Houdini Gives Illustrated Lecture in Chelsea Church.

Tricks by mediums in fraudulent spiritualistic demonstrations were described by Harry Houdini, a magician, in an illustrated lecture last night at the Chelsea M.E. Church in West 178th Street. Houdini’s pictures showed the Fox sisters, the originators of spiritualism in 1848, and a long line of their successors down to the present time.

“I am not trying to discredit spiritualism, nor yet to raise any question in any way,” declared Houdini, “but I do maintain that there has not yet existed any evidence of a genuine spirit communication. My offer of a reward to any one who can prove the contrary is still open to proof.”

He told of his experience with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Lady Doyle, and concluded with the statement that Doyle, Sir Oliver Lodge and Sir William Crookes were merely laboring under self-delusions regarding their investigations in spiritualism.

“There are just two sides to the so-called spirit communication,” asserted Houdini, “the honest and deluded people, and on the other hand plain frauds. Scientists like those I have mentioned, and others, are not competent to make investigations into spirit communications as practiced by the tricky and fraudulent mediums. In exposing these frauds I would prefer to have the services of a detective and newspaper reporter.”

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