Houdini's Final Hours in Detroit

Harry Houdini performed in Detroit 19 times between 1894 and 1926, a span that saw him rise from a minor act to global fame. His final visit to the city ended on Oct. 31, 1926, marking exactly 100 years ago this Halloween. The date of his death has fueled decades of speculation about whether it was accidental or calculated.

Houdini's health deteriorated shortly before his Detroit run. In Montreal, a college wrestler punched him in the stomach multiple times after Houdini boasted he could withstand such blows. The impact caused severe pain, and doctors advised him to rest. Houdini declined, citing financial pressure to fulfill his contract. Jeremy Dimick, a curator at the Detroit Historical Museum, noted that Houdini only completed one performance in Detroit. He lacked the strength to apply his makeup and collapsed during intermissions at the Garrick Theater. Staff carried him back to his hotel, where he was later taken to Grace Hospital. Doctors found a ruptured appendix. He died days later after two surgeries.

His stage assistant, Dorothy Young, worked with Houdini starting at age 17. She recalled that his wife, Bess, would stand in the wings during the Water Torture Cell act, ready to signal if he could not escape. Young said she watched with excitement, noting the secret code they used. She also remembered how Houdini would protect his midsection before allowing audience members to strike him. She expressed regret that the wrestlers in Montreal did not allow him that preparation time. Young died in 2011, making her the last surviving person to work directly with the magician.

Since his death, Houdini's physical locations in Detroit have vanished. The Garrick Theater, his hotel, and Grace Hospital no longer stand. The funeral home that embalmed him became a girls' art school, which has also closed. Juanita Hammond, the former head of that school, guided visitors to a locked storage room with an indented floor used for draining fluids. She indicated where Houdini was laid out by the Hamilton Funeral Home. Some students reportedly avoided the kitchen area, fearing they might see the magician's spirit.

Bess Houdini held séances for years to contact her husband. She finally said goodbye to him on a Halloween séance a decade after his death. She later stated that his absence of signs proved his belief that the dead cannot return. John Sherwood, at the American Museum of Magic in Marshall, Mich., continues to hold séances. He uses an empty metal milk can from Houdini's workshop. Sherwood said some participants have placed a lox and bagel sandwich in the can to appeal to Houdini's Jewish heritage. Sherwood is planning another séance for this Halloween, hoping the centennial will draw the magician back.

Houdini's death certificate and the circumstances surrounding the wrestler have spawned conspiracy theories. Some suggest the certificate was altered to ensure a Halloween death. Others claim the wrestler was an assassin sent by psychics Houdini had exposed. The details remain tied to the specific events of 1926, from the Montreal punch to the Detroit surgeries.