Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence (HHCE) has attended a number of the Official Séances (Fortworth, SF, Baltimore) but never a Houdini Original Séance by our friends Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz. Well that changed this past Halloween weekend when things went virtual. The purpose of this post is to share HHCE takeways. For details of the virtual seances, plus the virtual Magic Collectors’ Corner on Houdini, please read the following post by John Cox:
- Houdini Seances go virtual for 2020
- Original Séance Video: https://vimeo.com/474253310
- Magic Collector’s Corner: Magic Collectors’ Corner Facebook group
Original Houdini Séance (HHCE Takeaways):
- At 1:16 pm, Dorothy Dietrich talks about the famous 1904 Mirror Cuff challenge. She mentions me as the owner of a 1904 Tatler Magazine Page that shows Houdini with a different Mirror Cuff than the one in David Copperfield’s collection and emphasizes that there is another pair of handcuffs somewhere in the world. And she wants Houdini to give us a clue of where to look for them or what happened to them. She also mentions my website:
- At 1:29 pm, is when a printers block that was used by Houdini toppled over on the séance table. And right after that, 1:29 to 1:30 pm Dorothy asked Houdini the following: “Where are those Mirror Handcuffs that we now refer to as the Tatler cuffs. If you can give us any kind of a sign where to look. Is there another pair? If there is another pair of handcuffs that we need to find?” Dick Brookz: “Or did you destroy them?” Dorothy: “If there is a pair we can find, make something happen.” Well, HHCE, has additonal evidence that the Tatler Cuff survived and clues of where to start looking:
Collector’s Corner (HHCE Takeaways):
- Learned that Jack R White (author of the article “Houdini and his movies” proudly displayed on my wall) recently passed away. R.I.P Jack.
- Loved seeing my good friend, Fred Pittella and his video of his amazing collection (Houdini & Escapes Museum). It brought back some extra special memories we have shared together:
- Trip to East Coast is Extra Special, Day 5 (Houdini in Baltimore, JMM Exhibition, Houdini in Hollywood and The Grim Game)
- Trip to East Coast is Extra Special, Day 4 (Ken Trombly)
- Trip to East Coast is Extra Special, Day 3 (Houdini Museum NY, Kevin Connolly, 278, and The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini)
- Trip to East Coast is Extra Special, Day 2 (George Goebel)
- Trip to East Coast is Extra Special, Day 1 (Official Houdini Séance Experience)
- More Teaser Photos of HHCE East Coast Trip
- Teaser Photos of HHCE East Coast Trip
- Trip to New York is Extra Special
- And last but not least, was excited to hear Houdini’s Ghost, Patrick Culliton, discuss Houdini’s flight in Australia. Magic Castle members may recall that John Cox and Mike Caveney discussed this topic as well on Behind the Bookcase. HHCE may do a post on Austrailia’s First Flights March 1910 in the future.
Thanks to my heroes John Cox, Patrick Culliton, Dorothy Dietrich & Dick Brookz, Fred Pittella and Houdini for making Halloween weekend extra special.
Thanks for the links and kind words, Joe. What a fun weekend it was. I’ve never seen that Australia’s First Flights book!
Joe,
That book cover is Fred Custance on the Bleriot monoplane that is said to have been made March 17, 1910 was dismissed by Custance’s partner, F.H. Jones, in 1943 as “a myth.”
Jones subsequently called the second short flight that supposedly took place that morning “a fake,” but some way or other the plane was badly damaged and was sent back to Adelaide where it was destroyed in a fire.
Hi Pat! According to the book:
In 1943, Jones contacted the Melbourne Argus with a story that he was the pilot [not Custance] who flew the monoplane at Bolivar.
And the widow of Custance who was living in Melbourne read the article and had this to say:
“An article in the Argus on 20 November describes the first flight of a monoplane in Australia in which Staff Sergeant F H Jones who imported the plane purported to claim to have flown the machine. No mention is made of the man who piloted it and made the pioneering achievement possible. I have numerous newspaper clippings from the Adelaide Advertiser and the Register which give graphic descriptions of what was then considered a noteworthy achievement…duly emphasizing the part played by my late husband, F C Custance…”
Another 14 years elapsed until 1957 Jones, living in Melbourne, wrote a letter to Wittber [engineer and pilot of Monoplane hop on 13 March 1910] saying when next they met, hopefully in Adelaide, he would talk about the ‘mythical flight’ by Custance at Bolivar 47 years earlier. Once again Jones was endeavoring to create doubts that Custance flew the Bleriot on 17 March 1910. Jones died in Melbourne before he made his planned visit to Adelaide.
At no time did Wittber ever mention that he had any doubt Custance flew the Bleriot as claimed [but Wittber was not there on 17 March 1910 to witness the flight].
The 5 minute 25 second flight was witnessed by the farm people – honest folk who surely would have immediately challenged the newspaper report if they believed it was incorrect. [Although it may have been too dark to actually see the monoplane]
Probably the unusual actions over the years by Jones do more to verify the 17 March 1910 flight than discredit the historic event. [And back-dating the trophy to 16 March 1910, tends to give Custance more of a case]
All of that said, there is no mistaking that Houdini piloted a plane on 18 March 1910 and made a controlled, sustained, and successful flight satisfying the established rules for recording flights, including codified witnessing procedures. That is, he met all of the conditions for a record, including taking off and landing in the same spot from which he took off. A certificate was prepared with the details and verification signed by witnesses including newspaper reporters. So, regardless of whether or not Custance piloted the Monoplane on 17 March 1910, he didn’t meet the conditions and doesn’t get the trophy, nor does a fellow named Defries, who had his biplane towed by a car on 9 December 1909, left the ground staying in the air for 5 ½ seconds at an altitude from 2 to 15 feet and traveling 300 feet.