Miracle Mongers and Their Methods: A
Complete Expose’ of the Modus Operandi of Fire Eaters, Heat Resisters, Poison
Eaters, Venomous Reptile Defiers, Sword Swallowers, Human Ostriches, Strong
Men, Etc. – Harry Houdini (1920)
My idol, Harry Houdini, does it
again. What an amazing person he was! Not only did he create a new form of
vaudeville entertainment with his escapes and feats, but, after he reached success,
he also devoted much of his time to exposing the lies of the charlatans and
crooks who preyed on the ignorant. In a
previously reviewed work, A Magician Among the Spirits, Houdini exposed the tricks used by mediums, and other
spiritualist charlatans. It is an
amazing work, and it should be shared in all schools to help foster critical
thinking in our children. This book, Miracle Mongers and their Methods,
explores the other side of the con-artist trade which deals not with religion
or spiritualism, but with the performances and exhibitions provided at the “dime
museums” and other such entertainments of the time.
Houdini worked his trade during a
time when scientists were still fooled by charlatans focused on keeping their
tricks secret. In his first chapter,
dealing with Fire Eaters and Heat Resistance, Houdini provides old quotes from
newspapers and magazines which purport to show how a scientist found no
trickery in a certain performance, all because he did not know where to look
for the trickery. The sad fact, as
Houdini shows, is that the method and means by which these performers managed
to fool the audiences had been published and disseminated many times in the
past, only to be forgotten by the public at large and used again by new
hucksters, ready to fleece a new generation of ignorant people. Every aspect, from the concoctions used on
the skin and mouth to prevent injury, to the methods by which asbestos was
woven to imitate wool clothing, is covered by Houdini and shown to be
previously understood, even centuries before.
Of the newer performances, featuring the
drinking of boiling oil, or the eating of molten lead, Houdini provides the
exact method and means by which the effects are achieved. For example, one showman would dip a spoon
into molten lead, then place the spoonful of liquid metal into his mouth, only
to have it cool and solidify into a shape molding his teeth, which he would
spit out for everyone to see, as if via miracle. Houdini easily explains this. He states that a spoon with a large hollow
handle is prepared. In the handle lies a
quantity of quicksilver (Mercury), which, when tilted, would appear to fill the
spoon ladle. This spoon is placed carefully
atop the molten lead and tilted, so when the performer pulls the spoon up and
shows it to the audience it appears full of molten, liquid, lead. He then pretends to put this liquid in his
mouth, while actually tilting back the mercury into the spoon’s hollow
handle. He previously, through sleight-of-hand,
placed a lead mold of his teeth in his mouth, which is what he takes out to “prove”
the truth of his lead-eating act. Overall,
quite a simple magic trick, but one that would fool anyone who did not know
about stage trickery.
Houdini explains the tricks used by all
of these fakers in detail. He describes the
course of training one must endure to be able to do sword-swallowing tricks. The first problem is growing accustomed to
ignoring the gag reflex, something that just takes patience and willpower. As the esophagus and stomach extend around 30
inches in length, most sword-swallowers will use 20-24 inch blades. Some of the
more extreme performers would heat a sword until it glowed red, and then
proceed to “swallow” it. Houdini states
that this is a fairly simple deception, with the performer having “swallowed” a
sword scabbard made of asbestos offstage, which would protect the performer
from burns. (Who is to say whether the
asbestos itself caused cancer damage?)
While exposing their tricks, Houdini never fails to mention the various
real and true physical dangers and trauma that these performers would experience.
There is a lot of greatness in this short book, and anyone seeking to understand how people are fooled, how even respected scientists are fooled, should read this book. The critical thinking required to see past the charlatan’s ruse is a muscle that must be exercised. Houdini, in his life-long search for Truth and in his efforts to help the people who are too-easily fooled by crooks, did the world a great service. The days of the Dime Museum and the freak show galleries are all gone now, but the charlatans are still here. They are just disguised as faith healers, mediums, magicians, and medical quacks. I highly recommend this book to anyone studying stage magic, con-artists, charlatans, and the credulity of the common man.
(This book can be downloaded and read here: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/435 )
