Group Acts After Inquiry into His “Message” from Houdini

Arthur A. Ford, who asserted two weeks ago that he had received a communication from the late Harry Houdini, magician, was expelled from the Manhattan Group of the United Spiritualist League last night at a meeting at the Hotel McAlpin. The four members of the group in attendance decided unanimously that he had been guilty of “conduct unbecoming a Spiritualist minister.”

The action was taken, according to R. Valentine Stadtfeld, president of the group, on the basis of newspaper investigations which questioned the authenticity of the message, although it had been vouched for by Mrs. Houdini, widow of the magician. According to John Heis, president of the executive board of the league, who attended the meeting but was not authorized to vote, no evidence was presented against Mr. Ford. He said he had opposed the action on the ground that it violated by-laws of the organization.

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