Page 37 - 201210 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - October 2012

Houdini (Almost) Back from the Dead The Day Houdini (Almost) representing the position in the alphabet of a Came Back from the Dead letter in the coded message: Pray = 1 = A Notes on a Strange World Answer = 2 = B Massimo Polidoro Volume 36.2, March/April 2012 Say = 3 = C After magician and skeptic Harry Houdini died Now = 4 = D on October 31, 1926, scores of mediums claimed they had received a genuine message Tell = 5 = E from the “soul” of the once-great skeptic and medium-basher. However, they could offer no Please = 6 = F convincing proof for such a fantastic claim. An apparently more convincing candidate, Speak = 7 = G however, soon appeared on the scene. The name of the medium was Arthur Ford (1897–1971), a Quickly = 8 = H pastor of the First Spiritualist Church in New York City. Look = 9 = I Ford claimed that on February 8, 1928, he went into a trance and, talking in the voice of Be quick = 10 or 0 = J “Fletcher,” his spirit guide, he said that a woman identifying herself as the mother of Double-digit letters were indicated by Harry Houdini was anxious to speak. The spirit A few months later, on January 5, 1929, Ford combinations of the code words. For example, stated that her son, Harry, had hoped for years to announced that he had received the tenth and the fourteenth word, N, would be signaled by receive one particular word from her, the word final code word of a message from Houdini. The the phrase “pray (1), now (4).” In Ford’s forgive, and added that “his wife knew the following day, accompanied by members of his message the nine words following “Rosabelle” word, and no one else in all the world knew it.” church, Ford went to Payson Avenue, where formed the word Believe in this manner: Forgive was, presumably, the last word Bess had moved after Houdini’s death. They Answer (B), tell (E), pray-answer (L), look (I), uttered by Houdini’s mother on her deathbed found Bess lying on a couch, suffering from a tell (E), answer-answer (V), tell (E). and did probably refer to one of Houdini’s fall down a flight of stairs—probably provoked Ford’s group insisted that Bess issue brothers, Leopold, who had been “guilty” of by a drinking habit she had developed. In an another statement. It was written on Bess’s marrying Sadie, the ex-wife of Nathan, another account written for the New York Evening personal stationery but by someone else, as the Houdini brother. To the magician, this behavior Graphic before Ford’s visit, Bess was described handwriting reveals. She was then asked to sign had appeared morally inexcusable and led to the as being in a “semidelirium,” calling for Hou- it. It read: “Regardless of any statements made “removal” of Leopold from his life. He could dini to return. She blacked out from time to time to the contrary, I wish to declare that the have not forgiven his brother unless his mother and was “under constant care of physicians.” It message in its entirety and in the agreed-upon told him to; however, her death came before the was in this state, then, that Ford’s message was sequence, given to me by Arthur Ford is the matter could be discussed. read to her; it stated: “Rosabelle, answer, tell, correct message pre-arranged between Mr. On learning of Ford’s message, Bess pray-answer, look, tell, answer-answer, tell.” Houdini and myself.” promptly wrote the following to Ford: A séance was fixed for January 8, Not everybody was convinced, however. Strange that the word forgive is the word shortly after noon. Ford went into a trance and Magician, mentalist, and friend of Houdini Houdini awaited in vain all of his life. It was began speaking through what he claimed was Joseph Dunninger went to Bess’s house and indeed the message for which he always secretly Houdini’s voice. The voice repeated the reminded her that the “secret code” had not hoped, and if had been given to him while he message and then said: “Thank you, sweetheart, been secret since its publication, the previous was still alive, it would I know have changed the now take off your wedding ring and tell them year, on page 105 of Houdini, His Life Story, entire course of his life—but it came too late. what ‘Rosabelle’ means.” Bess, lying on a sofa, the authorized biography written by Harold Aside from this there are one or two trivial took off her ring and began to sing: “Rosabelle, Kellock and based on Bess’s “recollections and inaccuracies—Houdini’s mother called him sweet Rosabelle, I love you more than I can tell. documents.” Ehrich—there was nothing in the message Over me you cast a spell. I love you, my sweet “I have seen it stated in the papers,” which could be contradicted. I might also say Rosabelle.” Doyle would later write to Kellock on this that this is the first message which I have Ford, still speaking as Houdini, ex- point, “that this accounts for Ford getting a received which has an appearance of truth. plained that “Rosabelle” was the song sung by posthumous message. This, however, I am sure Ford’s supporters announced that Bess’s his wife in their early days. The other code you realize, is not correct. It was not the cipher letter confirmed the authenticity of the message, letters in the message formed the word that formed the test, but it was the message since the word forgive could only be known by “believe.” Before leaving, the purported voice which was written in the cipher, and Ford could Houdini, his mother, and his wife. Sir Arthur of Houdini said: “Spare no time or money to not have got that out of your book.” Conan Doyle, typically, considered the message undo my attitude of doubt while on earth. Now Bess, however, had stated to the New genuine and “an outstanding case.” The public, that I have found my way back, I can come York World on January 9: “I had no idea what however, remained skeptical. The press, in fact, often sweetheart. Give yourself to placing the combination of words Harry would use and reported that the keyword had already appeared truth before all those who have lost the faith and when he sent ‘believe’ it was a surprise.” Also, in print nearly a year before, on March 13, 1927, want to take hold again. Believe me, life is the fact that Houdini had had four lines of the in the Brooklyn Eagle. In an interview she had continuous. Tell the world there is no death. I song “Rosabelle” engraved inside Bess’s wide given to the paper, Bess had specified that any will be close to you. I expect to use this gold wedding ring was hardly a secret. authentic communication purporting to come instrument [Ford] many times in the future. Tell from Houdini would have included the word the world, sweetheart, that Harry Houdini lives Continued on Page 38 forgive. Further more, it was not true, as the and will prove it a thousand times.” “spirit” of Houdini’s mother had said, that “no The secret code was the one used by HUMAN TRAFFICKING IS A SERIOUS one else in all the world” besides her, Houdini, Houdini and Bess when, in the early days of CRIMINAL OFFENSE. and Bess knew of the word; at the time of her their career, they used to present in their show a TO MAKE A CONFIDENTIAL REPORT death, in fact, her magician son was touring telepathy act similar to others of the time. The OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING GO TO Europe with his wife. The son who was at Mrs. code consisted of ten units with each unit Hou dini’s deathbed was Theodore. standing for a digit and each digit, in turn, www.mdsrc.org