HOUDINI'S OCCULT POWERS!

                                          Harry Houdini & Sir Arthur Conan Doyle were once close friends.


The creator of Sherlock Holmes and the creator of Fu Manchu had a falling out over whether Harry Houdini possessed supernatural powers. 

Sax Rohmer, creator of Dr. Fu Manchu & friend of Harry Houdini's

Conan Doyle truly believed Harry had such powers. Sax Rohmer, a friend of both men, wrote, "whilst I discredit entirely the supernatural theory held by Sir Arthur, I am by no means convinced that the means employed were not super-normal."

Both writers commanded huge audiences for their magazine stories and books. Curiously, Doyle's fictional hero, Sherlock Holmes, was the epitome of rationality.

Rohmer's creation was the devil incarnate, master of the occult and black magic.

Doyle claimed Houdini believed in the supernatural and employed occult powers but refused to reveal them. Rohmer fought Doyle on this point, but himself actually reports first-hand experience with Harry's powers of invisibility!

"The last time I saw the creator of Sherlock Holmes," Rohmer wrote, "was on the terrace of Shepheard's Hotel in Cairo...." 

Shortly after Houdini's death, Conan Doyle had published an article "in which he made the extraordinary accusation against his former friend that '....Houdini employed occult powers in some of his performances and, whilst fully aware of the truth of their claims, persecuted spiritualists....' Sir Arthur and I [had already exchanged] acid correspondence on this subject," Rohmer continued.

Rohmer valiantly tried to explain to Doyle the difference between "supernatural" and "supernormal" powers.

"Those gifts with which Conan Doyle and others have endowed him were suggested to me on several occasions when I found myself in his company," Rohmer wrote in a memoir.

"One afternoon in New York he called for me and insisted that I must go to see a new picture theatre....

"When we came to Times Square, which we had to cross, I had an experience which today remains unique.

"We crossed it against the traffic lights! 

Times Square c. 1920

"Houdini firmly grasping my left arm, we darted across that wide, terror-laden space, missing speedy cars by fractions of an inch, diving behind others, pausing momentarily, dodging forward again and finally reaching the opposite side of the Square.

"But stranger things were to come.

"Long queues were lined up outside the theatre, so that any idea of entering appeared to be vain. Nevertheless we entered.

"No one seemed to recognize him.

"Attendants, fighting with the throng in file before the box office, never so much as glanced in our direction. We walked in and walked up the stairs to the circle. No one challenged us - no one asked for our tickets - no one asked for Houdini's card.

"Apparently no one saw us. We were invisible."







NEXT WEEK:

HOUDINI THE SHAPESHIFTER




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HOUDINI IN FICTION & REAL LIFE



Pictures via Google Images