HARRY HOUDINI, BORN ERICH WEISS (1874-1926) IS, WITHOUT QUESTION, THE MOST FAMOUS AND ADMIRED MAGICIAN OF ALL-TIME.
HOUDINI BEGAN HIS CAREER AS A CARD EXPERT, DOING CARD TRICKS ON STAGE, BUT HE SOON EVOLVED INTO AN INCREDIBLE ESCAPE ARTIST. HIS LEGENDARY ESCAPES STILL BOGGLE AND AMAZE PEOPLE AND HOUDINI IS THE STANDARD TO WHICH EVERY OTHER MAGICIAN AROUND THE WORLD IS COMPARED.
IN THE AUTUMN OF 1926, HOUDINI WAS PERFORMING IN MONTREAL. ONE DAY, AFTER A PERFORMANCE, AS HE WAS RECLINING ON A COUCH IN HIS DRESSING ROOM, A JEALOUS YOUNG COLLEGE STUDENT NAMED JOCELYN GORDON WHITEHEAD SUCKER-PUNCHED HIM IN THE STOMACH.
PART OF HOUDINI'S ACT HAD BEEN TO BRACE HIS STOMACH AND LET MACHO YOUNG MEN COME UP AND PUNCH HIS BELLY AS HARD AS THEY COULD.
HOUDINI, WHEN HIS STOMACH MUSCLES WERE BRACED PROPERLY, WAS TOO STRONG AND HE WAS NEVER SERIOUSLY INJURED BY THE STUNT. BUT AFTER WHITEHEAD'S PUNCH, HOUDINI WINCED IN ANGUISH AND IMMEDIATELY KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG.
HIS APPENDIX WAS SEVERELY HARMED BY THE CHEAP SHOT. IT WAS SOON TOO SERIOUS FOR TREATMENT. FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS, HOUDINI, THE WORLD'S GREATEST ESCAPE ARTIST, COULD NOT ESCAPE HIS BED.
WITHIN A WEEK, HE WAS DEAD OF A GANGRENOUS APPENDIX. IRONICALLY AND APPROPRIATELY, THE WORLD'S GREATEST MAGICIAN DIED ON HALLOWEEN, OCTOBER 31, 1926, AT THE AGE OF 52.
HOUDINI, WHO DEEPLY LOVED HIS WIFE, BESS, HAD PROMISED HER HE WOULD TRY TO CONTACT HER ONE YEAR AFTER HIS DEATH. BESS HELD A SEANCE EVERY YEAR FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS, BUT THE "SIGN" HOUDINI HAD PROMISED NEVER APPEARED.
BESS HAD KEPT A CANDLE BURNING NEXT TO HOUDINI'S PICTURE FOR THE NEXT TEN YEARS. FINALLY, SHE BLEW OUT THE CANDLE.
AND WHATEVER BECAME OF JOCELYN GORDON WHITEHEAD?
ALTHOUGH WHITEHEAD HAD ACHIEVED ADVANCED DEGREES FROM COLLEGE, HE BECAME A DERELICT AND DIED IN 1954 OF MALNUTRITION.
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