Houdini was passing through and we engaged him in conversation. “It happened in a public room where students went to socialize – to shoot a game of pool or snooker. 19 at the Union Hall, just after the lecture. Tait, who organized and chaired the meeting vigorously denied all reports of any punch-ups taking place at the McGill Union Hall while Houdini was present.” However, eyewitness McGill student Jack Hawser described the incident on Oct. “Houdini left the McGill Union Ballroom and conferred with some students downstairs in the billiards room on his way out. Tait’s invitation to lecture at the Student Union Building at McGill University. The first Houdini stomach muscle challenge was called the “Pickleman Punch,” and possibly occurred before or after Prof. He reported earlier, “vigorous self-training, has enabled me to do remarkable things with my body, to make not one muscle or a group of muscles, but every muscle, a responsive worker, quick and sure.” And it was a brag such as this during his visit to McGill that tested his superhuman belief.
All seemed to trace the magician’s mindset to his “human desire to challenge life’s end.” A feature and perhaps a human weakness, was Houdini’s boastfulness of his strength, particularly about his stomach muscles and that they could withstand any type of punch. Harry Houdini had a vast array of illusions, trickery and death-defying challenges in his many entertaining engagements throughout the world. Information, newspaper articles, first-hand accounts, interviews and assumptions of what happened at this appearance are a mystery and up for fervent debate. Much controversy swirl around the Great Houdini’s visit to Montreal and the Hopewell, Pictou County-born Professor William Tait’s invitation to guest lecture at McGill University.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is part 2 in a series of two columns by John Ashton about a Hopewell man's connection to Harry Houdini.