He believed that Houdini was a powerful medium who was using his supernatural powers to expose the mediums.

It was believed Conan Doyle turned to spiritualism in order to contact his family. Conan Doyle became a believer in spiritualism after the succession of deaths of his wife, son, brother, two brothers-in-law and two nephews. Houdini’s quest cost he friendship of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Ironically, it was not Houdini that exposed Margery but a Harvard graduate who was studying psychology. The Scientific American Committee retracted the $2500 prize to Margery. In February 1925, Margery declined to go through any more tests from Houdini or the Scientific American Committee challenged her with. However just days before the show Margery declined instead to present their own show at Jordan Hall. The show was to be staged at the Symphony Hall in Boston. Margery was perhaps Houdini’s greatest adversary the debate started in 1924 where Houdini staged a show where he intended to expose Margery’s so-called supernatural powers. However, Houdini did not believe she possessed such powers and set out to prove this. The Scientific American magazine was ready to pay Margery $2500 for proving her supernatural powers were genuine. Houdini’s most famous case was the debunking of a medium called Mina Crandon, better known as Margery. For each of Houdini’s conquests over the fraudulent mediums, be documented in his book, A Magician among the Spirits.

No prize was ever given and Houdini had added another string to his bow.ĭue to Houdini’s fame and popularity, he often attended séances in disguise accompanied by a journalist and a police officer. Houdini was a member of a Scientific American Committee that offered cash prizes to any medium who could successfully demonstrate the gift of contacting the dead or possess some kind of supernatural powers. Houdini did not approve of these so-called mediums exploiting grief stricken people’s emotions. Houdini’s training in magic gave him the skills to expose frauds who had previously fooled scientists. In the early 1920’s after Harry Houdini’s mother had passed away, he turned his attention to the exposing of self-proclaimed psychics. As Houdini’s career goes from strength to strength, his focus on exposing the frauds who exploited the spiritual world was his next challenge.

Harry houdini