Our friend Dr. Larrian Gillespie is back with a new series of posts at the
Houdinarian Society. This time, she tackles issues she sees with Houdini's death certificate, or at least the document that we have come to accept as his death certificate. Her findings add up to some provocative conclusions. I will leave it to you to read and digest via the links below.
This has been something that had entered my mind many times over the last 40 years. I had no evidence to support it. The idea Houdini actually died on the 30th but documents were altered to make it appear he passed on Halloween is very plausible. The various bits of evidence here do indicate there was not enough time to prepare Houdinis body between 1:26 pm on 10/31 to be ready to be placed on that train to NY at 7:00 pm the next day.
ReplyDeleteI started this journey in March and was convinced there was so much wrong with the acknowledged death certificate that I just kept saying..there HAS to be another death certificate and search numerous times with no result ( but we know how bad search engines are today)...so I almost gave up...and tried every week or so to use different combinations to search...and read all the great sites by so many on this site....so the info was just missing that piece of comparison...and then it all started to fall in place.
ReplyDeleteI am looking closely at what you have interpreted as “before” (before Montreal) being scratched out. Can you guide us as to what led you to believe that word is in fact “before”. The cursive “f” written in “diffused” is very definitive as being an “f”. Try as I might I cannot make out any sign of an “f” within that crossed out word.
DeleteClearly B and re are seen...3 letters in between...like wordle. Larrian Gillespie mD
DeleteNo sign of any “f” and the doctor had very distinct “f’s”. Note the “f’s” in “diffused”. Something is amiss here. A conclusion is being drawn on what one would like the word to be, not what it actually is.
DeleteVital statistics agrees it is BEFORE....and he is a analyst for the police department. It just seems you want to argue about everything as if you were 1) doctor 2) a handwriting court expert and you don't sign your name so no background on your expertise.
DeleteFirst there is no “f”. Secondly how does anyone know even if that word was clearly “before” that the intent was to actually write “before Montreal”? It’s complete speculation to believe so.
DeletePlease provide the word you think it is that begins with a B, has 6 letters and ends with re.
DeleteCompare the 2 death certificates..both certified copies and both fraudulent. There is NOTHING for"where was disease contracted? if not at place of death" which means Kennedy thought it had ocurred in Detroit as that was the place of death. The State certificate now has amended information with the same signature date stating "B..ore Montreal, then the word before Montreal is crossed out. Either way, Detroit, Before Montreal or anything with those letters in front of the word Montreal would not allow the double indemnity claim.
DeleteI am going to do an article on Dr. Kennedy, as he founded the American College of Surgeons with its ethics code..and he was the most unethical of all! Everyone wanted to attach themselves to celebrity...so they wrote the story in the press and amongst others to agrandise themselves. But that Cohn fed Houdini post op a chopped vegetable dish with sour cream blew my mind!! As someone who had numerous celebrities in my practice I can understand his immediate "fan boy" response but its just horrible to think that was the FINAL nail in Houdini's coffin and required a totally unnecessary procedure.
ReplyDeleteAnother great series of articles by Dr. Gillespie! All of that death certificate fudging made my head spin. But I did carry away two items:
ReplyDelete1. Houdini's body was too weak for that second operation. Solved the mystery for me on the failure of that procedure.
2. He actually died on the 30th. But Bess and Hardeen can be forgiven for that Viking send off. He had to go in a blaze of glory.
Absolutely! we don't celebrate Presidents Day on their birthdays...so Oct 31 is a fitting and perfect choice. I was just interested in proving it wasn't a coincidence..and that a LOT of manipulation had gone on to cover up the truth.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget...Ernst was the orchestrator of all this cover up and coercion. Lawsuits are a powerful reputation ruiner whether true or not.
ReplyDeleteI came down with appendicitis several years ago. I just felt as if I was coming down with the flu with fever and listlessness. On day two I happened to feel a “touch pain” on my lower right side. Luckily I decided to call my doctor who immediately (after examining me” sent me over to a hospital emergency room across the street. Upon seeing my MRI results I was told my appendix had burst and I needed surgery that night. Again I had felt only touch pain and that pain was light. My surgeon found a burst appendix with my adjacent colon so nephrotic he could not cut it with his surgical scissors (scissors slid off). He had to keep trying to cut until he found viable tissue which allowed him to then cut and resect. I’m fine today. The question I have is would you expect that Houdini was found to have a similar hardened colon when he was operated upon the second time?
ReplyDeleteYou are asking about the Oct 28th surgery not the Oct 25? ON the 28th his internal organs would be starting to liquify somewhat from the bacteria. Pain ( sever in nature ) is not always a sign of appendicitis and MRIs did not exist in Harry's time. As in my article on Dr. Dretzka, with no antibiotics and the ruptured occuring ON stage at the Garrick, and the absence of any path report to validate the appendix condition regarding comparing it to yours, I can only say, it was intact enough to remove and all they could do after that was to lavage the abdomen ( irrigate with saline solution) like done under war conditions on the battlefield, of which Dretzka was an expert.
ReplyDeleteYour situation is a perfect example of how much damage is done in just a few hours from a RUPTURED appendix...so Harry could not have survived 2 days up to 3 before surgery as they claimed his appendix ruptured In Montreal, which is medically impossible.
ReplyDeleteJust reading all this is fascinating! I now see Harry’s death at a new angle and it makes even more sense to me. Thanks for these amazing articles Doctor Gillespie! 😊❤️ - Abby Martin
ReplyDeleteThank you Abby. It was like doing a medical research paper crossed with a murder board. I think if you reread the article on Dr. Dretzka it becomes clear he refused to participate in the grossly negligent care of Houdini ( the Jewish food was the last straw and caused the second surgery) and the press releases never mention him again after the first 2 releases. I have known medical professionals who have lied, altered data and claimed ownership of other's work, but this whole story is one I felt needed to be told.
DeleteWhat a terrible way to go. 😠Me and my friends made this meme in our old group chat before we moved from instagram to discord once I discovered his last meal was “chop suey”
Delete*ehem*
He was invincible but died eating gentrified Asian food.
For context my friend who has Cambodian roots made the meme and we thought it was funniest thing ever. I still have the meme somewhere. I just need to find it.- Abby Martin
Great stuff Dr. Gillespie! I always thought his inflamed appendix burst 10/24 but “ON the train ride” versus “ON stage at the Garrick”; with peritonitis setting in shortly thereafter (10/24-25). Dr. Cohn’s notes has appendix bursting 10/22 (date of punches) which you mention is medically impossible and peritonitis setting in on 10/23 or 10/24.
ReplyDeleteFWIW, Dr. Kennedy concluded his appendix ruptured on 10/24, the day before he first saw him on 10/25:
Deletehttps://harryhoudinicircumstantialevidence.com/?p=7351
Yes that is why you have to look at the days count..which is off for that day before he saw him....because he didn't know Houdini didn't leave town for another day....hit was 10/22...ruputure was not what he thought originally....and he has to explain why he didn't diagnose appendicitis...and the delay in surgery which Dretzka advised. IN another letter from his files he says they thought the accident was somewhere in St Thomas (?) I don't have the letter in front of me....but it wasn't Albany nor MOntreal
DeleteLarrian Gillespie MD
“Appendix had ruptured some place near St. Thomas Ontario [on the train] and Garrick Theater.”
DeleteThank you Joe. Glad I remembered the right name. That is from https://harryhoudinicircumstantialevidence.com/?cat=40 where Dr Kennedy also states he was hit on the LEFT side of his abdomen by the student, and his symptoms occured IMMEDIATELY after the blows, had $200,000 in insurance for Bess and other grossly incorrect statements.
DeleteAnother possible interpretation of duration dates (days count) on certificates of death, wrt Dr. Kennedy, could be including the first day when calculating time between two dates. So had a ruptured appendix for 8 days (10/24,…10/31) and Peritonitis for 7 days (10/25,…10/31).
DeleteJoe I had that same discussion with Mr Walters and he said they count 24 hours as 1 day...so that is why 7days instead of 8...and peritonitis to the 31 would be 6 days....it just doesn't work either way. Inaccuracies abound on both certificates.
DeleteJoe...Houdini was struck on Oct 22...so taking the 24 hour schedule it should read 9 days not 8 ( unless you are counting to the 30)....and peritonitis would occur immediately but even then...give it 24 hours and you get 8 days from Oct 23 but 7 to Oct 30. This would match what I believe was a certificate showing Oct 30 as DOD but when trying to change dates, they forgot to modify those numbers. Larrian Gillespie MD
DeleteI am so glad you are finding my articles as intriguing as I have found being part of this collection of Houdini fans. John encouraged me to write all this up after our luncheon, but this last series was seriously the most difficult. I literally had a murder board on my bed moving people and time lines...and at times I almost gave up for lack of irrefutable evidence. Paul Walters at the Michigan VSO was so helpful and fascinated with the revelation of the second certificate and its mismatch. 100 years later....the pieces fell into place.
ReplyDeleteI just realized it was like being an archaeologist, but of magic, and discovering the great tomb of a Houdini, the pharaoh. You just keep uncovering bits and shards of information then the Pharaoh's body.
DeleteYes doctor, you are now a high ranking member of the WAH club.
DeleteJust like Houdini's birth, marriage, fake jewels from royalty, his death. The Houdini family and associates kept up the lies in those days, you can't dispute the facts or their deception.
ReplyDelete"It's Chinatown Jake"
ReplyDeleteOne of my all time favorite films!
DeleteIt's considered the perfect screenplay. Used often in classes as the example
DeleteIf there was ever a film that attained perfection, Chinatown is it. Respectable physicians fudging the death certificate..."You see, Mr. Gittes, most people never have to face the fact that at the right time and the right place, they're capable of ANYTHING."
DeleteCouldn't have said it better.
DeleteI must be said that the information here is compelling but in no way are they conclusive proof. The set of known circumstances can be woven into a storyline that is for sure.
ReplyDeletePerry from NJ.
Drawing attention to Dr Cohn's note.( see Part 1)..it definitely appears he is copying death certificate info as it is not in sentences and follows the questions on the certificate which showed October 30 3 times. The Michigan Vital Statistics Office has declared their version a tampered, fraudulent death certificate, and if presented today, would have been rejected and sent back to the City to redo and resubmit. Kennedy did not sign the City version( see handwriting analysis Part 2) - and that is fraud in itself. That version is believed to be a "second" version of the City, which would mean not only that Cohn was copying from a "first" version but that the Hamilton Funeral home rewrote the entire certificate ( in what appears to be a woman's handwriting) which they filed with the City. The incorrect writing of "operative" instead of operation implies someone who is NOT
ReplyDeletea physician or has correct medical nomenclature. Total= 3 death certificates, but there is no copy that can be found of the one I believe Cohn was copying from in his note to Ernst. Both are signed November 1, 1926 but with different signatures.
In regards to the 1991 vs 1996 certified copies of the City certificate, there was no actual notation of when the certificate was filed with the State, and the person who supplied the 1996 version ASSUMED it was filed on November 1, 1926 but no confirmation of that date could be found, again indicating the certificate had been"amended" but not in the legal manner and never sent back to the City to replace their copy. Neither certificate was "reading from the same page."
ReplyDeleteAre you concluding that Houdini was not in actuality punched by Whitehead? He was just sick and became progressively worse leading to his death?
ReplyDeleteNot at all. He was punched, but it did not ruptured his appendix at that time but rather pushed a phebolith most likely into the appendicial orifice blocking it causing pain that increased as it became more and more distended. Then the nurse gives him the Seglitz powder which causes increased gas in the colon and it is now a ripe balloon that ruptures on stage when he collapeses in chills, high fever and delirium. Drs Kennedy and Cohn, however, believed the original cause was abdominal trauma ( essentially abdominal wall hematoma) from the weight that dropped in Albany and NOT appendicitis, which was diagnosed by Dr. Dretzka. This also accounts for why the delay until 3p in the afternoon before surgery. Please read the articles for full details. The story changes POST op...hind sight is 50/50..when 1) they know Houdini is going to die as he has a nonsurvivable condition) 2) Ernst, the lawyer, is aware of the double indemnity clause and needs to set up the story to match an accident. They reported that it was a newspaper man who hit him in the first post op release....not Whitehead. Later they change it to students, then student...as the realization that he is going to die and not survive hits home. Ironically, traumatic appendicitis is a KNOWN entity today, and was known by Dretzka from his war experience, which he writes about in his paper that I posted.
ReplyDeleteThe issue in Albany was regarding his foot wasn’t it? The lid of the torture cell “broke” causing a fracture. I never heard any issue with his abdomen regarding this incident.
DeleteYes you are correct...but Kennedy thought it might have hit has abdomen instead of having appendicitis...a terrible mistake on his part, especially since he was one of the founders of the American College of Surgeons....and it was an "elevator operator" kind of diagnosis...which is why he first put BEFORE Montreal...then was advised to change it to Montreal to fit the accident theory after it was proven Dretzka was correct in his diagnosis. Obviously Kennedy did not agree with Dretzka which is what caused the delay in surgery in addition to Houdini needing Dr Stone to say surgery was necessary as he had another show on the 25, which would invoke the $1000 penalty for non performance.
DeleteIs there any “concrete” evidence Kennedy thought Houdini hurt his abdomen in Albany aside from scratching out “before”.
DeleteTwo issues give me pause:
1). Houdinis death was a horrible tragedy. Completely unexpected. Do we really believe his family would have the mindset to even think of something like “let’s delay Houdinis death date one day to make it look as if he died on Halloween”. Their brother, spouse just died horribly and unexpectedly and instead of being in the absolute depths of despair they are instead spending their time worrying about preserving Houdinis fame?
Secondly, one would think if Houdini died on October 30 word of it would have leaked. Someone would have let it be known that the great Houdini was dead. Do we have any news article from October 30th or any correspondence from October 30th that states Houdini had died?
Dunningers written comments 4-5 decades later can be looked at as an error. I’ve read that Dunninger played up his relationship with Houdini so why of all people would he be aware of this very hush hush conspiracy?
I wonder what John Cox thinks about all this? Certainly plausible and a very interesting theory but at the same time requires an imagination to connect the dots of numerous bits of circumstantial evidence.
1) Kennedy states so in a news article that he thought it was the stage accident 2) Ernst is the figurehead behind the story and they knew he would not survive on Oct 29. There is no press releases on oct 30 that were printed on Oct 30 and all press is a repeat of the same news article about surgery on the 28 being repeatedly as the 29 and the 30...please read my articles more carefully as this is all in there. Finally the insurance company states he died on Oct 30...then we have Dr Cohn who cant seem to copy a death certificate info correctly UNLESS it really was Oct 30. There are several others who write it was Oct 30.
DeleteHoudini's death was NOT unexpected...Dretzka told them he would not survive after the surgery....he just survived much longer than expected. HOwever, after the bowel obstruction courtesy of the chop suey dinner he could not survive longer than 24 hours and certainly not 72. The fraudulent death certificate brings everything into question.It was not uncommon for celebrities to lie about their age, where they were born, background etc all to make the great story ( discovered at the Scwabs soda fountain) and the press was complicite in all that as well. The problem arises in that the date of the press release is NOT the date of publication EXCEPT for the November 1..which oddly could also include the denial from McGill in the same column....so how did they know before the press release went out that they were blamed for his death? So...before he died its 24 hours later for publication and it goes to 48 hours conveniently on Friday/Sat/Sun, but WHEN he died..they release it on Nov 1 AND it suddenly is printed on November 1.
DeleteIt WAS unexpected up until the initial operation. Bess was not told the seriousness of her husband’s plight as she was very sick herself. Why would anyone in Houdinis family think of such an idea (faking Houdini's death date) in the midst of such a tragic event? Instead of focusing upon the terrible sorrow of losing him they are intent upon some major conspiracy to fake his death date?
Delete1) Bess suffered from DTs'''delerium tremors from alcohol withdrawal - that was her sickness. Alcohol was not as refined as today and the aldehyde levels were way up there which cause the DT's when you stop drinking. She relates 3 days without weed or alcohol....so if you stop cold turkey you get DTs...and the cure at that time was to drink again. 2) you are not reading ANY of the material or you would see that press releases constantly said it was unlikely he would survive 3) he died on Oct 30 and they withold press releases as noted and 4) Ernst, Hardeen and I'm sure Bess was included see the opportunity to link him with a national celebration. COnspiracy is ALL throughout Houdini's death march...and obviously you have not been with celebrity families under a tragedy..I have...and believe me....the PR people are ALL over it for opportunities to twist the story that, in reality, is more than unflattering.
DeleteIt’s a nice theory but you are stringing together lots of circumstantial evidence to form it. Nothing substantial enough to say it’s reality. Houdinis family formed a major conspiracy in the midst of immeasurable despair? Maybe, but we need a smoking gun to conclude such a profound change in well known history. I wonder what “Houdinis Ghost” thinks about all this? Is Patrick out there?
DeleteThe scratching out of "BEFORE" Montreal is a tell tale sign that Kennedy still thought the cause was the stage accident, which would not qualify for payout...and then scratches it out to be only MONTREAL so they can fix the cause/accident to the student, implicating him in murder. He refuses to change his affidavit ( WHitehead) about what happened and Ernst knows that gives the Insurance company the grounds for denial. The company caves only because of a risk assessment as to a jury trial awarding more damages than 25,000.
ReplyDeleteHow do you know his actual intent was to write “before Montreal”? Thats also assuming he actually scratched out “before” as no “f” is present. The doctor wrote very distinct “f’s”.
DeleteDoctor, I don't believe that man has ever been to medical school:
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/jFB_vaq9bXs?si=Sm6EAwY4SZWSyF5z
Hehe Toy Story! Nice! Don’t let Sid touch my Harry action figure! His leg is broken and I already had to fix him with electrical tape! 😬 - Abby Martin
DeleteLove that movie too. I recently reviewed a medical script and the writer had done such a stupid job...he had a character saying: "I have to go to the ICD on 9!" Well, ICD is not a place but rather a medical code system for identifying procedures for billing from the 70;s called ICD9 because it was the 9th version....but to add to the info above..its the embalming that cinches things. 24 hours to drip or squeeze the fluid into the body with no guarantee you could do it much faster for a departure on a 7:10 pm train. Both death certificates are fraudulent as Kennedy did not sign the first one and we know the issues with the second one, and they had to find the casket liner after they learned it was not in New York, which could have meant further delay if it HAD been in NY and needed to come back to Detroit.
ReplyDeleteIt was reported on November 1st 1926 that Houdini would be buried in a coffin used for one of his tricks.
ReplyDeleteHey gang. Great work by Larrian and great comments. I’ve been taking it all in!
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Dunninger said HH died on the 30th opens the door to investigation. I don’t want it to be true, but my mind is open to the possibility, and in many ways, it makes grim sense.
However, I don’t yet see anything here that conclusively PROVES Dunninger’s claim, at least to my satisfaction. So I don't think it’s time to rewrite the history books. For me, it’s still just a theory.
Happily, I’m still two books and three years years away from having to make a decision about how to handle this in print. Who knows what Larrian will have come up with by then! :)
According to Silverman, my fallback reference, Houdini died Sunday afternoon on the 31st, then his body arrives at Grand Central Station NYC Monday morning. That's less than 24 hours to embalm him and ship him out. Is that possible? According to Doctor Gillespie, it's not possible. Not enough time to cover all the bases.
ReplyDeleteNo, body left Monday night, arrived Tuesday morning according to Newspaper accounts. Dr. Gillespie mentions “the train which would carry Houdini’s body in the casket to New York was scheduled at 7:10 pm on November 1 (Monday)”. Dean Carnegie blog has a nice post: https://www.themagicdetective.com/2012/01/tracking-body-of-houdini.html
Deleteyes that is a very nice article BUT he doesn't account for embalming technique and time, amount of time for hospital personnel to prep the body, family making decisions of where to send the body etc...so that is where the time does not add up correctly. It's not until electronic embalming machines ( 1927 is the first one) that one could quicken the process and make it within that time frame.
DeleteIf the family was told Houdini was going to die some of those decisions could have been made in advance.
Delete“Electronic embalming machines” is one thing but electric pumps were available well before 1926. This was not the Stone Age.
Mortuary Science:
Delete“The first battery-powered electric pump for the injection of embalming chemicals, was introduced in 1914”.
The patent referred to in 1914 is the Defendant contends Sanders Patent 1,095,930 issued in 1914 disclosed a similar prior art container. Sanders is an embalming pump, perferably foot operated for quick operation, used to remove body fluid. It is NOT electric...https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/431/261/140213/. AI doesn't always get it right. It is the one I show in the article that has the handle you pump or step on to push embalming fluid into the bodyl It is NOT electric.
Delete“In 1914 the FALCON ELECTRIC EMBALMER was demonstrated at a NY State convention for the injection of embalming chemicals”.
DeleteYou are using a QUIZLET quiz for your reference..obviously a US court of appeals would have referenced a patent for the Falcon. Next you are omitting from the second source you obviously used "https://www.jaypeedigital.com/eReader/chapter/9789389129748/ch1" these are not medical journals nor legal appellate opinions...and the sentence says right after what you copied that " it was NOT widely adopted."
DeleteSorry I didn't sign my name to the Anonymous May 19 8:36 AM post
DeleteYou are stating there were no electric pumps used by embalmers in 1926. Electric pumps for embalming were demonstrated in 1914. The idea they were not widely adopted equates that they were used by some certainly by 1926. So it’s not a certainty that a manual pump was used to embalm Houdini. I think it important not to portray a possibility as a certainty.
DeleteThe snippet came from “The origin and history of embalming” which traces technology used to preserve the deceased from Ancient Egypt to the present day.
DeleteAs an example that doctors/press lie...Biden has just been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer. His 2024 physical said he was fit and healthy. As a urologist I can tell you that is not possible with his diagnosis of bone involvement....and they would have done fractioned PSA tests on him while President and KNEW he had prostate cancer long before but did not disclose it. His difficulty walking etc was most likely due to bone mets. I am sorry he didn't receive treatment sooner....but there is no recovery from this situation at this point. Sound familiar? And prostate cancer at his age is usually not the cause of death UNLESS it has been ignored.
ReplyDeleteSome additional observations on the man that died twice?
ReplyDeleteWRT to Kennedy letter to Dunninger: Sold for $862 at Swann 2003 auction on October 30th, lol.
WRT new State Certificate of Death: I believe the word crossed out looks more like “Grace” vs “Before”; And hand written number identified as “426” is actually “126”.
WRT second surgery being 10/28: The newspapers (genealogybank.com, newspapers.com, intervalmagic.com) and major Houdini books (Kalush, Silverman) describe second surgery as 10/29 (Friday) vs 10/28.
WRT to Nov. 23, 1926 letter where Ernst acknowledges the receipt of Dr Cohn’s 11/20 letter (with certified copy of the Houdini death certificate) and the receipt of Dr Cohn’s 11/22 letter (stating he agrees with Dr Kennedy that the blows struck in Montreal were the direct contributory cause of Mr. Houdini’s death):
The copy of the death certificate (with 20 items and date of death as 10-31-1926) was certified “20th day of Nov. 1926.”
And Dr Cohn page with notes doesn’t correspond to death certificate but corresponds to the first 10 questions on PROOFS OF DEATH PHYSICIAN’S STATEMENT NO. 2 (with 17 questions and date of death as Oct. 30 1926) that was certified “23 day of December 1926”
Joe..thanks so much for your comments. The surgery was 10/28 and I believe the reason all those believed it was 10/29 was because the press release date and the actual newspaper date don't match..they are 1 day off. All of the NY TImes articles with dates in Interval's wonderful time line are off by one day. I checked the date of each newspaper for publication, not press release date and confirmed the mistmatch which would lead to thinking the surgery was on Friday night when it was on Thursday night. The word Grace would not make sense as the statement is "where was disease contracted if not at place of death" and that would completely eliminate a traumatic appendicitis in Montreal as the cause. I am looking forward to seeing the actual certified copies you refer to as Dec 23, 26 and NOv 20, 1926. Thanks for your great insight. Larrian Gillespie MD
ReplyDeleteProblem is, in no way shape or form is the word “before”. The final two letters appear to be c, e so “Grace” makes much more sense than “Before”.
DeleteAgree “Grace” would not make sense WRT question; but was thinking misread question at first and starting writing “Grace Hospital”, realized mistake, crossed it out and wrote Montreal, purely speculation on my part. Copies I referred to were found at HRC.
DeleteI agreed with you that Grace makes perfect sense both in terms of the word (spelling) itself AND the idea the doctor initially started to write “Grace Hospital”. I in no way shape or form see the word “before”.
DeleteMore observations on the man that died twice?
ReplyDeleteWRT Codes on death certificate(s):
According to International List of Causes of Death Revision 3 (1920), Code 117 is “Appendicitis”; and Code 126 is “Peritonitis without stated cause”
WRT 1:26pm vs 1:30p: The 1:26pm time of death initially came from a bulletin announcing his death and got reported in most papers the following day.
According to a South Bend News Times Newspaper Article:
With his wife and members of his family at his bedside, he died in Grace hospital at 1:26 p.m. Sunday…But at 10 o’clock he admitted to his brother, Theodore Hardine: “I guess I’m all through fighting.”…The bulletin announcing his death read: “Houdini expired 1:26 p.m. The cause of death was a diffused streptococcic peritonitis, the result of a ruptured appendix. (Signed) Drs. Charles S. Kennedy, John Taylor Watkins, Hebert H. Hewlitt, Daniel E. Cohn.”
According to a Western Union Telegram sent by Collins to J Vickery at 745A NOVN1 1926:
“Houdini passed away at 126 PM” See: http://www.houdinisghost.com/franzkukol.html
And the 1:30p time of death came from the death certificate(s) filled out 11/1/1926.
WRT to Dr. Cohn’s physicians statement certified 12/23/1926: Believe this was required as part of the documentation for filing a claim with insurance company and determining the cause of death: 10c If death was due to accident give full particulars and date: “Blow received in abdomen on Oct. 22 in Montreal was exciting factor in producing inflam. of appendix.”