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Houdini Set to Escape Grave
by
findingDulcinea Staff
A move to exhume the remains of the escapologist legend, led by authors of a new biography, causes outrage among his descendants. Investigators suspect murder.
30 Second Summary
The authors of a new life of Harry Houdini intend to disinter his body. They have enlisted two top pathologists to perform a forensic investigation into the performer's death.
The biography, The Secret Life of Houdini, suggests that a religious group, the Spiritualists, may have poisoned Houdini in 1926. The generally accepted explanation has always been that he died from peritonitis caused by a ruptured appendix. The biographers base their counter claims on recently discovered death threats from Spiritualists angry at Houdini's efforts to discredit members of their movement who claimed to commune with the dead.
The family of Houdini's widow––children of Bess Houdini's niece––protest that digging up the body is a publicity stunt.
However, Houdini's grandnephew and blood relative George Hardeen supports the exhumation, which will allow the first ever full autopsy into the legendary escapologist's death at age 52.
The biography, The Secret Life of Houdini, suggests that a religious group, the Spiritualists, may have poisoned Houdini in 1926. The generally accepted explanation has always been that he died from peritonitis caused by a ruptured appendix. The biographers base their counter claims on recently discovered death threats from Spiritualists angry at Houdini's efforts to discredit members of their movement who claimed to commune with the dead.
The family of Houdini's widow––children of Bess Houdini's niece––protest that digging up the body is a publicity stunt.
However, Houdini's grandnephew and blood relative George Hardeen supports the exhumation, which will allow the first ever full autopsy into the legendary escapologist's death at age 52.
Headline
Larry Sloman, co-author of The Secret Life of Houdini, denies that the planned exhumation of Harry Houdini's body is sensationalist: "This is not something frivolous. This is a serious scientific study."
Source: USA Today
The generally accepted account of Houdini's death is that he died of peritonitis when a punch to the stomach ruptured his appendix.
Source: Associated Press Video
Key Players
The son of a Rabbi from Budapest, Hungary, Harry Houdini––born Ehrich Weiss in 1874––began studying magic when he moved to New York City. In 1922, he attended a séance where a medium claimed to contact his dead mother, an event that fueled Houdini's campaign against Spiritualism.
Source: PBS
Forensic expert James Starrs––of the Houdini autopsy team––has investigated several famous cases. For example, Alfred Packer was convicted of killing five Colorado men in 1874. Packer first claimed his compatriots died of exposure, then changed his plea to self-defense. A century later, Starrs proved Packer killed and ate his companions.
Source: Crime Library
Former New York City medical examiner Michael Baden, another member of the autopsy team, investigated the assassination of President Kennedy. He concluded that the flawed procedure of the initial Kennedy autopsy spawned the many conspiracy theories surrounding his murder.
Source: Crime Library
Background
Most sources accept that Houdini challenged a student to punch him in the abdomen and died when his appendix burst. But doctors now think that a ruptured appendix is unlikely to result from such a blow.
Source: Snopes.com
Houdini always stressed that he did not possess paranormal powers, as heard on a 1914 recording.
Source: Houdini Tribute
Houdini came to prominence as a debunker of psychics when Scientific American magazine asked him to investigate a medium known as Margery. She impressed a panel of scientists with her powers, but Houdini unveiled the tricks of her trade.
Source: AKA Houdini
The 2005 book The Man Who Killed Houdini maintains that a punch killed Houdini, but suggests that the man who delivered it, J. Gordon Whitehead, may have been a Spiritualist.
Source: Amazon.com
Reference Material
As well as contesting the cause of death, The Secret Life of Houdini argues that the great illusionist may have worked as a spy for the British secret service. London's Sunday Times reviews the book and considers its contentious claims.
Source: The London Times
The escapologist and illusionist is buried in the Machpelah Cemetery in Queens, as detailed on the findagrave Web site.
Source: Find-a-grave
The Catholic Encyclopedia provides a definition of Spiritualism (or Spiritism), and warns would-be practitioners of the "danger of moral perversion ... apart from any intention to deceive, the methods employed would undermine the foundations of morality."
Source: New Advent
The Spiritualists' National Union is a U.K. organization that claims to be the largest of its kind in the world. The movement describes itself as "a rational religion based on the proven knowledge that man's spirit survives physical death."
Source: The Spiritualists' National Union
Related Links
Following in Houdini's footsteps, modern illusionist duo Penn and Teller reveal the tricks employed by a modern medium in this clip from their TV show.
Source: YouTube
Illusionist James Randi has offered one million dollars to anyone who can demonstrate paranormal abilities "under proper observing conditions." As of April 1, 2007, his foundation ceased to accept unsolicited applications, but continues to approach professional performers with the challenge.
Source: The Randi Foundation
Hilary Mantel is a well-reviewed British novelist, nominated for the Man Booker Literary Prize in 2005. Her latest novel Beyond Black is about a modern medium. In an interview with the Guardian, Mantel recounts her own paranormal inspiration.
Source: The Guardian
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