The Female Ghost Buster Who Rooted Out Spiritual Fraud for Houdini
How Rose Mackenberg took on phantoms and fakes.
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-female-ghost-buster-who-rooted-out-spiritual-fraud-for-houdini
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Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the famously rational Sherlock Holmes, embraced Spiritualism and became its most strident and effective propagandist. But his influence was countered by the famed magician and escape artist Harry Houdini, who put together a team dedicated to crusading against the "ghost racketeers" that posed as spirit mediums to con money out of vulnerable, grieving people.
Into this milieu stepped Rose Mackenberg, who was ultimately to become one of the most enduring and prolific ghost busters of the early 20th century. By her own account, Mackenberg grew up in New York City during the first decades of the 1900s. As a teenager, she developed a belief in Spiritualism that lasted until she was introduced to Harry Houdini, probably during the late 1910s.
When Rose first encountered the master magician, she had already been working as a private detective for several years. Their initial meeting came about when she consulted with Houdini regarding one of her own investigations, which involved a case of "spirit fraud."
Impressed by her faculties of logic, resourcefulness and quick wit, Houdini invited Rose to join the team of about 20 salaried undercover investigators that he referred to as "my own secret service." This clandestine team traveled ahead of Houdini's touring schedule, visiting towns and cities where he was due to perform and infiltrating the local Spiritualist "scene" to gather evidence of fraud. These details were passed on to Houdini, who would then expose the fraudsters during his shows.
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A fantastic story, IMO.
= new reply since forum marked as read
