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Magic Man

Infection, not punch to the abdomen, killed Harry Houdini
78 years ago on Oct. 31.

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM

AppleTree Editor

I

honor of Harry Houdini, enjoy
intriguing facts about the master
magician:
• Though most think Houdini died as
the result of a punch to his abdomen,
the magician was already suffering from
peritonitis, an infection of the abdomi-
nal lining, when hit.
The infection, the result of untreated
appendicitis, was in fact the cause of his
death.
• Houdini's last performance was at
the Garrick Theatre in Detroit. After
becoming horribly ill following the
show, he was taken to Grace Hospital,
where emergency surgery was performed
on Oct. 25. Houdini died at 1:26 p.m.
Oct. 31, 1926, in Room 401 at Grace
Hospital.
• Houdini is buried at Machpelah.
Cemetery in Queens, N.Y., along with
other members of his family. At his
request, he was buried with a collection
of his mother's letters underneath a pil-
low on which his head rested.
• The best Houdini spot for children
on the Web:

www.surfnetkids.com/houdini.htm
Here you can read all about the many
Houdini Web sites to visit, with ratings
for each. These include the Hall of
Harry Houdini (lots of photos); the
Library of Congress Houdini collection,
with photographs and personal exhibits
beginning in 1886 and continuing until
his death; and the Houdini Historical
Center. Don't miss the Houdini Tribute
site, where you can hear Houdini's voice.
• It's not every Tom or Dick who can
play Harry, but according to Hollywood
rumors a new Houdini film is in the
works — starring Tom Cruise as the
famed magician.
• When early in his career Houdini
appeared in his famous underwater
trick, escaping after being chained
numerous times, then locked in a box
and dropped in the East River in New
York, Scientific American magazine called
the escape "one of the most remarkable
tricks ever performed."
• Among those mesmerized by
Houdini was President Theodore
Roosevelt, who sailed with the master
magician in 1913, en route from

Sweden to the United States.
• Houdini appeared in a number of
films, including a serial called The
Master Mystery filmed in 1918. All crit-
ics agreed: he was a dreadful actor.
• Houdini was not only a magician,
he was a pilot. He was the first man to
make a sustained flight over Australia,
on March 16, 1910.
• A longtime critic of "spiritualists"
who claimed to communicate with the
dead, Houdini in 1926 appeared before
the Senate and House. He testified on
behalf of a bill that would prosecute
anyone "pretending to tell fortunes for
reward or compensation."
• Want to know how Houdini per-
formed his famous Metamorphosis
trick? (This was when Houdini, hand-
cuffed in a sack then locked inside a
trunk, freed himself in seconds and
magically changed places with his assis-
tant). Just check out

http://iafrica.com/highlife/hislife/fea-
tures/326754.htm
Don't go there if you don't really want
to know, though, because this site
explains how the trick was done.
• In the mood for a bit of creepy stuff?
Go to:
wwvv.geocities.com/Broadway/Stage/34
87/death.html
Here, you can see1 kinds o
graphs relating to H
including a photo of. •
of the Garrick Theatre (site of Houdini's
last performance) and a copy of
Houdini's death certificate. You can even
see room 401 at Grace Hospital, where
Houdini died, as well as scenes from his
funeral.
• Though Houdini liked to say he was
born in the United States, in fact he was
born in 1874 in Budapest, Hungary.
• Houdini's first job was as a trapeze
artist when he was 9 years old.
• Despite rumors, fueled by films and
songs, Houdini's wife never managed to
contact her husband after his death.
Houdini spent much of his life fighting
mediums who said they could commu-
nicate with the dead, and even offered a
$10,000 reward to anyone proving they
could.
Before his own death, Houdini estab-
lished with his wife, Bess, a secret set of
words. Should it truly be possible to
send a message from the afterlife,

Houdini vowed to do so, using these
words.
Though Bess met with many medi-
ums following Houdini's death, not a
one came even came close to saying the
secret words.
• Everyone knows that Houdini
changed his last name from Weiss in
honor of French magician Robert-
Houdin. But did you know that he also
changed his first name? It was originally
Erich, but he was called "Eri," which he
changed to Harry.
• Houdini's vast library on magic and
spiritualism is now part of the Library of
Congress in Washington.
• Houdini's last words, uttered to his
brother, were, "I'm tired of fighting."
• When Houdini first began his career
he was anything but a success. After
traveling throughout the United States,
garnering little attention, he returned to
his home in New York. Here, he began

advertising his own School of Magic,
where he offered to sell all of his magic
secrets. They could be purchased, for
just a few dollars each, through the mail.
• Houdini's longtime partner for his
famous Metamorphosis trick was his
wife, Bess. She was a petite brunette
who caught his eye while performing as
part of the Floral Sisters, a song-and-
dance act. Before working with Bess,
however, Houdini performed the trick
with his younger brother, Theo.
• Pilot, film star, magician and even
journalist. In the early 1900s, Houdini
served as editor of The Conjurer's
Magazine, a monthly journal for magi-
cians. One feature of the periodical was
a column focusing on supposedly
unknown facts about his one-time inspi-
ration, Robert-Houdin. This was hardly
a flattering column, however.
Apparently, Houdini had been in Paris

MAGIC MAN on page 66

JEN

10/15

2004

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