The Great Escape
Born in 1874 in Budapest, Hungary, Eric Weiss had little idea of the notoriety that he would one day gain as a world renowned performer. After settling in Appleton, Wisconsin, his father Samuel would struggle to support his family as a Rabbi for the German Zion Jewish Congregation. So at the age of 12, young Eric would leave home to make his way in the world and support his family. His move to New York would change his life and introduce him to the world of big-time magic.
Originally, he touted himself as “Eric the Great” in his attempt to draw recognition through his slight-of-hand card tricks at amusement parks, dime museums and Chicago’s World’s Fair in 1893 and would eventually become a “challenge escape artist.” But as he picked up a book written by inter-
nationally known magician Robert Houdini, the ambitious young man decided to change his name to “Houdini,” hoping to somehow emulate his mentor. Soon, a legend was in the making.
Before long, Houdini’s name would become synonymous with the ability to escape from any
restraint or difficult situation. Young Harry began offering rewards to anyone who could successfully restrain him, first in handcuffs and straightjackets, then to coffins and the famous Water Torture Cell. For the underwater escapes, he practiced holding his breath in the bathtub for more than four minutes. Boldly, he would claim he could escape from any device…anytime, anywhere. And sure enough, he did.
As imitators tried to take advantage of his success, Houdini originated new and more difficult escapes. From those early years until 1926, his incredible ability captivated the entertainment world. On October 22nd of that year, he was in Montreal performing at the Princess Theatre when a young athlete from a local university asked if Houdini could actually withstand punches to his stomach. Before he was able to tighten up, the man punched Houdini and unknowingly ruptured his appendix. The next few days brought on a condition of internal gangrene known as peritonitis, an inflammation of the abdominal cavity. On October 31st, he died making the claim that each anniversary of his death, his followers could expect him to perform his greatest escape and return. And each Halloween, many
Many years have come and gone since Houdini’s passing and nothing has changed. He finally met his greatest challenge and lost. While he could escape everything else, the grave was an escape that only One other has performed and lived up to His billing.
A couple thousand years ago, Jesus laid a bold claim far greater than Houdini’s. In John 2:19-22, we read, “Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.’ The Jews replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?’ But the temple he had spoken of was His body. After He was raised from the dead, His disciples recalled what He had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.”
And since the day Christ arose, countless have made the trek to the empty grave of “The Greatest Of Them All.” Truly you could say, there was nothing up His sleeves…except maybe a couple of nail-scarred hands.
Terry Risser
Copyright 2015 - Terry Risser
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