We are fast approaching the centenary of Houdini's famous seances with Mina Crandon, aka Margery, in Boston. During this high-stakes battle, Houdini built a special box to control the wily medium. He called it the "Margie Box."
Whatever happened to the Margery box? When I asked this question in 2012,
Anna Thurlow, Mina Crandon's great-granddaughter, provided this intriguing answer:
"When I went to a Houdini Seance in Las Vegas (I think 1998?) I was told that someone living in Vegas had the box in a storage unit there. I tried the telephone number later but it was disconnected. Presumably, it still exists, and hopefully someone will bring it to light."
Well, it has now been over ten years, and there is still no sign of the Margery Box or any hint of this mysterious Las Vegas owner. Possibly, whoever talked to Anna was thinking of the overboard box owned by Dixie Dooley. Or if it was an oblique reference to David Copperfield, we know he doesn't have the Margery Box.
I do have my doubts. This was not a working prop, and its significance as a piece of magic history would not have been appreciated at the time of Houdini's death. So I think it would have likely been discarded. If the box ever did reappear, I think we might all be surprised at just how small it is.
But we can still hope! If, by any chance, the mystery owner is reading this,
please get in touch. During this centennial year it would be amazing to bring the Margery box back into the light.
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