Continued from Sequence D

The captain has orders to take them to the Commissioner at the border.

The commissioner tells them they won’t be in St Petersburg tomorrow. He has orders to send them to Moscow.

Reluctantly, the group boards a Russian train.

Having arrived in Moscow, the gates open at a command from the Captain and the party marches into the courtyard toward the Chief of Police office.

A group of political prisoners, heavily manacled, are seen standing beside a Carette bound for Siberia.

In the office, the Chief of Police acknowledges the great success Houdini has had in Germany.

A detail of guards holding a very heavy iron box, that looks a little bit like a small safe, walk into the room.

The chief tells Houdini that his Majesty the Czar received this box as a gift from his cousin, the Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany. The box is locked. There is no combination. The Czar has had all his locksmiths make an attempt to open this box, but they have all failed. And the Kaiser suggested that you might be the only one who could open it.  If you open it, the Czar has given orders that you are to deliver the papers that are inside to him personally.

In front of the Czar is Houdini in full dress. Houdini hands him the papers from the safe. The Czar takes the papers, opens them and looks at them. He asks Houdini if he knows what the papers say and Houdini replies, No Your Majesty.

The Czar reads the paper which says, I told you that Houdini could open the box, signed Wilhelm, Kaiser of Germany.

The Czar acknowledges that Houdini has given ample proof of his talent with locks and asks if he can give a demonstration of any other powers.

Houdini asks the members of the court to write out their requests on little slips of paper, one will be selected by a member of the court and Houdini will do whatever is requested.

The request is for the low-tone bells (which haven’t been rung in twenty-five years because there are no ropes leading to them) in the Kremlin to strike the hour of twelve.

Houdini lifts his hands high, and we hear twelve bongs, thanks to Bess good shootin’ eye.

Later that evening, Powers tells Houdini it has been a great night and that they ought to have their answer from Beck by morning. Houdini tells Powers he doesn’t care what Beck says, that he is ready and going back to New York.

Back in the Hotel room, Houdini tells Bess that even though everything he had done was prearranged, he felt like he had great power in his hands to do good or evil.

Houdini then tells Bess he has a present for her. He reaches into his pocket and takes out a medal that the Czar gave to him.

Houdini goes to pin it on Bess, but she tells him to wait and pin it on their son.

To be continued…Sequence F