Margery Crandon: The Medium who Baffled Houdini

"Houdini the Magician Stumped," proclaimed the Boston Herald in 1924. Who was this medium who baffled Houdini? None other than Margery Crandon, the wife of a prominent Boston surgeon. "Margery the Medium" made headlines throughout the 1920s. She captivated not only Harvard professors, but also the editors of Scientific American with her amazing physical psychic feats. Who was this extraordinary woman? First, she was a sister, wife, and mother--roles common to many woman. However, during the Roaring Twenties the rules for women were changing. Not only did women have the vote but they also shortened their skirts. For women, the Twenties represented feminine freedom, along with bobbed hair and jazz. By the time the Twenties were in full swing, Margery had divorced boorish grocer, John Rand. When she married for a second time, the ex-Mrs. Rand took a step up in society. Her mediumship began as a lark. In May of 1923, Dr. Crandon invited two couples to join them in a table-tilting séance. During the evening, he discovered that his wife had a genuine gift for communicating with the spirits. Within months, Margery produced psychic music, direct voice, trumpet séance, and even apports. While Sir Arthur Conan Doyle championed her mediumship, Harry Houdini denounced her as a fraud. Was Margery Crandon too good to be true or was she the last of the great physical mediums?