Magician Must Appear in Court on Charge That He Was Disorderly in Plaintiff’s Office.

George Young, Secretary of the Francis P. Houdina Company of 1,476 Broadway, served a summons on Harry Houdini last night in the broadcasting studio of Station WOR at 1,440 Broadway, charging him with disorderly conduct in breaking a chandelier in the office of the Houdina Company last Monday.

Mr. Young, accompanied by two policemen, entered the studio just a few minutes before Mr. Houdini was to speak over the radio on spiritualistic manifestations. After serving the summons, Mr. Young turned to leave the studio when Mr. Houdini asked him for his home address. Mr. Young said: “My business address is 1,476 Broadway.” “Are you ashamed of your home address?” asked Mr. Houdini.

The remark precipitated a heated argument, in which Mr. Young said that he was ashamed of Mr. Houdini’s actions in the office of the Houdina Company. Houdini defended himself by saying that he “would have been killed” if he had not used force to get out of the office.

Houdini contends that the Houdina Company has used his name unlawfully in the conduct of its business, and that the confusion of names was intentional. Francis P. Houdina said he had no intention of using Houdini’s name in connection with his company’s products. He has just invented a device for controlling an automobile by radio from another car, and he said last night that the use of the magician’s name would imply that his process is a trick instead of the genuine process which it is. The disturbance in the Houdina Company’s office arose when Houdini went there to protest about the use of his name.

After the serving of the summons Houdini spoke for about fifteen minutes over the radio, telling about several mediums whom he has investigated. The summons, issued by City Magistrate James M. Barrett, requires Houdini to appear in the West Side Court on July 28.

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