THE LOCK THAT DEFIED HOUDINI

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We found this priceless gem from 1920 in the Quincy Kilby scrapbook, a treasure trove squirreled away in the Boston Public Library's rare book collection.

Click the image of the clipping to enlarge it. It tells the story of Harry's disembarking from an ocean voyage and assembling his trunks on the pier for Customs inspection. He tries to unlock the trunks with his key. Doesn't work. He tries again. Doesn't work. He begins to go ballistic and they have to call in a locksmith. 

As far as we can determine, this story has never been picked up in any of the Houdini biographies. It appears in the Kilby book without comment.

Kilby and Houdini were great friends - fellow book collectors, fellow theater historians, fellow lovers of magic. Kilby has been described as Harry's second father, and a kind of father confessor. That's why we wanted to see the scrapbook, and we'll be sharing its treasures in future posts. The material ranges from hilarious to tragic and upends many of the conventional notions about our multi-faceted friend Harry.