this from the South Bend Trib. the only newspaper within a many mile area from my small hometown population 600. Harry Houdini was like a folk hero where I grew up… and every year on Halloween, people waited til near midnight to tell the story, not of his life… but of his life after. You decide.
Houdini was never convinced in his lifetime that the dead could contact the living. But he vowed to continue trying to make it happen, even after his death. He made a pact with several of his friends that if he could contact them from the afterlife, he would. He arranged a secret code with Bess – if the deceased Houdini found a way to contact her, he would use this code so she would know it was really him.
After Harry Houdini’s death on October 31, 1926, Bess conducted many séances, attempting to create circumstances and atmospheres that would help her beloved husband contact her. Several mediums claimed to have heard from Houdini and presented messages with his code (which, conveniently, was included in a book published not long after his death). Evidence for their claims was shaky, so Bess continued to hold yearly séances each Halloween, until 1936. That year’s séance was broadcast on the radio. When repeated begging didn’t bring a message, Bess officially gave up, stating, “My last hope is gone. I do not believe Houdini can come back to me – or to anyone. … It is finished. Good night, Harry!”
At that moment, a violent thunderstorm broke out, with torrential rains and frightening pyrotechnics. The séance participants later learned that this thunderstorm was extremely small – it was localized above the radio station and didn’t affect any other areas of the city.
Very impressive, Harry.