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The Davenport Brothers Religious Practitioners, Entertainers, Or Frauds?

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The Davenport Brothers Religious Practitioners, Entertainers, Or Frauds? INVESTIGATIVE FILES JOE NICKELL The Davenport Brothers Religious Practitioners, Entertainers, or Frauds? hey have become legendary in Dishes and cutlery danced about the behind a curtain. Later the curtain was the history of spiritualism and family's kitchen table and young Ira— replaced by a specially designed "spirit continue to spark interest and when alone—sometimes claimed the cabinet" (Mulholland 1938, 52). This T spirits had whisked him to distant spots. controversy. The question persists: Were resembled a huge armoirc with built-in the Davenport Brothers "probably the At household seances, the boys demon- benches on either side to which the boys greatest mediums of their kind that the strated their flying ability. As magician were secured by lengths of rope (Jay world has ever seen," as Sherlock John Mulholland explained in his 1987, 229; Houdini 1924,21). Holmes's creator Sir Arthur Conan Beware Familiar Spirits (1938, 51): On the floor of the cabinet were Doyle wrote (1926, 226), or was magi- "That is, at the beginning of the seance placed musical instruments such as vio- cian Harry Houdini (1924, 26) correct Ira Erastus would be sitting on a chair at lins, guitars, concertinas, and tam- in reporting that he had facts "more one side of the room, and when the bourines. Then the doors were shut and than sufficient to disprove their having, lights were turned up after it was over, the lights turned down. Soon, the or even claiming, spiritualistic power"? the chair and boy would be on the other instruments were heard to play, and My research into the recently discovered side of the room." This transpired in the phantom hands were seen to wave eerily Davenport scrapbook sheds new light dark, so credulous spectators simply through small diamond-shaped win- on these claims and the fierce disagree- assumed the youth had flown. dows in the cabinet doors. When the gas ment they provoked between Doyle and At the stances, the spirits supposedly lights were turned up and the cabinet Houdini. also rapped out messages in the by-then- opened, the Davenport boys were still The Davenports made their debut as familiar way, but soon advanced to securely tied. Spectators were divided mediums in 1854, six years after two "automatic writing" (Bowers n.d., 155) over the manifestations; some believed, schoolgirls, Maggie and Katie Fox, which was supposedly produced by spir- while others scoffed—or worse—and launched modern spiritualism at its guiding the entranced subject's hand. still others were simply mystified Hydesville, New York. No doubt the two Then the brothers' spirit guide "George (Mulholland 1938, 53-54). In time the Buffalo newsboys—thirteen-year-old Brown," found he could speak through boys traveled throughout the United William Henry Harrison Davenport (b. Ira when the youth was in a "trance States and, as they matured, called February 1, 1841) and his fifteen-year- state" (Mulholland 1938, 49-50). themselves the Davenport Brothers. In old brother Ira Erastus (b. September 17, Another spirit entity was "John King" 1864 they sailed for England where they 1839)—had heard how the Fox sisters who decided the boys should take their "took the literati and public of London seemed to communicate with ghosts by spirit demonstrations on the road. by storm" (Dawes 1979, 87) and per- means of mysterious rapping noises. The In the halls and theaters rented by formed throughout Europe. boys' father, Ira D. Davenport, was the their father at the direction of "John On July 1, 1877, while the brothers first to relate the strange happenings. King," the Davenport Boys (as they were on tour in Australia, William were originally styled) began to give Davenport, who had long been in ill Joe Nickell, CSlCOP's Senior Research demonstrations of "spiritual manifesta- health, died. Years later when Harry Fellow, is former Resident Magician at the tions." To show that they were not Houdini (1874-1926) was in Australia Houdini Magical Hall of Fame in physically responsible for the phenom- he visited William's grave and, finding it Niagara Falls, Canada. ena, they were tied to chairs placed in poor condition, had the stone work 1 4 July/August 1999 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER repaired and flowers planted. Houdini remarked that the Davenports them- ments as falsehoods. (Quoted in subsequently visited Ira at his home in selves, as contrasted with their friends Doyle 1926, II: 302) Mayville, New York, where Ira shared and travelling companions, never Concerning Houdini's claim that Ira with him a lifetime of secrets (Houdini claimed any preternatural origin for Davenport had admitted his results were 1924, 17-25). their results." But Doyle noted that Ira's due to trickery, Doyle (1926, 228-229) Ira spoke to Houdini as one magician statement to Houdini only said the said that "Houdini has himself stuffed to another, even revealing how he and brothers had never "in public" affirmed so many errors of fact into his book . his brother had extricated themselves belief in spiritualism, implying that in and has shown such extraordinary bias from their bonds in order to produce private Ira was indeed a spiritualist. on the whole question, that his state- the "spirit" effects. Houdini ment carries no weight. The stated, "Ira Davenport posi- letter which he produces makes tively disclaimed Spiritualistic no such admission." Doyle power in his talk with me, say- insisted that the Davenports ing repeatedly that he and his "were never exposed, nor even brother never claimed to be adequately imitated." Again mediums or pretended their he said, "There can be no ques- work to be Spiritualistic" tion at all, to anyone who has (Houdini 1924, 26). Ira did really weighed the facts, that admit that they never confessed Ira Davenport was a true the truth to their believing par- medium" (Doyle 1930, 23, ents in order to spare their feel- 45). Astonishingly, Doyle even ings. Years after Ira's death (on suggested that Houdini him- July 8, 1911), Houdini self might have had mediu- included a chapter on the mistic powers! Davenports and Ira's revelations That bizarre notion aside, in his A Magician Among the the question remains: Were the Spirits (1924, 17-37). Houdini Davenport brothers indeed included a facsimile of a letter spiritualists rather than mere from Ira claiming in regard to "jugglers"—a position Doyle the brothers' performances that advanced (1926, II: 302)? Or is "We never in public affirmed that a false dichotomy, a lim- our Belief in spiritualism" (28). Ira Davenport with Houdini. 1910 ited choice between two views By this time. Houdini's with the truth lying elsewhere? A scrap- friendship with Arthur Conan Doyle Doyle went on to say that "As Mr. book that has recently surfaced helps to (1859-1930) was irreparably strained. Houdini has seemed to question settle this continuing controversy. Houdini had been debunking some of whether the Davenports themselves ever I first saw the scrapbook on one of the very mediums Doyle had endorsed, asserted that they were Spiritualists," the my visits to Lily Dale Assembly, the and the latter had written to him: "Our matter was clarified by a letter they had "World's Largest Center for the Religion relations are certainly curious and likely written in 1868 to The Banner of Light, of Spiritualism" (as the entrance sign to become more so, for as long as you the leading American spiritualist jour- proclaims). I was taking some colleagues attack what I know from experience to nal. Regarding the claim they were not on a tour, and in the museum I spied the be true I have no alternative but to spiritualists, the brothers wrote: scrapbook in a display case. It had attack you in turn. How long a private recently been discovered in a storage It is singular that any individual, scep- friendship can survive such an ordeal I tic or Spiritualist, could believe such area and recognized as a significant find. do not know, but at least I did not cre- statements after fourteen years of the Later, I was able to study it as pan of a ate the situation." Houdini did not help most bitter persecution and violent three-day stay at Lily Dale, August 7-9, matters by publishing this and other opposition, culminating in the riots 1998. excerpts from Sir Arthur's letters of Liverpool, Huddersfield, and It contained several flourished signa- Leeds, where our lives were placed in (Houdini 1924, 164). [See also imminent peril by the fury of brutal tures that compare favorably (making Massimo Polidoro, "Houdini and mobs, our property destroyed, and allowances for variations over time) with Conan Doyle: The Story of a Strange where we suffered a loss of seventy- the "Ira E Davenport" signature on the Friendship," SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, five thousand dollars, and all because January 19, 1909, letter to Houdini March/April 1998.] we would not renounce Spiritualism, (previously mentioned). There arc also and declare ourselves jugglers, when Subsequently, in his The History of threatened by the mob, and urged to apparent signatures of his brother— Spiritualism (1926, I: 228), Doyle con- do so. In conclusion, we have only to "Wm Davenport" and "Mr. William tinued to debate Houdini: "It is to be say that we denounce all such state- Davenport"—although I had no known SKEPTICAL INQUIRER July/August 1999 15 specimens for comparison. The scrap- writing, "And they did. I.E.D." The ena). In reporting on the event, The book may have been shared by the comment is ambiguous. Taken literally Banner of Light (August 29, 1885) stated brothers, but it appears to have been it suggests Ira believed he received spirit that Ira's "fame in this phase of medi- largely kept by Ira and, after William's aid.
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