Houdini's First Straitjacket Escape in Washington D.C.

I was going through some old files today and came across an image I had set aside 'for the right time'. As I looked at the date on the image, April 19th, 1916 (98 years ago today) I figured THIS must be the time for this article...except, I apparently already wrote that article a year ago. So, this is a follow up to what I wrote then.

First, let's begin with this little blurb to my right, from the Washington Times, April 18th, 1916. It describes the escape that Houdini has planned for the following day and invites people out to cheer him on. For historical accuracy they mention that the escape will take place in front of the Munsey Building.

I remember the first time I found out about this detail. I had no idea where the Munsey Building was and it took a fair amount of time to figure it out. As fate would have it, even after I found out where it was, I still made some minor errors in my assumptions.

The Munsey Building was in the 1300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue. The Munsey Building was where The Washington Times Newspaper had their offices. That would explain the extra special coverage Houdini was getting from their paper.

Munsey Building in 1919. (Smithsonian Institution)

The photo above is pretty much what the Munsey Building looked like when Houdini did his escape. The smaller building to the left is the old Washington Post Newspaper building. And hidden by the trees on the right is where the National Theatre resides. The Munsey Building was torn down in the early 1980s, the Washington Post building was torn down long before that. In place of the Munsey building is a Marriot Hotel.

I will reprint the front page of the April 19th, 1916 Washington Times Newspaper for you, enjoy...

HOUDINI GETS OUT OF JACKET 100 FEET IN AIR

More than 15,000 Persons Cheer as "Handcuff King"

Frees Himself Hanging Head Down

FREES SELF IN 2 1/2 MINUTES

More than 15,000 persons saw Harry Houdini hanged today in front of the Times Building. In just 2 minutes and 30 seconds from the time he was swung into mid-air, trussed up in a strait-jacket from which there is said to be no escape, Houdini wiggled himself free, waved his arm and was lowered to the ground.

As Houdini freed himself from the jacket, the crowd sent up a cheer which could be heard for blocks. As a moment later, Houdini waved his arm to the yelling, applauding throng, and while the cameras and motion picture machines clicked, the men who held the ropes let him down.

CROWDS JAM STREETS

Persons who saw the great throng from windows of nearby buildings said it was the biggest crowd ever assembled in Washington at one place, except for the inauguration of a President. Pennsylvania Avenue and E Street from Thirteenth to Fourteenth Streets were literally jammed. Human beings were packed as tight and close as sardines in a can.

Had To Get Police Aid

There came near being no Houdini hanging. There were too many spectators. The "handcuff king" and Manager Robbins, of Keith's Theater found it necessary to call for police aid to get through the mob that assembled in front of the Munsey building. Robbins was left behind in the automobile, and Captain Peck conducted the star performer of the day to the platform that had been built for him by main strength.
"That's worse than getting out of a straitjacket" said Houdini, when he reached the platform, puffing and setting his clothes back in place, from (continued below)

(click image to enlarge)

Houdini D.C. Challenges

The photograph of Houdini hanging upside down in a straight jacket with the Washington Monument in the distance and the Treasury Building across the street is quite famous. Although in the photo to the left the monument is not visible.  I always assumed that this was the only time he did an out door stunt in D.C.. However, I was mistaken. That escape took place in front of the Keith's Vaudeville Theatre on January 12, 1922 (today). It just so happens that the National Press Club had their offices in the same building as the theatre at the time, which I'm sure had something to do with the iconic photo that was taken. But there were earlier publicity escapes and challenges that took place in Washington D.C..


Early Challenges

Let's begin in January of 1906.  New Years Day 1906 he escaped from a jail cell at the 10th Precinct  625 Park Road NW in D.C. (Turns out the building IS still there, though I had originally reported that it wasn't. ). A few days later on January 6th Houdini escapes from the Jail Cell that once held the assassin of President Garfield at the D.C. Jail. He was no stranger to pulling out all the stops when he came to the Nation's Capital.

In fact, also in 1906 Houdini accepted a challenge to escape from a man sized Paper Bag. He also took on the challenge to escape from a zinc lined Knabe piano case. If that wasn't enough both Saks & Company (they would later become Saks Fifth Avenue Dept Store) and S. Kann Sons & Company (The first D.C. area Department store) challenged Houdini to get out of a packing crates that they built.  These challenges took place at the Chase Theatre which was previously known as The Grand Opera House and was located at 1424 Pennsylvania Ave NW, directly across the street from the Willard Hotel.

Following Houdini's departure from D.C., a local athletic teacher Maurice Joyce said he would expose how Houdini did his escapes. He did this at the Columbia Theatre. Please remember this name as later in the year I'm going to do a piece on the Columbia Theatre in D.C.. Mr. Joyce claimed the boxes and cases were all made per Houdini's instructions and were faked by the builders. All of the challengers said Mr. Joyce was a liar, more than likely he just didn't know and this was good a chance as any to gain some personal fame for himself.

The First Outdoor Straight Jacket Escape in D.C.

The Munsey Building in Wash D.C.

Then years later on April 19, 1916, Houdini is back and this time he is hung upside down 100 ft in the air outside of the Munsey Building. It took him two minutes and thirty seconds to free himself from the straight jacket! The police claimed that over 100,000 people watched Houdini's escape. They also said it was the single biggest crowd next to an Inaugural Event in the city's history. At least that is what the Kalush biography states. The Washington Times reported 15,000 and then the following day corrected that up to 20,000. Clearly they couldn't count any better in 1916 than they do counting crowds in DC today! One more note about the Munsey Building Straightjacket escape, and I didn't realize this when I first posted the article. Apparently, the Washington Times Newspapers Offices are located IN the Munsey Building. Well Done Houdini!

When I first read about this escape I searched and searched for the Munsey building and came up with nothing. And then one day I found it, and I was rather surprised at where it was. The Munsey building was directly next door to the National Theatre on Pennsylvania Ave. The day before his straight jacket stunt he gave an interview to the Washington Times. It's an interesting interview because he says that he's been escaping for 'thirty years' and so far has never been stuck. But eventually someone will come along and trap him so he's about ready to hang it up. He also mentions he'll continue to perform but presenting things that are not quite as spectacular. Well first, thirty years from the date of the newspaper would have made Houdini 12 years old, so I'm not sure that's quite accurate. Secondly, this is 1916, and six years from when this article came out, he does another upside down straight jacket escape promoting his appearance at Keith's Vaudeville Theatre that I mentioned above. The problem was, Houdini wasn't Houdini unless he was doing spectacular things.

Houdini and Politicians

While at Keith's President Woodrow Wilson took his wife to see Houdini perform the Water Torture Cell. Keith's was actually President Wilson's favorite theatre and he attended performances there often. According the the Silverman biography, following the show Wilson said to Houdini that he envied his ability to get out of tight situations. Although for facts sake, the Kalush Biography says this exchange actually happened in Dec 1914 (two years previous) when Houdini received a private invitation to visit the President at the White House. Who cares it's still a pretty big compliment from the President of the United States!

Were there more? You bet there were. But I'm actually still gathering data on all of it. You see something that I never considered before was that when Houdini was appearing somewhere, part of his deal was that he would accept challenges daily. So in a two week span of time he could have 14 different challenges.

Apparently Houdini made quite an impression on other politicians in town as well. The same day that President Wilson attended a performance of Houdini's at Keith's theatre, Houdini later went to the Visitors Gallery at the Capital Building and was spotted by Vice President Marshall. The Vice President waved to Houdini and slowly and gradually others did as well. The Washington Times said "in show business terms, Houdini stopped the show!" Vice President Marshall sent a note to Houdini who was then taken to the V.P's office. Several other Senators showed up and Houdini did an impromptu performance for the members of congress right there in the Vice President's Office. Houdini was quoted as saying "it was the proudest moment of his life".  This quote was in regards to having Wilson see him at Keith's and then later sharing the afternoon with members of congress.

There is much more to Houdini in D.C. but most of that deals with his fight against Spiritualism which I'll save for another time.

Houdini in D.C. 97 Years Ago Today

Harry Houdini was in the Nation's Capital, Washington D.C. on April 19th, 1916 and he had a busy day scheduled. He was going to present what I think was his FIRST hanging straight jacket escape in Washington that day. There was an enormous crowd that had gathered to watch Houdini attempt the impossible. The Washington Times newspaper said that there were more than 15,000 spectators who came out to watch Houdini. The paper also said "Persons who saw the great throng from windows of nearby buildings said it was the biggest crowd ever assembled in Washington at one place except for the inauguration of a President."

Houdini was appearing at the Keith's Vaudeville Theatre on 15th, which was about a block from where the straight jacket escape would take place. This particular escape is not the one captured in the famous photo of Houdini hanging upside down in front of the Treasury Building. In fact, that escape took place in 1922. The first hanging straight jacket escape by Houdini in Washington D.C. took place in front of the Munsey Building. It was also known as the Times Building and today is known as the Marriott Building. It is located right next to the National Theatre at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 14th Street. I am assuming Houdini hung on the side facing Pennsylvania Avenue because he would be seen by more spectators from that side. Due to the fact it was the Times Building probably explains the front page coverage of his escape in the Washington Times Newspaper.

Houdini in a Straight Jacket (not from D.C. stunt however)*

The paper says that a derrick was erected and hung out of a 5th floor window. Ropes and pulleys were attached to this which would later raise Houdini from the ground. The straight jacket he was placed in seems to be different from the standard. The paper says "Houdini was strapped into this jacket with his arms bound to his sides with heavy leather bands and buckles. His hands were in front of him and all of the buckles were in the back where he could not possibly reach them." It sounds like a slightly different kind of jacket because of the leather bands that held Houdini's arms to his sides. But it could have just been a normal leather straight jacket and this was how the reporter perceived it.

Houdini was raised between 75-100 ft in the air and freed himself in 2.5 minutes.

Houdini gives an interview to the newspaper before the escape and has this to say, "I've about reached my limit, it seems to me. For the last thirty years, or thereabouts, I've been getting out of all sorts of things human ingenuity has devised to confine a human being. Up to date there hasn't been anything made that confined my activities to any alarming extent. But some day some chap is going to make one. And I'm going to quit with a clean record before he comes along. I've about made up my mind that this is the last stunt I'll perform. Hereafter, I intend to work entirely with my brain. See these gray hairs? They mean something. I'm not as young as I was. I've had to work hard to keep ahead of the procession. I'll still be entertaining the public for many years to come. But I intend to do it along lines not quite so spectacular. As an escapist extraordinary I feel that I'm about through."

Houdini said that in 1916 and he would have been 42 years old. But apparently, he did not retire from escapes as he continued to do them for another 10 years, until his untimely death.

*The photo is not from the 1916 D.C. Straight Jacket Escape. I did find a photo that 'might' have been from that escape because of the configuration of the jacket, but I don't know who owns it so I just skipped by it.

Also, the above link on the Munsey Building will take you to an article I wrote about Houdini's D.C. Challenges and there is a photo of the building as it looked around the time of Houdini.

HOUDINI 110 Years Ago Today In Washington DC

 

(Library of Congress)

What are you doing today, April 19? Well, exactly 110 years ago, if you were strolling through Washington DC on Pennsylvania Avenue, you'd stumble upon a huge crowd of people watching a man dangling from a rope 4 stories in the air. That same man is hanging upside down by his ankles and is wearing a straight jacket. Yes, it's Harry Houdini and he is in the Nation's Capital promoting his appearances in town. 

The location today is the building next to the National Theater on Pennsylvania Avenue. The original Munsey building was torn down in 1980. At the time of Houdini's escape, the Munsey building also housed the offices of the Washington Times Newspaper. In previous articles I wrote on this escape, I never had a photo of the event. But it occurred to me that if Houdini had done this escape in front of a newspaper office, there MUST BE photos. And sure enough, I found some!

Magic Site Seeing in the Nation's Capital

Originally this blog article was specifically for those attending the Washington D.C. Symposium on Magic History. I wanted to share with you some interesting sites to see while you are in town that are all magic related. But now the S.A.M. Convention is here, so for all those attending please enjoy this guide as well!

1. The location of the old Al's Magic Shop. If you knew Al Cohen, or had ever been to the shop, you know what a great guy Al was as a demonstrator. His shop was a hang out for many over the years. The final location of the shop was at 1012 Vermont Avenue NW. The original shop location was torn down in the late 1970s.

2. Robert Heller spots. Robert Heller was a resident of Washington D.C. for several years. Neither of his homes are still there, but I will give you the locations. The first place he lived in Washington is 260 F. Street NW. which is today a parking lot that is at the corner of 3rd and F st. St. (see link)
The next place that William Henry Palmer/Robert Heller lived in D.C. was 447 13th Street NW. Today the Warner Theatre sits at this location. He also played piano at the Church of the Epiphany at 1317 G St NW, Washington, DC.

3.  HOUDINI in D.C.. Harry Houdini was all over the D.C. First spot would be Old Ebbitt's Grill,

which is located across the street from the Treasury Building at 675 15th St NW. This is the location of Keith's Vaudeville Theatre and also the spot where in January 12th of 1922 Houdini hung upside down and escaped from a Straight Jacket.  If you walk up the street to the brown building you can get almost the identical view as seen in the photo to the left. Slightly down the street from Keith's Vaudeville Theatre location is the 'W' Hotel, which used to be the Hotel Washington and Bess and Harry stayed here several times on their visits to D.C. That hotel was also featured in the Godfather Movie.
Houdini's first hanging straight jacket escape in D.C. was from the Munsey Building which today is the J W Marriott Hotel at 1331 Pennsylvania Ave NW. Houdini also performed at the Chase Theatre while in town but it's long gone. The Old DC Jail where Houdini escaped from the cell of the assasin of President Garfield was located at 625 Park Road NW in D.C.(it is no longer there, a church stands in the lot where the jail used to be). See also, Capital Building and White House.
This link also describes the Challenges Houdini presented while in D.C. http://www.themagicdetective.com/2011/01/houdini-dc-challenges.html

4. Harry Kellar in D.C. Kellar performed a number of places in D.C. including the National Theatre (see address below) The Columbia Theatre 1112 F St NW but is gone now and Ford's Theatre on 511 10th St NW. 
 
5. The National Theatre 1321 Pennsylvania Ave NW. This is a historic theatre which still happens to be open and operational. Magicians who had performed there include: Robert Heller, Alexander Herrmann, Harry Kellar, Harry Blackstone Sr. and Penn and Teller.

6. National Theatre/Helen Hayes Theatre this is a smaller theatre within the National Theatre. During the Civil War days it was a pool hall frequented by none other than John Wilkes Booth. Today it's a small theatre where performances are given on select Mondays and Saturdays throughout the year. Countless D.C. area magicians have performed in this room, including ME!

7. MAX MALINI in D.C. Malini performed in several places in D.C. including The Willard Hotel
1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW (Houdini and Bess were also known to stay at this hotel). The Roosevelt Hotel 2101 16th St NW Washington is another spot where Max Malini set up shop, but today they are apartments. See also Capital Building and White House.

9. Alexander Herrmann in D.C.. Herrmann the Great appeared at the National Theatre (see address above) and also performed along with Compars Herrmann at the White House in the East Room to entertain none other than Abraham Lincoln.

10. Wyman The Wizard in D.C. John Wyman Jr. performed at Odd Fellows Hall fairly regularly when he was in Washington at 419 7th St N.W. He also performed for President Lincoln at the White House in the East Room. Wyman lived on 6th St in D.C. but I don't have an exact address and I'm sure the building is gone.

11. Signor Blitz in D.C. There is a story of Blitz running into Abraham Lincoln at the Summer White House (known today as Lincoln's Cottage) 140 Rock Creek Church Rd NW where Blitz did some magic and the President and magician had an interesting exchange.

12. The Capital Building & White House. There is more 'magic' going on in these places than any magician could ever do! But I'll give you a brief run down of some historical moments. Max Malini bit the button off Senator Hanna's coat on the steps of the Capital Building. Malini also gave an impromptu performance in the Marble Room of the Capital. Houdini gave his testimony before Congress at the Capital Building during the debate over Fortune Telling in the district.

The White House has seen countless magicians. Alexander & Compars Herrmann performed for Lincoln in the East Room of the White House. Houdini was known to have been invited to the White House. Howard Thurston performed there during the White House Easter Egg Roll, as did Al Cohen,
David Williamson, Silly Billy, the entire cast of the Le Grand David Spectacular Magic Company from Beverly Mass, Doug Henning, Harry Blackstone Jr., Steve Wyrick, Wayne Alan, Trixie Bond, Ralph The Great, Dean Carnegie, Dave Risley, Mac King, Ken Scott, Mark Daniel, Ray Goulet, Mike Bent, Emanuel Shabum, Eric Henning, The Pro Kids Show performers, Adam Ace, James Wand, and many many others from all over the WORLD!

13. Henry Ridgely Evans in D.C. Henry Ridgely Evans the prolific magic writer lived in D.C. and is buried here. His grave is in the Oak Hill Cemetery 3001 R St NW. Grave location: Stewart- Lot 610 East

14. Fords Theatre in D.C.. Of course, this is the historic theatre at 511 10th St NW where President Lincoln was shot. But it was also a spot where Harry Kellar performed and then years later, Lance Burton, The Pendragons and others have performed there for the Gala for The President. This building once had a sister location in Baltimore where Harry Kellar passed his mantle to Howard Thurston. That Ford's Theatre is no longer there.

15. Next is the Library of Congress which has quite a lot of magic posters and ephemera in it's collection. The Houdini collection is housed in the Jefferson Building and I think you need an appointment.

Houdini Washington D.C. Hotels

The Willard in 1905 When Houdini Would Have Stayed There

I was curious as to where Houdini stayed when he was in Washington D.C. and I discovered rather quickly that one of the places was the Willard Hotel. The Willard is a DC landmark and has had many famous guests over it's very long life. Interestingly there is a plaque on the side of the building listing some of it's famous guests, Houdini's name is missing from the list. Yet I have no clue who a number of the people listed are. But on the Willards website they do list Houdini as a guest, as do a number of other sites related to the Willard.

The Willard is located at 1401-1409 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington DC.. This is across the street from one of Houdini's early theaters, Chase's Polite Vaudeville Theatre, which was located at 1424 Pennsylvania Ave NW. It was in the old Grand Opera House and was demolished long ago.

Houdini and Bess also stayed at The Hotel Washington on 15th St. That hotel recently became the 'W' Hotel. It is a few doors down from Keith's Vaudeville Theatre (15th and G St), where Houdini often performed and where he did one of his upside down straight jacket escapes in Washington D.C. On Jan 12th 1922, Houdini hung upside down in a straightjacket in front of Keith's. This is an iconic photo in the history of Houdini as it often shows the Treasury building across the street and some photos even catch a glimpse of the Washington Monument in the distance.

The old Munsey Building where in April 1916 Houdini did his first upside down straight jacket escape is not far from this, also on Pennsylvania Ave. and that location today is a Marriott Hotel, but Houdini did not stay there as it wasn't around at the time.

There were likely more hotels that the Houdinis stayed in as he performed in DC a lot during his career. But much has changed in DC, the majority of the theaters that existed at the turn of the century are gone. Keith's was demolished in the 1980s. The Gayety Theatre on 9th St. where Houdini performed in 1912 is also long gone. Even the Old DC Jail where Houdini did his famous escape from the cell belonging to Garfield's Assassin is also long gone. And that brings us back to the Willard because Houdini was performing at Chase's in 1906 when he did the jail escape so he likely was staying at The New Willard.

(This originally appeared in Nov 2010 on my blog. Some of the information was incorrect, so I have updated it and republished it nearly 10 years later, with accurate info!)