J. Gordon Whitehead circa 1950.
This photo comes from The Man Who Killed Houdini by Don Bell, a MUST read for anyone interested in the events of 10/22/26. It shows Whitehead in Rodick's Bookstore in Montreal around 1950. Bell says Whitehead was 31 when he delivered the blows, so this would put him in his mid 50s here.
Sort of ironic that Whitehead is holding a book here. Returning a borrowed book was how he gained entry to Houdini's dressing room that fateful day. He was also charged with shoplifting books twice in 1928.
According to Bell, the troubled Whitehead died a recluse and hoarder in 1954. He is buried in an unmarked plot in Hawthorn-Dale Cemetery in Montreal, Canada.
Thanks to Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz of the Houdini Museum in Scranton for this image scan.
UPDATE: Is this J. Gordon Whitehead at McGill in 1926?
Related posts:
His unmarked grave on "Find A Grave": http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?GRid=11432883&page=gr
ReplyDeleteHOW DO YOU KNOW THIS IS WHITEHEAD IF THE GRAVE IS UNMARKED?
DeleteCemeteries keep records of who is buried in which number plot. It sometimes occurs that a grave goes unmarked. A headstone is an expense some can't afford. Ed Saint also has no marker, as we discovered a while back.
DeleteDid whitehead get fined for punching Houdini?
DeleteNo. There were never any charges for anything brought against him. It was considered an accident.
DeleteInteresting. Thank you, Joe. Funny they call him a boxer. He wasn't. That's part of the myth. Bell and Smiley both say he was a divinity student.
ReplyDeleteYou know, as he died in '54, I wonder if he ever crept out into the night to see the Tony Curtis Houdini movie? If so, what thoughts must have been going through his mind?
Well if we're giving out sites for Whiteheads grave, go here http://deadconjurers.blogspot.com/2011/01/j-gordon-whitehead-man-who-killed.html
ReplyDeleteThis is my Dead Conjurers site. Interestingly, Whiteheads grave has received more hits than all the magicians graves combined, even Houdini's.
Thanks Dean. I had forgotten you posted this last year. I've linked to it in my post.
DeleteWhitehead was an evil SOB. Weird ass bastard. Why would anyone want to punch a fifty something year old man, as hard as they could, in his stomach. Whitehead was in his thirties, then. Sick ass, wicked, clown!!!!
DeleteSorry Harry. I am sorry you came across a blithering idiot. It's a crying shame. Cut short because of a jack ass. He defied death risks, doing the most dangerous stunts and then die from stomach blows. His appendix had burst earlier and poisoned him. Poor man. *REST in GOD'S LOVE, KING HARRY HOUDINI. (2024)
DeleteWhat's an unknown nothing like Whitehead doing with borrowed books from one of the most famous people in the world? Is there any info concerning how these two met and how he got to borrow books from Houdini? Seems weird that HH knew this guy well enough to let him borrow books!
ReplyDeleteYou know why no one answered that? Who is asking?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous posts don't belong on a site like this.
Oh, I don't mind Anonymous comments. Some people are still spooked about putting their names online.
ReplyDeleteI've wondered about the book(s). Did Whitehead and Houdini meet before? It's just one of the outstanding mysteries.
Patrick needs to relax. Why would anyone care if someone is called anonymous, Bill, Tom or anything else? I have no issues having my name on here but never thought it necessary. We are talking about incidents that occurred nearly 90 or more years ago not the secrets of the CIA! Many have responded to my posts including you in the past. Anyway.....they must have met prior to Houdinis dressing room if he was returning books to him. On another subject my wife is a nurse for many years and the idea of the punches to the gut causing an eventual infected and ruptured appendix is a real possibility. She said that several doctors she works with had seen this type condition over the years.
ReplyDeleteOne tiny comment regarding the first line "the only known photo of J.Gordon Whitehead". John, you've actually got an older post on Whitehead and a photo there that was on the cover of some sort of program. So maybe the photo here is the last known photo of Whitehead. http://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2011/02/j-gordon-whitehead-takes-stage.html
ReplyDeleteOh, that's not Whitehead. That's a fictional book with just a pic of some dude. A Whitehead stand-in.
DeleteI'm a very distance relative of Whitehead and I see no resemblance to anyone whiteheads in the family from this photo.
Deletejohn williams
You are aware "John Williams" that features change throughout the generations yes? My brother for example looks nothing like our father, he is a spitting image of mum.
DeleteThe only way you'd see resemblance, seeing as you say distant relative, to your whiteheads and this whitehead is if they kept marriage "very close" as in married their cousins. Given as whitehead was obviously a coward, I wouldn't be surprised if incest happened there.
just imagine how he must have felt, i`m not saying i don't blame him but after the incident he just vanished. Then when he died his grave was unmarked and now it`s just covered in grass :/
ReplyDeleteWhitehead allegedly asked Houdini if it was true that he could be punched in the stomach without harm, then unloaded a barrage of blows on the magician's midsection. Why did he ask that particular question? I find it very curious that a man who apparently knew Houdini well enough to borrow his personal property i.e. books from him, would not also know about Houdini's famed ability to withstand blows to the stomach! I find Whitehead's actions to be highly suspicious. We've all heard the speculation that Whitehead may have been a hit-man sent by the mediums that Houdini angered. Perhaps there's something to it after all!
ReplyDeleteWith all due respect, who is gonna hire a hitman that uses gut punches instead of bullets?
DeleteI'm going to assume you're being sarcastic in your last sentence, AmazingGordo.
DeleteIf you're not, I'd suggest some logical thought. If he was a hitman, what was his plan? Punch Houdini in the stomach hoping either to:
a) exacerbate a condition that, even all these years later, people argue about whether or not he had
or
b) give him a condition that, even all these years later, people argue about whether or not can be given in that manner
with the knowledge that, even if he was successful, an immediate trip to the hospital would take care of the problem completely?
Would you hire a hitman who offered you that guarantee of success? "Yeah, I can punch him really hard in the stomach, so that he may or may not wind up with a condition that, if left untreated, will most likely, though not definitely, kill him"?
Was Milbourne Christopher the first to divulge Whitehead's name as the assailant or was it revealed in an earlier Houdini biography? The Christopher book is the only older biography I know of to divulge the name. Many books just referred to him as a "McGill University student."
ReplyDeleteA magazine article by Sam Smiley revealed Whitehead's name in 1953.
ReplyDeleteActually, the article in the September 12, 1953 "Weekend Magazine" was by Stanley Handman. But Smiley was the source who revealed Whitehead's name in his interview with Handman. I'd like to read that article. Very important piece of Houdini history.
DeleteHere is the 1953 article from Weekend Magazine. As I have only seen a typewritten transcription, I can only assume that Handman gave his column that week to Smiley. You will recognize descriptions later used by Christopher, Silverman and others.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.houdinisghost.com/smiley1953.html
Great! Thank you, Patrick.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a while but I hope someone can answer my question: did Whitehead get prosecuted/arrested for Houdini's death?
ReplyDeleteNo. He was deposed along with the other 2 boys in the room at the time, but it was deemed an accident. No charges.
DeleteESE ERA UN ABUSADOR
ReplyDeleteMy theological analysis from an over arching world view:
ReplyDeleteHarry Houdini who was a master illusionist and who's main area of expertise was escaping from a myriad of man made traps, bindings etc... the reality is this; he couldn't escape death. Harry Houdini was not going to live forever, everyone dies and I believe that whichever way he died people would still expect him to escape death and be upset over his loss.
For his persona was one of generating admiration from the people by escaping when it seemed impossible, this is proven by the fact that even to this day people still attend seances to see if he will escape from that final judgement of his. But remember what he said: "I'm tired of fighting."
Now about his death. The man seemingly set up his own death through his own pride. He prided himself in his ab muscles so he challenged people to punch him. I actually believe that he challenged Whitehead, this not just because of witness reports but because of the fact that he made such an effort to make it seem like Whiteheads punches didn't actually hurt him. He didn't cancel the show and didn't seek medical attention right away for fear that if he did that Whitehead would find out that "he got him" and then his pride would be deflated and it would be a slashing to his unsoiled name.
God set up his death so that there is a lot of irony. I believe that throughout history God makes statements that those who have "ears to hear" will be able to understand. The master of escape... not killed by a mere punch but by a trap of his own making which he couldn't escape from because of his own pride and inflated ego.
Now... what was the real important message to the world. Just before he got his fatal blow he was asked a simple question that most people seem to ignore or gloss over. Houdini was asked what he thought of the miracles in the Bible. He answered in a way that implies that the miracles in the Bible were just well performed tricks that people in the past were just too ignorant to know what was really going on. This consists with Houdini's world view because although he was of Jewish descent he didn't practice Judaism but rather practiced free masonry. He was an unbeliever.
So the summary is this. Harry Houdini did not believe in the gospel or in man's need to escape from the shackles of sin and death through Christ. The master escape artist did not believe that he needed to escape from the most important thing that needed to escaping from. This butts heads with God's message to the world. Well we all know how the story ends. Do not make the same mistake.
Do not get me wrong. As a person Harry Houdini was indeed a marvel. Someone who was extremely skilled and worthy of respect. I am also sure that if I lived in his time that I would be amazed if I watched one of his shows but the fact of the matter is that the eternal destiny of our souls are more important than our entertainment and God has made this clear through out history more often then not.
Actually, Houdini did not answer Whitehead's question about miracles in the Bible. He waved the question off. In fact, in Houdini's program, it specifically states that he will not answer questions about the Bible. He knew this was spiritualistic bait.
DeleteA lot of people think because Houdini was a skeptic he must have been an atheist or what you call an "unbeliever." He wasn't. Again and again he expressed a belief in God, even under oath in front of Congress. Your reference to free masonry is interesting because Houdini actually equated belief in God as being a necessary part of being a Mason. Here are two exact quotes from his congressional testimony:
Houdini: "[I] believe in premonition absolutely, but, not in spiritualism…I believe in the subconscious mind, in the hereafter, in the Almighty God."
Houdini: "My religion and my belief in the Almighty have been assailed. I stated yesterday that I do believe in the Almighty. I have always believed and I will always believe. I am a Mason, and you must believe in God to be a Mason."
But I appreciate you sharing your worldview take on this and how Houdini's life and death could have been part of God's plan. It doesn't quite resonate for me. Unlike Houdini, I am an atheist. But it might resonate for others. So thank you.
Well handled John, you are a class act, Harry would be proud.
DeleteWell its impossible to know what God's plan is, so you're just speculating. Although, it is an interesting theory. It also seems hard to know what exactly was said, and the nature of their relationship and whether or not his response would have changed anything. He probably was going to get some punches in regardless.
DeleteHe most likely didn't believe in Jesus, because of his Jewish background (Again, this comes down to your personal beliefs whether or not this would have changed anything).
As someone who has has appendicitis, if someone had punched me right before this or to prompt it, it would have likely delayed me getting treatment. It does seem like he had plenty of time to get checked out, when you have a 100+ degree temperature for a while (with other symptoms), that's not something to ignore.
However, even if he did get checked out, if he told the Dr's he was punched in the gut, it likely would have taken them longer to determine it was appendicitis and its possible he would have died anyway.
Ultimately, it was his own ego and reputation, that led to the unfortunate chain of events that caused his demise.
Talk of a spiritualist.... I came to lillydale my for vacation..(im a skeptic) after getting here and texting a friend who was a mason I learned the story of Houdini here..... And before I heard the name Whitehead attached to Houdini, I swear I saw that name somewhere here as a memorial..... Scary... I think it was probably just hoping to mess him or one of his shows up....I think Whitehead got "lucky" killing a true illusionist...
ReplyDeleteI thought I saw once (The Linking Ring?) in a magic mag, a photo of Milbourne Christopher and Whitehead standing together outside a building.
ReplyDelete