The death of Chung Ling Soo

It was 100 years ago today that magician Chung Ling Soo was shot on stage at the Wood Green Empire Theater in London during his famous bullet catch routine. He died the following day (Houdini's birthday).

Ching Ling Soo was actually William Ellsworth Robinson, an American who performed under the guise of a Chinese conjurer. Amazingly, he kept his real identity and nationality a secret from the public. He was also good friends with Houdini. In fact, Chung Ling Soo was on the same bill as Houdini during his first historic week at the London Alhambra in 1900.

In 2005 Jim Steinmeyer published the excellent biography, The Glorious Deception: The Double Life of William Robinson, aka Chung Ling Soo, the Marvelous Chinese Conjurer, probably the best non-Houdini magician's biography I've ever read. Today David Copperfield owns one of the rifles used in Soo's tragic act 100 years ago.

Below is a clip from YouTube that purports to be the only known footage of "Chung Ling Soo."

Related:

• Soo's Unmasking
• Chung Ling Soo is a True Nightmare
• Did Houdini’s Voisin land in the hands of Chung Ling Soo?