TLS signed “Houdini,” one page, 7.75 x 7, September 30, 1926. Letter to King Features Syndicate head Moses Koenigsberg, in full: "Have been busier than ever. Pleased to inform you that things are starting in a marvelous way. Was booked for two weeks in Boston and remained three and this week think I will create a record at our prices here in Worcester. What interests me is how are you getting along after your operation? With kindest regards to you and your family." Houdini lists several dates for his upcoming schedule: "Oct. 11th to 13th—Capitol Theatre, Albany, NY / 14th to 16th—Van Curlers, Schenectady, NY / Oct. 18th (week) Teck Theatre, Buffalo, NY / Two weeks starting / Oct. 25th, Garrick Theatre, Detroit, Mich." Matted and framed with a photo of Houdini to an overall size of 13.25 x 16.25. In fine condition.
October of 1926 proved to be the final month of Houdini’s life, with his last performance occurring on the 24th at Detroit’s Garrick Theatre, a date pushed ahead one day from the schedule listed on this letter. Already ailing from a fractured left ankle sustained from a wayward execution of his famous Water Torture Cell escape, a hobbled Houdini gave a lecture 11 days later at McGill University in Montreal on the 22nd. Relaxing backstage at the Princess Theatre before his evening showcase, Houdini chatted casually with a group of students, one of whom, Jocelyn Gordon Whitehead, was eager to put the magician’s claim that he can endure heavy abdomen strikes to the test. Whitehead, mistaken that the magician had agreed to such a stunt, proceeded to punch Houdini’s stomach until his fellow students intervened, with many conjecturing that the trauma suffered by Houdini that night led to his death on October 31, 1926.
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