"The Handcuff King"

Right now I'm reading "Good-Bye To All That", by Robert Graves, which deals primarily with his experiences as a British officer during World War I. As a Captain, in 1919, he wanted nothing more than to be discharged and go home, whereas his Colonel needed somebody to take command of a company in Ireland. Graves was able to talk his way out of that assignment and wrote, concerning his good luck, "His change of mind saved me over two hundred pounds, because next day the senior lieutenant of the company which I was to have taken over went off with the cash-box, and I should have been legally responsible for its loss. Before the War he used to give displays on Blackpool Pier as 'The Handcuff King'. He got away safely to the United States."