Harry Houdini died in Detroit 100 years ago, and his legacy lingers

Harry Houdini died on Halloween, 100 years ago, in Detroit. The escape artist passed away on Oct. 31, 1926, after suffering from a ruptured appendix. Doctors at Grace Hospital performed two surgeries on him, but he did not survive.

Houdini performed in Detroit 19 times between 1894 and 1926. He arrived in the city in 1926 after a college wrestler punched him in the stomach during a show in Montreal. The magician had challenged the student to test his ability to withstand blows to his midsection. Houdini refused to tighten his abdominal muscles before the punches landed.

Jeremy Dimick, a curator at the Detroit Historical Museum, said Houdini was in severe pain and advised by doctors to rest. He did not cancel his scheduled shows. Dimick noted that Houdini only completed one performance at the Garrick Theater before collapsing during intermission. He was carried from the theater to his hotel.

Dorothy Young, a former stage assistant who toured with Houdini starting at age 17, recalled the physical toll of his act. She said Houdini’s wife, Bess, would stand in the wings with a secret code in case he could not escape his Water Torture Cell. Young, who died in 2011, was the last surviving person to work directly with Houdini.

The locations associated with Houdini’s final days have largely disappeared. The Garrick Theater and his hotel are gone. Grace Hospital has closed. The funeral home that embalmed him became a girls' art school, which also shut its doors. Juanita Hammond, the former head of that school, showed visitors a storage room with an indented floor used to drain fluids from corpses. She said some students believed Houdini’s presence remained in the building.

Bess Houdini held séances for a decade after her husband’s death. She attempted to contact his spirit on Halloween, 1936. She concluded that the dead could not return, a belief that aligned with Houdini’s own skepticism of psychics. She appeared in a movie cameo reenacting the scene.

John Sherwood at the American Museum of Magic in Marshall, Mich., continues to use Houdini artifacts for séances. He possesses a metal can from Houdini’s workshop that the magician used in a water escape act. Sherwood bangs on the can during his events. Some participants have placed a lox and bagel sandwich inside to appeal to Houdini’s Jewish heritage.

Sherwood is hosting another séance this Halloween. He believes the centennial of Houdini’s death provides a timely context for the magician to appear. He credits Houdini’s sense of showmanship as a driving force behind the enduring mythology of his death. The event marks the 100th anniversary of the date listed on his death certificate.

Conspiracy theories have persisted since 1926. Some suggest Houdini’s death certificate was altered to ensure the Halloween date. Others propose the wrestler who punched him was a hitman sent by rival psychics. These narratives add to the mystery surrounding the magician’s final hours in Detroit.