Margery and the Voice of Walter
In a Boston townhouse in the 1920s, a medium's dead brother spoke through her in the dark, and a magazine nearly gave her a prize for proving it.
What was reported
Mina Crandon, a doctor's wife known to the public as 'Margery', held séances at her home on Lime Street in Boston. In the dark, bells rang, objects moved and a gruff male voice spoke, said to be her brother Walter, who had died years before.
In 1924, Scientific American offered a prize for proof of genuine mediumship, and Margery came close to winning. But the magician Harry Houdini, on the investigating committee, insisted she was cheating and built a box to restrict her movements. The committee was split.
Explanations offered
In 1932, a fingerprint said to be Walter's, left in wax at a séance, was found to belong to Margery's living dentist. Most researchers concluded the phenomena were tricks, possibly with help. She never confessed and remained a celebrated figure among believers.
- When
- 1923–1930s
- Where
- Beacon Hill, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Witnesses
- Investigators for Scientific American, and Harry Houdini
- Status
- Probably a hoax
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
More from Massachusetts