Masonic Brothers and Halloween
— Education Officer Tom Lewis, November 5, 2024
Brother Harry Houdini, life member of St. Cecite Lodge #568 in New York City, was a great showman, magician, and, perhaps, the greatest escape artist the wortd has ever known. He maintained an interest in the paranormal his entire life. However, he did not deceitfutly promote it as he felt many did. He despised and exposed fraudulent seers and mediums.
On October 26th, 1926, Houdini received a sharp blow to the stomach in a planned demonstration. Most experts believe that this was unrelated to his death that followed. Houdini developed appendicitis and failed to seek treatment, and, after a performance in Detroit, he collapsed and five days later died on Halloween, October 31, 1926.
He believed communication with the other side was possible and even made attempts to contact his mother after she died. He made a pact with his wife Bessie that the first to die would attempt to contact the other through a coded message. No one knows what the full message was, but part of the pact was that Houdini, after his death, would open a pair of silver handcuffs that the couple owned. Bessie never received any communication from Houdini after his death. On Halloween 1936, the 1Oth anniversary of his death, Bessie held a final seance in which he failed to appear. After that she declared the search over, and said she believed he could not come back.
So, after his death, to no one’s surprise, except Houdini himself, he has not been heard from since.
Gutzon Borgtum, the sculptor of Mount Rushmore, and fellow Freemason, died at the age of 73 before the project in the Black Hills of South Dakota was completed. His son, Lincoln, took over the work and the massive sculpture was declared completed on Halloween, October 31, 1941.
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