[.ca] The Man Who Killed Houdini (ISBN 1550651870)

A Detail of History Finally Getting Attention it Deserves:
If you have a long time interest in Houdini like me, the circumstances surrounding his death and the potential causes have always been sketched tantalizingly briefly. This book solves that problem. Don Bell spent 20 years on the trail of J. Gordon Whitehead, the McGill University student who, after a Houdini performance in 1926, rained unexpected blows onto the abdomen of the magician to test his rumored ability to withstand such blows. Houdini died nine days later of Streptococcal Peritonitis caused by a ruptured appendix. The author seems to have been initially motivated by the suspicion (shared by some) that Houdini was in fact murdered, or at least was the target of an ill plot that involved direct action by Whitehead. The impossibility of proving that conclusively becomes obvious as you follow Bell's painstaking search to even verify that Whitehead existed. But he does, and the process as well as the results are riveting. Bell uncovers information never before seen or known, including a photograph of J. Gordon Whitehead, interviews with those who knew him, and the original affidavits given to the New York Life Insurance Company by Whitehead, and Sam Smiley and Jack Price, the two students who witnessed Whitehead's assault on Houdini. There also is eyewitness testimony that Houdini was later attacked A SECOND TIME in the same manner in the lobby of his hotel! Although Bell is unable to link Whitehead directly to any mediums or plots against Houdini, the former does emerge as a suspicious character. After his affidavit to New York Life was challenged by Price and Smiley, he was asked for another to clarify certain points in his own; instead he refused and disappeared from sight. An attorney also reported that shortly after the incident Whitehead seemed proud and not at all remorseful for having punched Houdini. His subsequent behaviors indicate that he may have later been in hiding, and possibly had some sort of mental disorder. I found that the picture painted of Whitehead supported the notion that his attack on Houdini was just that--an attack. But Whitehead's own story is interesting to read, separate from the issue of his involvement in an anti-Houdini plot. I almost felt sorry for Whitehead at the end of his pathetic days, but that was tempered by the firm belief the rest of the book gave me that he actually did intend to harm Houdini. Included in the New York Life package were also affidavits from the five Detroit doctors involved, including Houdini's surgeon. They insisted that Whitehead's blows were causal in the admittedly rare but not unheard of appendicitis via blunt trauma. Overall, the Houdini interested reader will find Bell's adventure gives them lots to chew on, from Whitehead's brother angrily refusing to talk, to Bell's suspicion at one point that he had uncovered the "medium murder plot," and was going to be made to disappear by persons he was going to interview, to the indirect testimony of the doctor in Detroit who hospitalized the magician (via his widow) about Houdini's final days and hours. Meaty. This book will fill in gaps for even the most knowledgeable Houdini afficionado. It seems to end somewhat abruptly, but the author died recently and may not have had the chance to write a "wrap-up."

A personal look into the past.:
This was a detective story with real people and events involvled. A true story. Well written and well researched.The author was dedicated, and it is sad that he did not see the fruit of his labor.

A gust of fresh air into the legendary Houdini sucker punch story:
Don Bell's book feels like a gust of fresh air into the legendary Houdini sucker punch story that took place in Montreal in 1926. I enjoyed every page of this book, false leads and all. I grew up with the "McGill divinity student" legend but this book sets things straight. If you live or have lived in Montreal, you will appreciate many of the still familiar street names and haunts. The great thing is that they found a photo of the culprit! Too bad the author Don Bell himself died before this book was published!

A MUST for the serious Houdini scholar:
This is a definitive investigation into the events that occurred in Harry Houdini's dressing room on Oct 22, 1926, and the man at the center of the fatal "attack," J. Gordon Whitehead. It's a remarkable work that will blow the minds of Houdini scholars. Within the first few chapters, author Bell rewrites Houdini history by discovering that the magician was attacked (or at least "tested") three separate times during that fateful week in Montréal. A native of Montréal, Bell finds independent eyewitnesses to each of these other, non-lethal "punches" who readily corroborate the facts. It's a stunning discovery. Unfortunately, Bell doesn't investigate these other incidents in detail, but remains focusing in the final and most infamous dressing room attack by J. Gordon Whitehead. Bell's hypothesis is that Whitehead may have been acting as an agent for spiritualists. Considering Houdini's vehement anti-spiritualist crusade, this is not a far-fetched theory. Trouble is, absolutely nothing is known about J. Gordan Whitehead (and some have even questioned whether or not he even existed). It's Bell's search for the phantom Whitehead (which takes up a good middle of the book) that presents my only criticism with the book. Bell describes in detail every step of his 20 year investigation, including his many false leads. Okay, dramatizing a few false lead is entertaining and adds to the detective story (not to mention makes the eventual discoveries all that more exciting), but Bell relates EVERY false lead, devoting whole chapters to lines of inquiry that never pan out. This does becomes a bit tiresome after a while. However, when Bell finally gets on the right sent and starts uncovering the life and death of "the man who killed Houdini", the book again becomes fascinating. I won't spoil it, but somehow J. Gordon Whitehead turns out to be both a complete surprise and exactly what we would expect. Bell also tracks down the elusive witnesses to the dressing room incident, Jack Price and Sam Smiley. Thanks goodness Bell did this investigation when he did, as most of these key players are now deceased (including the author himself). In the end, Bell is never able to pin a conspiracy on spiritualists, nor link Whitehead to the movement. There is also a nagging feeling that there is still something untold in all this. But in this age of sensationalized conspiracy theories as entertainment, it's refreshing to finally get book that admits the truth of its own findings (even though this tends to relegate them to smaller publishers, as is the case here). But this honesty also legitimizes this book as a real investigation by a real investigator. And what Bell delivers in The Man Who Killed Houdini is far more interesting than any conspiracy, and of much greater value to the serious scholar of Houdini and magic history. This book is a must.