London about Charmian London and her friend, Bess Houdini, with her devilish spirit, her riotous humor, her stubborn and flawed love for Houdini. After Houdini died, Bess Houdini conducted seances to reach him for ten years, before she gave up trying. Bess Houdini was barely five feet tall, weighed ninety-eight pounds and wore a size one shoe.Ħ. There was also his patriotic appearing American eagle, 'Abraham Lincoln'.ĥ. When the butcher wouldn’t let her, she bought the dog from him! Houdini taught Bobby how to escape handcuffs and a straitjacket.The Houdinis kept an aviary of birds, talking parrots named Laura and Polly, a pet turtle named Petie, a parrot named Polly, a canary named Houdini, and a rabbit named Rudy.

Then, Bess found a fox terrier at the butcher shop, and wanted to feed it. Their first dog was Charlie, a Pomeranian given to them by the Grand Duke of Russia. She never had a child, but loved to collect dolls.Ĥ. In 1911, Bess told a Ohio reporter that their daughter was having a baby. No one has discovered any record of their marriage!ģ. She claimed she was barely seventeen, but she was eighteen. Other times a Rabbi married them, since Houdini was Jewish. Sometimes, she claimed they were married by a Catholic priest for her mother’s sake. Or, she met him at Coney Island when the Floral Sisters performed in the act after the Houdini brother's magic act. She became Bess Houdini when she met Harry Houdini, about whom she told many conflicting stories! She said she met Houdini when he did a magic show at her high school, and he accidentally spilled acid on her dress. Wilhelmina Beatrice Rahner was a singer and dancer in the Floral Sisters, a vaudeville act at Coney Island.Ģ.

London reveals the love triangle between the Houdinis and Londons!ġ.

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