Arthur Conan Doyle, SPIRITUALISM and Harry Houdini

THE RIDDLE OF HOUDINI                                                                        continued


There was another incident at Boston of a very much more serious kind,
and one which bears out my assertion that, where there was an adverti-
sement to be gained, Houdini was a dangerous man.

The remarkable psychic powers of Mrs. Crandon, the famous "Margery,"
were at that time under examination by the committee of the SCIENTIFIC
AMERICAN.  Various members of this committee had sat many times with
the Crandons, and some of them had been completely converted to the
psychic explanation, while others, though unable to give any rational ex-
planation of the phenomena, were in different stages of dissent. 

It would obviously be an enormous feather in Houdini's cap if he could appear
on the scene and at once solve the mystery.  What a glorious position to be in!
Houdini laid his plans and was so sure of success that before going to Boston
he wrote a letter, which I saw, to a mutual friend in London, announcing that
he was about to expose her.

He would have done it, too, had it not been for an interposition which was mi-
raculous.  I think well enough of Houdini to hope that he would have held his
hand if he could have realized the ruin and disgrace which his success would
have brought upon his victims.

As it was, the thought of the tremendous advertisement swallowed up his scru-
ples.  All America was watching, and he could not resist the temptation.

He had become familiar in advance with the procedure of the Crandon circle,
and with the types of phenomena.  It was easy for him to lay his plans.

What he failed to take into account was that the presiding spirit, Walter,
the dead brother of Mrs. Crandon, was a very real and live entity, who was by
no means inclined to allow his innocent sister to be made tha laughing-stock of
the continent.

It was the unseen Walter who checkmated the carefully-laid plans of the
magician.