Shows How “Spirit” Phenomena May Be Worked by Trickery.

At the invitation of the Greater New York Federation of Churches, Harry Houdini, the magician, gave a lecture and demonstration exposing the tricks of fraudulent spiritist mediums at the Hippodrome yesterday morning. Several hundred persons, including many ministers attended.

At the outset Houdini made it clear that he did not intend “to attack any religion in any way.” “It is not my idea to hurt any one,” he went on, “for I know there are real believers in spiritism.” He assailed the genuineness of the manifestations of Eva, Margery and others and showed how the feats they attributed to spirits could be performed by trickery. In the presence of a volunteed [sic] committee of clergymen and laymen on the stage he demonstrated “spirit” slate writing, bell ringing, table moving and other supposed phenomena. Of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Houdini said: “There is no doubt in my mind that he is at least sincere.”

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