A Magician Amongst the Spirits - Part 2
So Houdini was a sceptic…
As a magician he was able to ’see through’ the ’scams’ and ’stunts’ of fraudlent mediums. It is probably true to say that he felt that all mediums and spiritualists were frauds. His experience with Mrs Conan-Doyle not only soured his perception of the spiritualist movement but so moved him to devote much of his later career in the exposure and debunking of medium and their practices.
The cynic might suggest that this constant attack on the spiritualism movement and the media attention it attracted was simply a ploy to ensure attendance at the aging magicians touring shows. In the twilight days of his career he toured with a show consisting of three acts. The first a general magic act, similar to that he developed whilst working on the carnival circuit; the second his ‘escape’ show featuring in many instances the infamous ‘water torture cell’ - but it was the third act to which such cynical detractors might focus their comments. It was this act which featured an ‘expose’ of the tricks of the mediums trade.
Houdini was a showman and perhaps there was some financial motive behind his attack on the spiritualist movement, perhaps not.
What has passed into legend now is the fact that despite (or perhaps because of) his sceptical passions, he and his wife made a pact. Upon the death of either partner the other would arrange a seance to be conducted on the anniversary of that partners passing. In order to ensure that there could be final proof of the existence of life after death they also agreed upon a code; a form of words and a manner of delivery (which was linked to an act they once performed as ‘mind readers’) which would only be know by them.
When Harry died in 1926 the gauntlet was thrown down to the mediums and spiritualists. If any presented Bess Houdini with the correct ‘code’ then there would be absolute proof in survival beyond the grave.
Despite one somewhat dubious claim, non did!
For ten years after Houdini’s death Bess conducted an annual seance hoping that the agreed message would be received from the other side.
The final seance took place at the Knickerboker Hotel on the 31st Octobder 1936.
It was a media event with three hundred guests in the ‘outer circle’ and thirteen scientists and magicians joining the ‘medium’ Edward Saint and Bess in the ‘inner circle’.
After minutes of pleading and calling for Houdini to ’send a sign’, Saint turned to Bess who sadly stated that there had been no communication with Houdini and then extinguished the light that had been illuminating her beloved’s picture.
Since that day in 1936 magicians around the world still meet to re-create that final seance. Perhaps for publicity, perhaps hanging on to the coat tails of the showman that was Houdini - and perhaps in the hope that he will be able to escape the bonds that keep him forever in the ’summerland’.
Alan
Make A Comment: ( None so far )
You must be logged in to post a comment.
