On page 30 to 31, Bell shared part of the lecture (compiled from newspaper sources) in his excellent book, The Man Who Killed Houdini. Today, I thought I would share as much of the lecture as possible, by piecing all the parts together from the various newspaper sources. The parts in bold did not appear in the Bell Book:
According to Dr William D. Tait Professor of Psychology at McGill, “Houdini was in poor health when he arrived in Montreal. He had a nurse with him who had nursed his wife a short time previously”
“I met Houdini on his arrival at the Union on the afternoon of October 19, and escorted him to the platform from which he delivered his interesting lecture on fake mediums,”
All McGill paid homage to Houdini yesterday afternoon in the Union Ballroom. Everybody was present, from the professor of moral philosophy to the most verdant freshman. The theologs’, meds, and infant psychologists were unanimous in agreeing that if had Houdini had not chosen to be a master magician of the age, he might have rivaled Mark Twain as a humorist. Although Houdini was dealing with a serious subject—his exposure of fraudulent spiritualistic mediums was exceptionally funny.
Every inch of standing room in the hall was taken up, many having to stand halfway down the stairs or on ladders to hear the lecturer. Professor W. D. Tait was chairman of the meeting and introduced the speaker.
“Thirty-five years of experience in psychic phenomena has taught me the frauds of spiritualism” stated Houdini. “But mind, I am not attacking the spiritualist religion which is entirely different from the fakes who extort money from poor and troubled people who seek aid from these mediums.”
“I am willing to forfeit $10,000 if I cannot expose any medium.” Challenged Houdini. “As a matter of fact, there are $825,000 of lawsuits directed against me at the present time.”
“The fraudulent medium—and I have never met a genuine medium—is the most despicable creature on earth, “Houdini declared. “He or she takes advantage of people torn by the sorrow of losing a loved one, and for a dollar, more or less pretends to get a message from the dear departed.
“Folks who hear voices and see forms ought to consult their family physician immediately,” said Houdini. He proceeded to divide mediums into three classes—those who are honestly deluded, those who have psychosis, and criminals.
The speaker then went on to recount the history of the famous Margery case and the controversy between himself and Malcolm J. Bird, managing editor of the Scientific American. He told how Margery (who in private life is Mrs. Crandon the wife of a prominent Boston physician) had outwitted four Harvard professors amongst whom was Dr. MacDougall and how these expert psychologists believed that Margery was a genuine medium.
“Marjorie” is the “slickest” medium that ever lived.”
“She changes her routine every evening,” he said. “When I stated that she was a fake, the Harvard professors said I was wrong. J. M. Bird, the former editor of the Scientific American, took me to Boston to see her. One night her husband, Dr. Crandon, accidentally turned up the light and I caught Mr. Bird manipulating for “Marjorie”. He had his hand outstretched “doing the works”. He tried to swear me before I exposed Mrs. Crandon and told me to go where Sulphur is given away for nothing.
Mr. Houdini explained that his reason for telling the audience this was because almost every newspaper in the world said he was wrong in believing Mrs. Crandon to be a fake.
“Marjorie handed out applesauce to the investigators,” he continued, ‘I know this because I have walked through apple orchards myself. I have examined more mediums than anyone else in the world and I have never been converted. When asked if I could do anything religious, I said the only think I could do was take up the collection.
I hold letters of apology from the four Harvard professors connected to the affair.
With reference to the means to which mediums resort when visiting a strange city, the speaker told an amazing anecdote concerning a visit to Kansas.
I am a pupil of the famous Ira Davenport and have been a professional medium in Kansas traveling with a quack doctor. I am therefore well versed in the tricks of the trade. I conducted religious spiritualist meeting and brought back spirits of the dead. I told the people of the town more about themselves than they ever suspected themselves.
The trick is simple. That morning I visited the country churchyard accompanied by the sexton and the oldest inhabitant. I learned more from that morning than if I had lived there my whole life. The next day 2 prominent businessmen of the town came and offered me $25 dollars to leave town before I told anymore.
“They all do it. They exchange information like Bradstreet or Dun. When a medium comes to Montreal, she goes to one of your fraudulent mediums and gets all the ‘dope”.
“There is nothing smart in knowing your business. If you know your profession it is the easiest thing in the world. You may look at a thing in a séance room and not see it. I do not use my eyes at all, I just close them and think things out.”
The trick is all in the knowledge and to know your trade is the first essential of success, “admonished the speaker. “Spiritualism does not appeal to simpletons alone. Many people honestly believe in it but are deluded such one Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sir Oliver Lodge.”
Houdini then went on to speak of his friendship with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Lady Doyle. He told of attending séance given specially for his benefit by Lady Doyle. Lady Doyle was an automatic writer” said the speaker.
“I am the only person in the world to whom she has ever given a séance”, he explained. “She produced for me twenty-three pages of classical English in a message from my mother. Born on the Continent, my mother, could not speak a word of English. Moreover, it was her birthday and she would have mentioned something about the flowers I have always sent her on that day. Don’t you ever believe that any medium can take a message for your mother when she has passed to external rest.”
He spoke at some length of the methods of spotting them and of the people he employed to do his work. He introduced two of his assistants whom had preceded him to Montreal and made investigations here. One was Miss Sawyer and the other was Miss Mackenberg.
Either I am crazy or they are, and I don’t see spirits asserted the lecturer. I am here to prove that they are the meanest grafters on earth, because they rob the poor and troubled.
He told the methods of ordaining ministers to the spiritualists faith and of the frauds connected with that.
“I can take anyone in the world who can simply sign his name and make him a minister of the spiritualistic religion,” he declared. “All of you have to do is to the lie and say that you see spirits and you are eligible. I am not allowed to attend many of these meetings because they say ‘Ha, ha here comes a disturbing element’”.
You have no idea how easy it is to fool anyone under the guise of a spiritualistic meeting. If I should die tonight, the spiritualistic mediums would hold a national holiday.
Houdini concluded his lecture by inviting a forum. A medical student asked him to explain how the Hindu fakirs stick needles and knives in themselves. “There’s nothing to those tricks,” the handcuff king replied. “Somebody lend me a needle and I’ll put it though my cheek.” A boy near the back of the room obliged. “Dean Martin, will you please come up to the platform and watch me put the needle through my flesh?” Houdini asked. The Dean shook his head in the negative. “I don’t approve of what you are going to do,” the head of the Medical Faculty explained. Houdini apparently put the needle through the flesh, both ends visible to the audience, and went on talking. He did not bleed at all.
At the handcuff king’s request to remove a needle from his cheek. The student took firm hold of the flesh and without a false move extracted the sewing needle which Houdini had just stuck through his cheek to prove that there was nothing to the swallowing of swords and filling the body full of needles and pins.
When Houdini concluded his address, he sat down immediately as he was suffering great pain from his fractured ankle. Certain members of the faculty and students [including the Vim and Vigour fraternity brothers with Smiley’s drawing of Houdini] came up and shook hands with Houdini as he sat there. His nurse came up to the platform and insisted upon Houdini leaving, so gangway was made for him. He got out of the hall quickly and was hurried away in his waiting taxi. [Bell p43-44, 58]
According to Bell on page 31, “some of the stories that were published after his death said that he had been challenged—and punched — during or after the lecture at the McGill Union. Bell suggests there is the possibility of one “hit”, the Pickleman Punch that may have taken place after Houdini left the Ballroom and conferred with some students downstairs in the billiards room on his way out. But McGill professor of psychology, Dr. William D. Tait, who organized and chaired the meeting vigorously denied all reports of any punch-ups taking place at the McGill Union.”
What Bell does not mention in his book is the possibility of the Pickleman Punch taking place before the lecture; But Dr. Tait also claims he met Houdini on his arrival at the Union on the afternoon of October 19, and escorted him to the platform. Then there is the interview with J.G. Nelles that suggests Houdini got punched on October 18th, which is certainly before the lecture.
Sources:
- The Man Who Killed Houdini, by Don Bell
- McGill Daily Oct 20th 1926
- Montreal Gazette Oct 20th 1926
- Montreal Daily Star Oct 20th 1926; Nov 1st 1926
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