HOUDINI ARRESTED!!!!

I'm amazed at the number of newspaper articles which have used Houdini's name in the headline referring to some criminal. Usually, it refers to someone who got away from the police. In February of 1907, in the Pawtucket Times Newspaper, an article appeared that at first glance I assumed was this same sort of thing. But I went back and read it and to my surprise, it was about Houdini being arrested.

HOTEL CLERK CAUSES ARREST OF HOUDINI

Claims Handcuff King Assaulted Him After Challenge

Providence. Feb 11-Houdini, the handcuff king was arrested Saturday afternoon on a charge of assault brought by a local hotel clerk. The clerk alleges that he challenged Houdini to a test of skill and that he was assaulted by the great attraction at Keith's. Bonds were placed at $3000, which were furnished by Manager Lovenberg of the theatre.

This is a frustrating piece of news. Not because Houdini was arrested, but because I could find no newspaper report which gave a follow-up. It also looks like it happened at the end of his run in Rhode Island and on the day when Houdini was about to travel to Boston for a weeks worth of shows. There is no mention of it anywhere that I can locate. Perhaps, the charges were dropped, who knows? The arrest didn't stop Houdini from performing in Providence as he was back in 1911 at Keith's.

Anyone with details of what happened following the arrest, please let me know so I can add it to the story.

A Mysterious Houdini Girlfriend

Minnie and Hattie Mooser

Over the years, there has been speculation that Houdini might not have been so faithful to Bess as the legend tried to portray him. First revelation was Daisy White back in the 1970s. Then Kenneth Silverman revealed Charmian London, the widow of writer Jack London. John Cox wrote the definitive blog on Houdini and his 'girlfriends'. He revealed quite a few that I had not heard of. I knew of one that had not been mentioned and held onto it thinking I had a big revelation. But I have since discovered that this one was revealed in The Secret Life of Houdini by Bill Kalush. The reason I'm writing about it though is because both Mr. Kalush and I got the information from the same sources, a newspaper article and a first hand account from escape artist Steve Baker, and I have something to share at the end that wasn't covered in the Secret Life of Houdini.

Hattie Mooser was the 'mysterious girlfriend' I wish to share with you. She was born in 1878 in Nevada but grew up in Sacramento CA. For a number of years, Hattie and her sister Minnie ran a restaurant called the Aladdin Studio Tiffin Room in the Chinatown section of San Fransisco.  This was a popular hang out for folks in the theatrical business. According to Hattie, when the Houdini's were in town they made the place their headquarters.

Hattie was kind of vague about her relationship to Houdini when she spoke to the press, referring to Houdini as an adopted brother. But she revealed to Steve Baker that he was far more than a brother! More like, kissing cousins! There is an article that appeared in the Feb 17th, 1967 edition of the Oakland Tribune Newspaper. It's an interesting interview with Hattie and her sister Minnie. In the article Hattie claims to have met Houdini through her brother Leon. But I'm skeptical of the story she relates. She said that it was her brother that booked Houdini to work at the Palace Theatre in NYC. She also went on to say that Houdini didn't even own a tuxedo and her brother loaned him one of his. Further, she goes on to state that Houdini almost didn't go on stage to perform and her brother had to shove him onto the stage.

There exist photos of a very young Houdini wearing a tuxedo, so that part of the story doesn't ring true to me. And the notion that Houdini was too frightened to go out on the stage of the Palace Theatre really strikes me as untrue. No date is given when this took place, but if it happened earlier in Houdini's career, then who knows, maybe it did. One thing is for certain, Houdini knew the Moosers.

Tower of Jewels

In the article, Hattie mentions that Houdini took her to see his movie, 'The Man From Beyond'. She actually told him afterwards that she thought it was awful and was shocked someone could convince him to invest in such a thing! She also mentions in the article going with Houdini to the 1915 San Fransisco Worlds Fair. She was able to get them into the Tower of Jewels, which was a large Italianate main tower adorned with 102,000 glass gems that sparkled when swayed by the wind. Hattie said "We went to dinner afterwards and he asked when my sister and I would observe our birthdays. I asked him why and he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of jewels. You know, nobody took their eyes off of him when he was in the tower and I have no idea how he got them." But don't take that to assume Houdini was a thief, as I have discovered that the Fair sold jeweled souvineers and I'll bet thats what he gave to Hattie and her sister.

Hattie also claims to have substituted for Bess in the show. She very well may have acted as one of the female assistants.  Then there is the revelation that Houdini shared with her one of the secrets to his jail escapes. This did not appear in the newspaper. She shared this information with Steve Baker during a private visit he had with the sisters. She swore Steve to secrecy and to my knowledge he has only shared that information with one individual.

Hattie and Minnie both lived a long life. Hattie lived to be 92 and her sister Minnie lived to be 98. While doing additional research on the Moosers I discovered that The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life at the Bancroft Library University of California Berkley has a collection of scrapbooks and other documents belonging to the Moosers. There is memorabilia from the 1915 Worlds Fair, which are probably the jewels given to them by Houdini. This is the information on that collection: Collection #: WJHC 1968.012 AR1

There just might be a whole new chapter in the Houdini saga sitting in the pages of those scrapbooks. The photo of Houdini that can be seen in the background of the picture at the top of the blog is not among the collection. That 20x36 photo was auctioned off in 2004 and went for over $10,000. Houdini had signed it to Hattie, "To my good friend Hattie Mooser, 'My brain is the key that sets me free' Houdini, 3/23/23."

Houdini Hired To Entertain in Backyard

Belmont House, Newport R.I.

Imagine just for a moment, if you could hire the biggest name in show business to entertain at your private event for a handful of guests. That would be like hiring Elvis, Sinatra, Madonna, or Beyonce today. Now it would be a long shot, but if they said yes, you wouldn't expect them to do their full show. Maybe a couple songs and that would be it. IF they would even agree. Get this...

The date was August 21, 1912 and Houdini had been hired to entertain the guests of a garden party in Newport Rhode Island. He was hired by Mrs. August Belmont, any idea who that was? August Belmont was the man who built the Belmont Racepark in NY where they still hold the Belmont Stakes. He was the first president of The Jockey Club and chairman of the New York State Racing Commission. He was also a wealthy banker and the chairman of the board for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. Suffice to say, he was probably one of the richest men in America at the time.

Houdini was hired to perform at a garden party for Mrs. August Belmont and her guests! Mrs. Belmont wanted to be sure that Houdini used no confederates in his act, so she asked Hermann Oelrichs and Preston Gibson to serve as a 'committee' to see that his performance was above board. Houdini proceeded to do a few tricks in the backyard of the mansion to the delight of the guests. Then, Mr. Gibson and Mr. Oelrichs were instructed to tie up Houdini with ropes and then lock him into a large wooden box. Yes, you are reading this correctly. They tied him up, locked him in a box....

Then the box was carried over to a yacht which was just offshore. All of the guests lined up along the cliff to watch what was about to come. Houdini, still inside the box, was pushed off into the water! He was hired to entertain at a private event and do the Overboard Packing Crate Escape!!!! The crowd of extremely wealthy people acted like any other group of people, they stood spellbound, transfixed as bubbles came up to the surface of the water while the box sunk below the sea. The tension was beyond belief when suddenly Houdini burst out of the water, free from his watery confinement. I wonder if they cheered or if he received polite golf-like claps. Actually, to quote the paper "there were ejaculations of astonishment when Houdini rose to the surface."

That has got to be one of the coolest Houdini stories I've ever heard. And one of the strangest newspaper quotes regarding Houdini.

Houdini doing the Overboard Crate Escape in 1912 (this photo not from Belmont party)