HOUDINI’S “GHOST” INVOLVED

Hokitika Guardian, 16 June 1928, Page 2

HOUDINI’S “GHOST” INVOLVED

SAN FRANCISCO, May 16,

A magician with a bag *of tricks stood victor over countless mediums in having produced what Mrs Harry Houdini declared was the best spiritualistic manifestation of her lato husband she had ever seen.

.Joseph Dunninger, the magician, undertook the experiment to disprove the spiritualistic claims of Nino Pecoraro, a self-styled medium, who bad sought to bring to earth the spirit of the lato magician and thereby win a 2.1,090 dollars prize offered by ‘‘Science and Invention,” a New York maga-

zine. Peeoraro's seance was given in New York at the offices of the publication recently and the best be could da after five hours was to produce a voice purporting to be that of Houdini, which scorned to have nothing of importance to say. Dunninger now, before the same audience of 80 newspaper men and women produced a luminous ghost resembling Houdini, a message in Houdini's handwriting, -some snatches of an ectoplasmic hand which is to bo examined for lloudini’s finger prints. Mrs Houdini declared the handwriting was ‘‘Harry's to the life,” and the luminous portrait the best she had yet seen, although she had attended many seances on the lio[>e of receiving the code message her husband bad given her and which lie said lie would try to transmit to her after death.

Dunninger was bound bands and foot, the knots sealod with wax and after being searched was placed bein’ml a curtain. Then within twenty minutes writing appeared on cards and slates that had been left, in view of the audience, a tambourine went sailing through the air and fingerprints appeared on modelling wax. Charles JO. Davenport, Peeoraro’s manager, after viewing the performance with astonishment, asserted Dunninger had niediiunistic powers even if lie did not know it. “That accusation,’’ said Dunninger hotly, “is not true. I give you my word everything you have scon here is a .put-up job, accomplished without a. particle of aid from any superhuman sources whatsoever.”