'I Am Houdini! and You Are a Fraud!'

NOTES ON A STRANGE WORLD MASSIMO POLIDORO ‘I Am Houdini! And You Are a Fraud!’ hough it seems that spiritualism all over the midwest- everything has already ern and southern United States. T been said and written He had occasionally talked about about magician Harry Houdini, the subject for college classes; this every now and then something time, however, it was a real tour “new” emerges that helps histo- composed of twenty-four lectures rians and fans alike illuminate in twenty-four cities. some dark corner of his amaz- “I am fifty years of age today,” ing personality. he wrote in his diary on his birth- This time we have one of day. “I can’t believe it. But I am!! Houdini’s most avid collectors, But not in body and far from it Arthur Moses, to thank. Moses, in mind. I believe if I live I’ll be who lives in Forth Worth, Texas, better, body and mind, than ever owns one of the world’s largest before, and more capable of mak- collections of Houdiniana: over ing a living in my old age. But I 1,500 books in eleven languages must provide now!” (plus Braille), 1,200 magazines, At his age and in his position, countless photos, autographs, Houdini could very well have posters, handcuffs, pamph lets, and retired, as he had often claimed some unusual personal be longings. he would, and devote himself only These include one of the strait- to writing. Instead, even though jackets used by Houdini for his he was one of the highest paid escapes, a crate that he used for an illustrated book that he just published, performers of his time and could packing when he toured overseas, and Houdini Speaks Out, which gives us the command any fee he wished, he elected the monogrammed pocket from the paja- closest thing to witnessing a live Houdini to tour the country in a series of one- mas he was wearing when he died (one lecture (for more about the book see night stands as a lecturer, at a lecturer’s wonders who had the idea of cutting the www.houdinispeaksout.com). wage. pocket off). But it’s likely that Moses’s Two things most likely led him to Houdini, the Lecturer most prized item is a set of lantern slides this decision. First, he honestly dis- that Houdini used for his lectures on During his later shows, Houdini pre- liked unscrupulous mediums who took spiritualism. Lantern slides were precur- sented discussions about spiritualism— ad vantage of a gullible public. Perhaps sors to 35mm film slides, ancient prede- and the trickery connected to it—along Massimo Polidoro is an investigator of cessors of PowerPoint presentations. with his magic and escapes. Since this the paranormal, author, lecturer, and Moses was also able to locate Hou- often turned out to be the liveliest part co-founder and head of CICAP, the Italian dini’s written commentary that accompa- of the show, in February 1924 he signed skeptics group. His Web site is www.massi- nied the slides and an old syllabus of his a contract with the Coit-Alber lecture mopolidoro.com. talk. He combined all of this material in bureau to undertake a full lecture tour on SKEPTICAL INQUIRER March / April 2008 23 shots, he is standing with Conan Doyle before their relations soured. There are also a number of slides detailing how to produce fraudulent spirit phenomena, including the production of spirit messages on slates, the materialization of spirit forms and spirit breezes, and the production of spirit photographs. One of the most fascinating images reproduced in Moses’s book is “Eusapia’s Sapient Foot”—medium Eusapia Palla- dino’s method of freeing one of her feet during a séance and using it to produce movements and noises in the cabinet be hind her. Even though I have dis- cussed this particular stunt in great detail (Polidoro and Rinaldi, 1998), this was the first time I had seen the artifice reproduced visually (I don’t think that what we see is Eusapia’s actual feet!). During his lectures, Houdini had a This box of Houdini slides is owned by Arthur Moses. very easy-going, friendly manner that immediately conquered the audience. Usually after an introduction in which he would discuss his past experiences in spiritualism, the slides were shown. Here is an example of how Houdini opened a Moses, who lives in Forth Worth, Texas, typical lecture on Spiritualism: owns one of the world’s largest collections of About thirty years ago in Garnett, Kansas, I was traveling with . a Houdiniana: over 1,500 books in eleven languages philanthropist, [with a] long beard and long hair, and he stood on the street corner and told the people that he (plus Braille), 1,200 magazines, countless photos, would sell them a bottle of medicine worth a hundred dollars for a dollar. autographs, posters, handcuffs, pamphlets, and And I was the man that sold it for him. Then Wednesday morning at the hotel some unusual personal belongings. he said, “Houdini, things are a little quiet in the show business. Can’t you do something on a Sunday night of a religious nature so we can get a house?” I said, “There is one thing I can do of more important, though, he certainly continue their friendship. a religious nature and that is make a enjoyed his change in status. Billboard “Wait till Sir A. C. Doyle hears of my collection” [Laughter]. stated it best: “Houdini the magician has lectures!” he wrote gleefully in his diary. He said, “You will have to make one for me if business doesn’t hurry become Houdini, the educator!” Houdini Speaks Out up. Why don’t you do a couple This new position not only allowed or more tricks and I will advertise it him to mingle with the literati (or to Houdini had about fifty slides made as a spiritualistic séance.” I says, “All “meet the intelligents [sic]” as he wrote with portraits of famous mediums like right, go ahead.” He says, “I have got in his diary), something that he really the Fox Sisters, the Davenports, D.D. to square the chief of police.” That was very easy, thirty years ago, to square enjoyed, but he was now also in the Home, Harry Slade, Eusapia Palladino, the chief of police even in Garnett, same circles as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and others; magicians like Harry Kellar Kansas. And he was a very fine chap, creator of the Sherlock Holmes stories and Will Goldston and, of course, of really, he was very fine [Laughter]. and fervent supporter of spiritualism. Houdini himself in the company of some That Saturday—they had a weekly Houdini and Doyle had been friends but of these characters or standing beside the paper there—that Saturday the paper had great big headlines. “Houdini the later practically became enemies because graves of those he could not meet (graves World Famous Medium, who only their radically opposed views of spiri- he frequently had repaired and cleaned gives séances in [the] largest cities in tualism made it impossible for them to up at his own expense). In a couple of the world”—and I had just come from Appleton, Wisconsin, [laughter]—“has 24 Volume 32, Issue 2 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER been prevailed upon by popular request of the public”—that was Dr. Hill—“to give a séance. Pianos will float over the heads of the audience, tables will be levitated by unseen hands, messages will appear.” . I was good in the newspa- per. I still have it in my scrapbook. Well that Sunday night, ladies and gentlemen, I gave what I believe was the most sensational spiritualistic performance that ever took place in Garnett, Kansas. And I tell you why I was qualified to give that marvelous entertainment. That Sunday morning, accompanied by the sexton and the oldest inhabitant of the town, we walked out to the village cemetery, and I had a notebook, and what was not carved on the slabs of marble or granite tombstones—any information that was lacking—the sexton would tell me the missing data, and the old Uncle Rufus would give me the scandals of everyone sleeping in God’s acre [Laughter]. And can you imagine going out there . and retailing that terrible stuff. Their eyes stuck out. I know one man named Obermeyer—I had brought back his One of Houdini’s original slides, showing Houdini and the “spirit” of Lincoln (actually, a double grandfather, and I said “Obermeyer, exposure). you are not doing right by the grand- Moses is rightfully proud of his collection, The book her father wrote was also son.” He got up and said, “Tell my grandfather I will take care of him in as is his family. His daughter Wendy somewhat of a family affair. “My mom the morning” [Laughter]. (Silverman recently wrote about “growing up with scanned and prepared all the images 1996) Houdini” in an article in NewsOK. printed in the book,” says Wendy. “I read and edited it—twice; and my brother Every now and then, to better exem- com (Kleinman 2007): “In my fami- made it into the dedication for inspiring plify a few points, Houdini would per- ly’s previous house, a seven-foot restored poster of Houdini’s face sat in our dining my dad.” form some of the tricks he described. It room. The painting style is one where the Now, Wendy has a better under- was not enough to say that the medium object’s eyes seem to follow people around standing of her dad’s strange obsession: “I Henry Slade used tricks to make “spirit the room.

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