LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Harry Houdini: Mediums
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Harry Houdini's disappointments in the parlours of the spirit mediums turned to anger at what he saw as their misappropriation and misuse of the ways and means of performance magic to bilk money from the gullible public. Entertainment in a theatre was one thing, but preying on the fears and desires of the bereaved was unconscionable. Harry was soon devoting most of his time to a campaign to expose the fraudulent spiritualists. he gave many lectures and interviews on the subject, brought reporters with him to seances, where he exposed the mummery and stage trappings, wrote a book on the subject, and even turned one act of his road show into a lecture and demonstration, exposing the techniques of these con artists.
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Houdini needed no disguise when he called upon Margery; the medium relished the chance to convert such a notorious skeptic. Some observers saw this encounter as an acid test--not just of Margery's mediumship, but of spiritualism itself. But if Houdini truly maintained an open mind on the subject, as he often claimed, there was little evidence of it that night as the small séance room came alive with otherworldly activity. A spirit bell rang. A voice called to him in the darkness. A megaphone crashed to the floor at his feet.
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In his later years Houdini crusaded against spiritualism and worked to expose fraudulent mediums who claimed to be able to contact the spirit world. Houdini, who believed that these people preyed on grieving families, used his knowledge as an illusionist to reveal their methods. Ironically, Houdini died on Halloween, Oct. 31, 1926. He was one of the best known performers of the early 20th century, and his name remains synonymous with magic and escape today.
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These activities cost Houdini the friendship of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Doyle, a firm believer in Spiritualism during his later years, refused to believe any of Houdini's exposés. Doyle actually came to believe that Houdini was a powerful spiritualist medium, had performed many of his stunts by means of paranormal abilities, and was using these abilities to block those of other mediums that he was 'debunking' (see Doyle's The Edge of The Unknown, published in 1931, after Houdini's death). This disagreement led to the two men becoming public antagonists. Gabriel Brownstein has written a fictionalized account of the meetings of Houdini, Doyle, and "Margery" in The Man from Beyond: A Novel (2005).
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Houdini began to attend séances in disguise, accompanied by a reporter and police officer. Possibly the most famous medium that he debunked was the Boston spiritualist Mina Crandon... known as "Margery."
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Medical examiners reported that Houdini died of peritonitis from a ruptured appendix. This may have been caused by blows to the stomach, but some believe that Houdini was actually poisoned. His involvement in debunking self-proclaimed psychics and mediums might have angered some folks; he might have been in danger for other reasons as well - some believe Houdini was a spy for the US Secret Service or Scotland Yard. The process to have his body exhumed and tested is underway, but could take months for examiners to determine the actual cause of death.
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