  It used to be the fashion among inventors to challenge the trade and other persons, to pick them. In some cases, even rewards were offered to any one who could do so. It is believed that Mr. Joseph Bramah was the first to do this and in 1801, he displayed in his shop window in Piccadily, London, a board to which was attached a padlock, manufactured by himself, and which bore the following inscription:— "The artist who can make an instrument that will pick or open this lock shall receive 200 guineas the moment it is produced." In 1832, a Wolverhampton locksmith, having claimed to having picked 18 Chubb locks, Mr. Chubb challenged him to open one of his locks under certain conditions. Mr. Hart tried and failed, giving the explanation that it was not the regular commercial Chubb lock, but one that had a special bridge ward. Mr. Chubb replied that Mr. Hart did not pick any lock, but made false keys by a process of cutting blanks. In America the great lock of Dr. Andrews, in 1841, being heralded as an unpickable lock, with two sets of tumblers, was produced, the inventor offering 500 dollars to any one who could pick this. It was picked by Pettitt and Hall, of Boston, with what is known as the smoke process. 1851. HOBBS PICKS BRAMAH AND CHUBB LOCK. In 1851 Mr. A. C. Hobbs arrived from America, picked a Chubb lock before a committee, and picked the Bramah lock, winning thereby the 200 guineas that for 50 years no one was able to claim. Mr. Hobbs offered 200 guineas to anyone who would pick his lock. An engineer named Garbutt, known as an expert, took up the challenge, and failed after trying thirty days. 1855.—YALE PICKS HOBBS' LOCK. As an additional element to this controversy, in 1855, Linnius Yale, Jr., discovered how to pick the then celebrated Day and Newell Parautoptic Bank Lock. It was of American origin, and was known in England as Hobbs Lock, but was the invention of a Mr. Pyle. Yale also discovered that he could pick the best Bank Lock—the Double Treasury, which he himself had designed. And eventually demonstrated that any lock having a key hole could be opened by any expert with the necessary skill and time at his disposal. Accordingly Mr. Yale proceeded to develop the combination or Dial Lock. 1870.—SARGENT PICKS YALE LOCK. The general use of this lock led to the controversy in the United States in 1870; and the Yale lock was picked by James Sargent, of the firm of Sargent and Greenleaf, a lock inventor, a leading maker of Bank Locks, and the inventor of the Time Lock. 1905.—HOUDINI PICKS SARGENT LOCK. Houdini bearded the lion in his den by escaping from a Police Cell in Rochester, N. Y., which was securely locked with one of the Sargent and Greenleaf Locks, placing himself on record as one of the great lock pickers of the world. Of the thousands of locks he has picked all over the world, the following police certificates places him among the historical lock pickers, in fact, second to none. POLICE HEADQUARTERS, ROCHESTER, N. Y. We, the undersigned, certify that we saw Harry Houdini, the bearer of this note, stripped naked, searched, locked in one of the cells at Police Headquarters, and handcuffed with three pairs of cuffs, also strapped with a strap extending from pair of cuffs and buckled at the back. He removed the cuffs, unlocked the cell, got into an adjoining cell and returned with his clothes on. After unlocking the cell in which he was first placed, he had to unlock the cell in which his clothing was left. This was witnessed by the following persons, at Police Headquarters, this city, December 4th, 1905. Mr. James Sargent personally complimented Houdini on his rare skill. They became friends and spent hours together exchanging lock opening secrets. NOTE.—We beg to acknowledge our indebtedness to the following publications for data used in this article—Price's Book on "Locks and Keys" 1856; New International Encycleopedia 2nd Edition; (Dodd Mead and Co., New York); and Encycleopedia Americana, J. M. Stoddart, 1886. POLICE HEADQUARTERS, CHICAGO, ILL., U. S. OF AMERICA. This is to certify that the undersigned saw Harry Houdini stripped stark naked, searched from head to foot, and shackled with handcuffs around the wrists and leg irons around his ankles. He was then placed in a cell which required TWO LARGE keys of different makes and patterns to open the lock. The keys are of such a nature that it would have been positively impossible for him to have concealed them on his body. We searched the cell and thoroughly searched Houdini from head to foot, also between his toes and the soles of his feet. Nevertheless in fifteen minutes he managed to release himself from the manacles and make his escape from the cell. There was positively no chance for outside assistance. The Only Paper in the City that Dares Print the News Los Angeles Record 21st Year. WED. DEC. 1, 1915. No. 6485 |
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