In December 1925, this item appeared in newspapers across the country:
This was almost certainly planted by Houdini himself. Evidence of that is the fact that it calls out Margery by her real name, Mrs. Le Roy Crandon. The "curse" referred to here was a prediction made during a 1924 seance by Margery's spirit guide, Walter (her deceased brother), that Houdini had "but one more year to live." The curse was more specifically spelled out in the Hartford Courant on December 21, 1925.
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| Hartford Courant, December 21, 1925. |
Margery denied all this, saying: "All talk by Houdini that spirits are plotting his death within a year is not only false but absurd. Why, I never heard of Black Magic. I regard his statement as a joke."
While Houdini survived 1925, the irony is that he would die within a year of Margery's statement, so to some it might have appeared the prophecy came to pass.
Curse? Coincidence? Just add it to the stew of intrigue that was the last year of Houdini's life.
Related:
Margery looks younger, prettier in that newspaper photo. Her hair is also darker, which implies this photo was taken years before she went blonde. I suspect the newspapers dug up this photo from her early past. It could have been a wedding photo from her previous marriage.
ReplyDeleteHard to tell with newspaper photos. She might be blonde here. But she does look younger.
DeleteRemember THIS PHOTO?
She was a dark blonde, like me. However, she is only captured in black and white photos and often looks like a brunette.
DeleteHer hair is dark in that photo. Maybe Dr. Crandon preferred blondes.
ReplyDeleteCan't leave out Le Roi as the instigator of this.
ReplyDeleteCould be. He was an odd one. But this is a story geared to make Houdini seem heroic -- "braving" her curse -- and you'd think if Dr. Crandon did it, he'd spell his own name right. But I guess you never know.
DeleteActually, although dr crandon was born "Leroy" he did call himself "Le Roy" later in life. His parents, who thought very highly of his accomplishments, went so far as to call him "Le Roi."
DeleteAh, good to know. Thanks, Anna.
DeleteDr. Crandon may have been more than just odd. Didn't Sloman and Kalush suggest in The Secret Life that he may have murdered children? Obviously, that type of crime was easier to get away with than now. Heck, most crimes probably were.
ReplyDeleteMargery dabbled in the OCCULT .. She could not resist placing a cures on Harry after he planted the ruler and tried to frame her. Despite being caught in fraud,Houdini convinced the Scientific American to withhold the prize money from Margery. Houdini told his friends that he'd been cursed and that his last tour would truly be his LAST... Some kind of self fulfilling prophecy .....
ReplyDeleteThat's not what a "self fulfilling prophecy" is.
DeleteAs the name implies, a self fulfilling prophecy is where the existence of the prophecy (or prediction) is what it leads to it happening.
Like if someone thinks they're going to fail a class, so they don't work as hard in that class, which leads to them failing. They failed because they expected to fail.
Houdini telling people that didn't bring about its happening; unrelated events did. So it may have been a prophecy that was fulfilled, but it wasn't self fulfilling. There's no indication I've seen that it was on his mind at the time in question.
What if the prophecy and his response to it made him delays in seeking medical assistance .. Thereby fulfilling a prophecy that would not have come true had he not delayed.. Is that clearer?
DeleteI am a Mason, and as something of a mild prank I take off my ring and hand it to someone who has expressed interest in Freemasonry. With this gesture I say, "Beware! All who wear this ring will die." As they recoil back in horror I add, "But everyone will die someday, won't they?"
ReplyDelete