The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-05-14
ONCE FOOLED TEDDY
Summoned the Spirits While
on Ocean Trip, Roosevelt
Being Won Over
BEGAN BY PICKING LOCKS
Mother Put Pies Under Lock
But Could Find None
Harry Couldn't Pick

when the lights arc out and the
mind is waiting in shuddcry silence
for signal from the beyond. the
whispering OF n familiar name IN
enough to capture the imagination
OF even the most hard headed man
and throw him off his psychologl-
cal balance, according 60 Harry IIou-
dlni. who has mystifled more people
than any man OF his generation.
Hut no says that In 80 years of ex-
pericnco he never has heard OF nor
seen any so-Cnlled spirit manifesto
tion which could not be explained on
"A purely material basis.
Most people who 10 to a seance
want to believe, or they are fascin-
ated with the possibility that un-
earthly things are about to be re-
vealed," said Houdint Even those
who are frankly scoffors can be no
impressed by demonstrations which
they are unable to explain that tho
mind Is left In "A whirl. But all OF
the ruses employed by mediums are
merely the products OF clever minds.
| am prepared to reproduce any
signal or bit OF legordemain which
they use, no matter how unearthly
II may seem to the unframed OBJ
server. In three decades of enter
taining the public l claim to have
done more In the revelation OF trick
cry than any scientist bent upon the
same study. 1t In 80 easy to confuse
and overwhelm the mind with appar-
ent magic that 1 am not surprised
such "A large number OF sensible peo-
pie boCo"ls convinced that they have
| had communication with the other
world. II IL simply a case OF match.
| ing expert wits against the un-
trained"
Such "A declaration as this by q
man able to make on elephant dis
appear and to do "A dozen equally
puzZling tricks In as many minutes
] In enough to make anybody pause
who may have been persuaded that
there really was something genuine
| in spiritualism. But HOudini does
not take the position that It is inn
possible to penetrate the veil. lie
merely snys that he never has been
able to find any evidence that this
was possible.
THE average man who does not
| believe in spltiuslism is likely To
laugh az the idea that he could be
deceived" continued Houdini. but
tonished that they were ready to be-
lIeve almost anything. Soon after
| Roosevelt came back from South
America | was going TO Europe ON
/ the lmperatOr. and he chanced 10
be a passenger. | was asked to give
an entertainment, and tho subject
Of spirit writing came up. victor
IIIcrbcIt and number OF other we'll
known men were present, all OF them
having Intelligence OF high order
Certainly that was not rredulou'
audience. I offered 10 summon tn,
spirits and have them answer any
questions which might be asked
Roosevelt wanted to know II theS
could tell him where he spent hi
last Christmas day. / had slat'
with the usual covering, ana In "A Few
moments brought forth "A map, don'
lin a dozen COlurs OF chalk, which
indicated the spot whore he hht
been on the famous River OF Doubt
That map was an exact duplicate
OF one which was 10 appear In M
book, and which had not yet beer
published. never had seen tn
map, ana 10 make my case stronger
the name Of W. r. stead, the Englisi
writer lost on the Titanic, WA
signed below the map with sigma
ture which one man present recoH
nizcd az copy Of Stead's writing
And | might add that | was unfa
mlllar with Stcnd's signature.
Roosevelt Hair Convinced.
Roosevelt was dumbfOunded. u
that really spirit writing he asked
Yes / replied. with "A wink, ana
am sorry I cannot tell your render
how II wag done, But you can sc
that it IL not difficult for one VIII
understands mystiiCatlon TO accom-
plish things which seem past an cR
! planaiiou. with demonstration
such as I have just outlined It woul'
be possible TO convince a large per
centagc OF people that | was pos
scssod OF mystic powers, But al
my work could be done by anybod
else II they understood how
A few million Americans have seel
Uuudini escape from 30 many lock
and chains that they might be jua
Titled in believing that he was un
, dorratiug his own power.
How did you happen to becom
a 'wizard?'" was the next question.
"My mother used 10 lock her pie
Iup !n a special cupboard SAL
Iloudini, "and one day | picked IN
lock. Then she changed It, ana
, picked the second one. From tina
/ time on there was succession o
. locks until she despdired Of maxim
, her pies safe. Since then II has bee
a matter OF practice and STUDY
/ Sometimes when | am riding on
{ train and have read an the paper
, played pinochle 70 exhaustion, an
/. used up available entertainments,
a look across the fields. with my brai
Z still going on though IL has moth
: ing TO think about, and the conceI
CONTINUED on PAGE SEVEN