been written, exclusively dealing with this subject, but I have come across some flimsy leaflets, here and there, which aim at explaining some methods adopted, but the attempts at revealing the secrets are so vague, vapid, and unfinished, that no one could grasp at the writer's meaning, not even those who have already been initiated in some of the mysteries of the subject under consideration. This book is purposely written for the benefit of professionals, amateur magicians, and those desirous of becoming adepts in entertaining and mystifying their friends, etc., with escapes and tricks with handcuffs and other fetters. I also explain a way in a lucid manner to present some startling, novel illusions and deceptions hitherto unpublished, such as the strait-jacket, lock-picking and files for same, American and Continental handcuffs, etc. I shall not delve into the very deep intricacies of some of the great modern feats of handcuff manipulations, and jail-breaking, as accomplished by myself, but shall explain a way in a simple fashion how my performances have been

xii

PREFACE

initiated, and plagiarized by those self-styled world's greatest Manacle Kings, Handcuff Monarchs, Jail-breakers, and dealers in material for the craft, so that you at least will find a storehouse of information in these pages to enable you with a little practice and patience to give a very creditable and mystifying performance. The numerous illustrations interspersed through these pages are taken in most instances from photographs, and will, I hope, enhance its usefulness, as they enable the reader at once to follow with quick perception the detailed explanations given. HARRY HOUDINI

CONTENTS CHATTER

PA .1'

I. INTRODUCTORY II.

OPENING SEALED HANDCUFFS

. .

III.

BLUNDERS OF SOME HANDCUFF EXPOSERS

IV.

FAKE OR SPOOF MANACLE

V. VI. VII.

AMERICAN MANACLES

•

. 8 .

13 -25

•

FRENCH LETTER CUFF .

-42

LOCK PICKERS

.50

.56

.62

VIII. SAFE-OPENING MICROMETER IX.

SKELETON KEYS .

COLOGNE POLICE SUED FOR LIBEL

.67

XI.

MORE LOCK-PICKING IMPLEMENTS

-73

STRAIT-JACKET RELEASE

.80

. 8 3

XII.

XIII.

METHOD OF ESCAPE

XIV.

HISTORICAL LOCK-PICKING CONTESTS, WITH JAMES SARGENT AS THE CENTRE FIGURE

XV.

HANDCUFFS AND THEIR KEYS .

10c

ILLUSTRATIONS PortraitoftheAuthor .

. Froniu^ece PACK

C o m m o n English Regulation Handcuffs 3 " Plug 8" Handcuffs 4 False Finger with Key concealed . . . . . . . 5 False Finger to conceal K e y . . . . . . . 6 " S p l i t K e y " f o r E n g l i s h Cuffs 6 H i t t i n g Cuff t o o p e n 8 Snips, o r C o m e - a l o n g ; E n g l i s h R e g u l a t i o n Cuff without C h a i n s . 9 Cuffs w i t h K e y h o l e u n d e r n e a t h . . . . . . . 10 Cuff m a n u f a c t u r e d b y A. Stotz if " P l u g 8 " Handcuff 14 Cuff from w h i c h H i l m a r failed t o e s c a p e . . . . . 17 Scotland Yard Adjustables 20 O l d a n d N e w K e y for t h e s a m e . . . . . . . 2 1 Neck-cuff or Collar . . . . . . . . . 24 Fake o r Spoof Manacle 27 Captain E . D . Bean . . . . . . . . . 50 Thumb-cuff . . . . . . . . . . . 32 T h u m b - s c r e w used in t h e Bastille . . . . . . 32 Handcuffs invented b y H e r m a n Ahrcnd . . . . - 3 3 T o w e r a n d L y o n D o u b l e - l o c k , C o b b 1 9 0 0 Cuff, P i n k e r t o n D e t e c tive Cuff . . . . . . . . . . 34 A p p a r a t u s for O p e n i n g R a t c h e t Cuffs . . . . . . 35 B o s t o n B e a n P r i s o n Cuff, B e a n G i a n t a n d B e a n P r i s o n L e g - i r o n 3 6 A m e r i c a n A r m y Cuff, A m e r i c a n P r i s o n A d j u s t a b l e L e g - i r o n s , G u i t e a u Cuff, J e r s e y Cuff, L i l l y I r o n . . . . - 3 7 S o u t h G e r m a n Cuff, B e r l i n e r Cuff, H o u d i n i B e l l L o c k Cuff, S p a n i s h M a n a c l e , T h u m b - s c r e w used in Bastille . . 38

xvi

ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE

F r e n c h Cuff with Letter Lock, R u s s i a n Leg-irons, E g y p t i a n H a n d a n d Leg-iron, R u s s i a n M a n a c l e 1902 . . - 3 9 G e r m a n T r a n s p o r t Chain, W a y to Fasten it

T h e same, Pulling the First H a n d Out

T h e same, Freeing the Second H a n d

Method of Opening French Letter Lock Sections o f F r e n c h Letter Cuff Engelberto Klcppini

James Sargent

. .

Sargent's Instruments toOpen Combination Locks

54, 5 5

. .

Original and Skeleton Key

. 63

Adjustable Skeleton Key

S k e l e t o n K e y s (28)

63 65

L o c k - p i c k i n g I m p l e m e n t s F o l d i n g i n t o a H a n d l e (2 illns.) .

66 69, 7 0

L o c k - p i c k i n g I m p l e m e n t s for O p e n i n g L a t c h - l o c k F a s t e n i n g s Wire Pekes

41 - 4 3

. .

I n s t r u m e n t s f o r R e m o v i n g P l u g f r o m 'â&#x20AC;˘ P l u g 8 " C u f f

Elastic Garter

. 71

Lock-pickers .

M a s t e r K e y s useful on the R i m - l o c k

M a s t e r K e y s for a n A m e r i c a n L o c k

M a s t e r K e y for C o m m o n W a r d L o c k s .

Front View o f Strait-jacket .

Back View of Strait-jacket

HANDCUFF SECRETS CHAPTER I INTRODUCTORY

N writing this book on handcuff tricks and allied mysteries, I simply do so as a great many people imagine you must have exceptionally rare talent to become a handcuff king, but such is not the case. The primary lesson is, to learn to use both hands with equal facility, asâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;if I may use a proverbial expressionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;one hand washes the other, but in this case one hand releases or unlocks the other. The method adopted by me to acquire this end was, when at table I practised to use the left hand persistently until I could use it almost easily as the right. In addressing your audience do not become bombastic or overbearing in demeanour, but speak as you would to critical friends, thereby gaining their confidence and sympathy and, no matter what may worry or trouble you, never let your audience detect any irritability or ill temper, but always display a bright and pleasing manner. Nothing is more offensive to an audience than a performer to appear surly and bad tempered. He is there to please the public, and to do so he must be on the best of terms with himself and, I may add, in the best of humour. B

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