This story has appeared on a site in the UK.

Legal help for Houdini on the way to stop having his body exhumed.

It has come to our attention at The Houdini Museum that several Jewish philanthropists have come to the fore to prevent the exhuming of Houdini's body. It is against Jewish custom and law to disturb the body in any way. This is the reason there was never an autopsy on his body. All this according to confidential and reliable sources in contact with the Houdini Museum in Scranton.

Director of the museum Dorothy Dietrich, often called the Female Houdini and considered by many the leading female magician in the world was quoted on Sunday as saying....

"Being the only building in the world devoted entirely to Houdini, we have become one of the central locations for Houdini information in the world. This organization has served this purpose for the past 40 years. The first 20 years in New York City at the famous Magic Towne House Houdini exhibit, and for the past 20 years at the Houdini Museum in Scranton. Many of the most famous magicians in the world performed at New York's Magic Towne Houdini or attended our annual Houdini Seance tribute to Houdini that continues to this day. The seance was even attended or many years by Houdini's biographer, confidant and ghost writer Walter B. Gibson, who Beatrice Houdini had asked to follow through with the seance each year after she stopped doing them. Mr. Gibson was the author of over 2,000 books that were published, and wrote hundreds of radio shows including the legendary "Shadow" series. Before he died he passed on the honor and responsibility of doing the seance to me. We even housed for many years, in New York City, the famous Houdini Bust for the Society of American Magicians, along with other Houdini artifacts belonging to the Society.

We currently have on our website, http://Houdini.org a copy of the official letter from the Houdini Family on his wife's side stating that they are opposed to having his body exhumed. According to Houdini relations on his wife side, the oldest living relation to Beatrice, Ruth, niece of Bess, who is still alive and in her 80's came out as being extremely horrified at the idea to exhume his body and added that his wife would also have been totally against it. Since Beatrice Houdini, his wife, would have inherited all of his property, including the several grave sites he purchased in the cemetery, the feeling is that the family on his wife's side should make any decisions concerning the site. Additionally, since there is no criminal investigation they is no reason to open the grave. If there was any criminality in this case anyone involved would be dead anyway.

In speaking to several experts it would be against Jewish law and custom to even take so much as a hair off of his head, let alone do anything more drastic. I believe all of this is just a ploy to sell a recent book, and in truth will never happen. During these difficult times we will have a Houdini expert on call at the Houdini Museum twenty four hours a day."."

Houdini Tour & Magic Show
Haunted, Mind Mysteries & THE Beyond!
Houdini Museum
1433 N Main Ave
Scranton PA 18508
(570) 342-5555

TWO LOCAL QUEENS STORIES ON HOUDINI GRAVE SITE

zwire

timesledger

Houdini Tour & Magic Show
Mind Mysteries & THE Beyond!
Houdini Museum
1433 N Main Ave
Scranton PA 18508
(570) 342-5555

That and the basic lack of family interest in this process seem to clinch the case as far as I'm concerned.

But as a magician I still see this as an opportunity to do some "myth building".

Whether we side with the mythical or the personal is a pretty good measure of who we are.

Links to the UK PR mentioned above

http://pr-gb.com/index.php?option=com_co......Itemid=9

pressbox

Houdini Tour & Magic Show
Haunted, Mind Mysteries & THE Beyond!
Houdini Museum
1433 N Main Ave
Scranton PA 18508
(570) 342-5555

Well, I'm just glad about this because that guy owes me money.

AtPG

If they do open the casket, I think Dai Vernon will walk out!

I was thinking about Elvis. They open the casket, expecting the master illusionist, what do they get? no one other then the King of Rock n Roll! I'm telling you, Elvis is in New York, Houdini is in Graceland!

No Christopher - he'd rather be left alone to practice.

:D

AtPG