Harry houdini preview

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CEL Welsh Illustrated by Lalit Kumar Singh

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Transcript of Harry houdini preview

Page 1: Harry houdini preview

C E L Welsh

Illustrated by Lalit Kumar Singh

Page 2: Harry houdini preview

My name is Harry Houdini and I was born in 1874.

My business is not the same as ordinary men and women who sit behind desks shuffling paper. I have never been one

to stay still for very long.

Straitjacketed, handcuffed, locked in steamer trunks, dropped into water-filled containers, and suspended

over city streets – I like to keep myself busy.

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Albany, New York. 1926.

My experiences have given me a unique perspective on life.

Alright, steady now,

Vickery. Get ready to drop him in.

Okay. Ready when you are,

Collins.

It has travelled a long way.

The wealth of experience gained from risking my life is often

used to save my performance.

My Chinese Water Torture Cell was built in England.

I’ve lost count of how many times I have used it.

It ’s right...

I can’t see anything. Are

you sure?

There is a small crack

here.

Spotted something.

What is it, boss?

Wait! Set me down, boys.

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My performance is more important than my life.

I have become used to the attention my name creates...

and the effect it has on people.

Whoaaa!

I don’t believe it.

That ’s Harry Houdini!

The boy? His name is--

Yes, boss.

Hello, Kukol. Who’s your

friend?

Vickery, go and find the spare glass

for the water torture cell – be sure to check it for cracks. Collins, check the

water damage to the carpet.

Come on, kid! They need

some help.

...here.

Will do.

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Who?

A man called Buster Harper.

He is investigating spiritualist frauds

for me.

I see… it ’s from Harper.

Oh, yeah… the kid.

Now, tell me about the

boy, Kukol.

We should havejust enough time for

this to dry by the second act.

But I cannot allow fame to distract me. Time can be vicious when you take it for granted – even fatal in my profession.

He walked up to me ten minutes ago, mumbled your name and handed

me a letter.

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Th e Journal of Doct or Buster Harper

15th September 1926

Here begins my fi rst att empt at writing a journal. I have

rec eived a lett er fr om Harr y Houdini today. It seems the

number of negative reports made about him by members

of the spiritualist movement are increasing. Ever since he

app eared before Congress to debunk the lot of them, their

general att itude towards him has bec ome hostile.

Even Houdini’s former fr iend, Sir Arthur Conan Doy le, has

now bec ome his enemy.

1st October 1926

Houdini told me I only had to ask if I needed a favour

fr om him. Rec ently, it has occurr ed to me that there is one

way in wh ich he could help me. It has now been a year

since my poor sist er pass ed away, and her son, William, has

been lost without her and somewhat direct ionless .

However, it seems William has developed an interes t in

magic, although he hasn’t even fanned a dec k of cards or

made a coin disapp ear yet . But with the right guidance…

I will write at once to Houdini and ask if he will allow my

nephew to work for him.

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This is the life story of Ehrich Weiss. If you don’t recognise this man’s

name, that is because the world came to know him as the one and only

Harry Houdini.

George Bernard Shaw once remarked that Harry Houdini is the third most

famous name in history after Jesus Christ and Sherlock Holmes. While that

might be a bold and debatable statement, there is no doubt that Houdini

is the most famous magician to have ever lived. Almost a hundred years

after his death, his name is still synonymous with death-defying stunts and

unimaginable escapes.

His ability to get out of seemingly impossible situations, along with his knack

of dealing with the public and the press, made him a legend in his own

time. Some of his most notable escapes, which still cannot be explained,

were the Mirror Handcuff Challenge, the Milk Can Escape, the Chinese

Water Torture Cell and the Suspended Straitjacket Escape.

How did a poor, uneducated boy rise out of poverty and become the

greatest illusionist of the 20th century? The story of Houdini’s life is not only

entertaining, but also educational. His struggles in life and his determination

to succeed are a lesson to all.

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