The Search for Boudini

I must admit I am fascinated by this story. The event takes place September 20th 1905 and is a challenge between Houdini and someone who is referred to in newspaper articles as 'his erstwhile pupil, Jacques Boudini, or as the paper printed his name Bondini.

The newspaper, The New York Times. reports, "When recently Houdini returned to this country, he found, Bondini, his erstwhile pupil, was usurping his field here." So basically, Houdini challenged this guy name Jacques Boudini to an underwater escape challenge. They were on the Fred B. Dalzell tug boat, along with a group of reporters.  Both had handcuffs and leg irons placed on and were tied with a rope around the waist and lowered into the water below. They both went under at the same time and then, silence. At least for one minute and a half when Houdini's head bobbed above the surface of the water. He asked, "Is Bondini Up Yet?", and the crowd replied NO! Houdini showed he was free from the cuffs and went back underwater. A minute later, Bondini came out of the water and reports say he didn't look well. He was still shackled as before. Then, he drifted back in the water. Houdini, came back up and again asked, "Is Bondini Up Yet?" again the crowd replied no. Then Houdini went back down for a third time but this time showed his ankles were free as well, as he went back into the water. I wonder, if he was looking for Bondini? There was no reason to go back under at this point. A minute later Houdini emerged and asked to be pulled up by the rope. Then the men grabbed the other rope and pulled out of the water a lifeless Bondini. He was rolled around (that sounds very medically sound) and he did come to. But he was still stuck in all the cuffs and ankle restraints. Houdini was  clear winner of the contest. 

Who was this guy? Erstwhile pupil? There are theories. Probably, two of the most current are from Pat Culliton who thought at one time Boudini might have been Jacob Hyman. He has since changed his thought on this and thinks it might be Leonard Hicks. It's possible, but I'm struggling with this theory only because when Hicks left performing, he was done. Yet. Boudini, shows up in 1912, and later. Still, the theory is plausible.

Let examine this theory further. The original showdown with Houdini and Boudini takes place in 1905. Hicks meets Houdini in 1906 in Chicago and is invited to be his protege.  a year after the apparent Boudini/Bordini event. However, the meeting in Chicago was actually the second time they met. Originally the two met in Richmond VA years before.

Then in 1907 Houdini and Boudini both appear in Boston, at different venues but at the same time (see image left). In fact, Houdini's billing says "HOUDINI -NOBODY CAN HOLD HIM"and if you look to the lower left of the image you'll see it says "BOUDINI NOBODY CAN HOLD HIM." And this would be about the time Houdini would be training Hicks.

But the one surviving photo of Boudini and Houdini doesn't really look like Hicks. However, it's such a poor copy of the photo, it's hard to tell who it is. It could very well be Hicks. I'm pretty certain it is not Hyman though.

Dec 1912 The Sphinx reports on page 349, that a team who went by Boudini and Stone were performing at the New Theatre, and presented magic and escapes. This was Washington D.C..  I found a second report of Boudini & Stone from a later date, also doing escapes and magic, but now I can't track it down. I want to say it was the 1930s after Houdini had died. It's possible that it's just another person named Boudini and NOT the one who was involved in the 1905 challenge. But if this is the same Boudini that Houdini challenged then he is not Leonard Hicks.  The reason I say that is due to the fact that Hicks was a hotel owner in 1912 and quite involved in that business at that point. So then, Boudini, if not Hicks, would likely be someone from the east coast, because he only appears in NYC, Boston and Washington DC. Maybe Oudini, the guy from Boston who wrote the booklet on escapes and was working the area in 1900?

One thing puzzles me, ok a bunch of things do, but the newspaper article says, "When recently Houdini returned to this country, he found, Bondini, his erstwhile pupil, was usurping his field here." There is a problem with this statement. There is NO record of a Bondini, or Bourdini, or any B-ini that I can find prior to 1905. NO newspaper reports, nothing. He surely wasn't 'usurping Houdini's field' then. Many folks were led to believe, including some reporters that this whole thing was a stunt created by Houdini to showcase Houdini. That could be and probably was the case.

Going back to the original theory, it could have played out like this. Houdini meets Hicks in Richmond and is aware of his interest in escapes. A few years later, Houdini invites the young Hicks to help him in a stunt in 1905, a one time deal. You'll notice by the report that Houdini keeps popping his head above water asking about Boudini. I think this has less to do with the challenge and more to do with the fact he is concerned for this person's safety. In the end, Boudini survives and goes back to Chicago to work at the Saratoga Hotel that his father owned. Then Houdini comes to Chicago in 1906, stays at the Saratoga Hotel, invites Hicks to his show, the two get to talk, Houdini is grateful for Hick's help in 1905 and offers him the spot to be protege. Why? Because Houdini is heading to Europe in the later part of 1908 and having 'Houdini presents The Great Leonard' keeps his name in the press. Of course, Hicks can't use the Bordini/Boudini name, which is why he goes by Harry Leonard. And the rest is history. The later Boudini and Stone is then not the original, just a coincidence. THAT is one possibility. A clear photo of Boudini might help a lot more figure out his identity but I've scoured a ton of newspapers from that time and have come up with nothing.

Who do you think this Boudini guy was???? Any thoughts? Please leave them in the comments below. Perhaps someone out there has a photo that we don't know about. Maybe together we can figure out this mystery once and for all.

To read a bit more about the Houdini Boudini Challenge, go here.

Another Look At Houdini's Official Protege

I have written about this man before. However, recently, I've uncovered some additional information which helps to give a better picture of who he was. The man's name was William Leonard Hicks and he was hand selected to be Houdini's protege. In fact, his billing was, "The Famous Houdini presents The Great Leonard".

Leonard Hicks's career began in 1908 when Houdini left for Europe. In fact, his entire career seems to span from 1908 to 1909. He was touring with The Famous Sam Devere Show, a mixture of music, comedy and burlesque that featured a huge cast of 40 people. The Great Leonard learned his show from Houdini. In fact, he took up residence at 278 the previous year. He presented handcuff escapes, the Metamorphosis and an effect that he called, "The Death Defying Can Mystery", which is better known as The Milk Can Escape.

Like his mentor, Houdini, Hicks also presented outdoor publicity drawing escapes. One of the most harrowing I've ever read took place in Minneapolis MN. It garnered a headline in the Star Tribune Newspaper that read, HANDCUFFED, JUMPS INTO ICY WATER. Indeed, despite snow flurries, The Great Leonard, wearing a bathing suit, and manacled with three pair of handcuffs jumped into the icy water of the Mississippi River at noon on Nov 11th, 1908. According to newspaper reports, he popped out of the water 20 seconds later free from the handcuffs. That was probably the longest 20 seconds of his life! The crowd of around 1000 people cheered when he burst forth out of the water.

A great article from the Pittsburgh Daily Post reveals a bit more about his performing material. His act includes handcuff escapes, the milk can, and even straitjacket escapes. So it really was the same material Houdini had done up until that point. The article mentions his connection to the hotel industry in Chicago and the fact his father owned the Saratoga Hotel, where young Leonard Hicks worked until going off to join the circus, or rather, going off to join Houdini. This article also proved an assumption I had, that Hicks first met Houdini when he lived in Richmond VA and Houdini had been performing there. So there was a previous relationship although it might have been small. It was when Houdini performed in Chicago that the two became reacquainted and Houdini eventually invited Hicks to be his protege. This second meeting was in 1906.

On September 22, 1908 The Great Leonard was in Wilkes-Barre PA appearing at the Luzerne Theatre. On Sept 21st, he went to the West Market Street Bridge, got himself handcuffed and jumped off the bridge into the waters below. The local paper, The Wilkes-Barre News, said, "The act is one of the best public stunts given in this city and was performed before the police could interfere". 

His first public show in the east took place at the Brooklyn Empire Theatre  in Feb 1909. Same material as listed above but with one interesting addition in the article. The paper reads, "This is his first year on the stage and he is making his trip around the Empire circuit more as a lark than anything else and because lock-picking and freeing himself from seemingly impossible barriers is his hobby."

Well, well. That previous sentence really explains a lot. His stage career lasted from 1908 to 1909.  In September 1910, a long article in the Natchez Democrat is all about Mr Hicks purchasing the Grant Hotel in Chicago. And that is his return to the hospitality industry and the conclusion of his stage career.

We don't hear much about Hicks after he goes back to the hotel biz. Though in 1919, he appears in the news as he was elected president of the Hotel Greeters Association. Then in 1925 he wins a Chicago District Golf Association trophy, and again appears in the paper.

Shortly after Houdini's death, Hicks is again in the paper, this time stating that only 4 people knew Houdini's secrets: Theo Hardeen, James Collins, Jim Vickery and The Great Leonard (himself).

One of the last articles on Hicks that I could locate is from 1953 and appeared in the Vidette Messenger. Hicks was to be the headline speaker for the Rotary Club's Ladies Night where he would talk about his time with Houdini 45 years earlier and also discuss his rise within the hotel business.

To read more about his background, please check out my previous article from 2011 called Houdini's Forgotten Protege.

Houdini Contest #3

It's time for the third Houdini Month Contest. This time, it's a little different. You have to answer a question correctly, and then your name goes into a drawing for the prize. So you'll need your Houdini knowledge on this one. And it's not easily looked up. Please do not post the answers on this page.

CONTEST STARTS OCT 24th (NOW)

• Only 1 entry per person
• To enter: Send me an email, with the subject heading 'Houdini Contest 3' to info@carnegiemagic.com    
• Please include your full name in the email. 
• Remember to include your answer to the question below...
• On Saturday Oct 28, 2017, I will draw a name from all of those who answered correctly.

QUESTION: In the book, Houdini The Untold Story, there are illustrations of various handcuffs at the end of each chapter.  What is the source of those illustrations? In other words, where did they first appear?

Sadly, it appears that I've made this contest question too hard, or no one is interested in this coffee mug, lol! I say that because I've not received many responses and not one correct one. I will keep it up till Saturday and then offer a new contest next week.

UPDATE: Looks Like I've got to cancel this contest. Lack of response makes me think the question was too hard. That's too bad, I thought it was a really clever question, maybe too clever. Oh well. Monday, I'll have a new contest, the last one for Houdini Month!