Was Houdini murdered? Exhumation may bring answer – CNN.com This is interesting.

For all of his death-defying stunts, Harry Houdini could not escape the Grim Reaper. The unparalleled performer, age 52, died on Halloween 1926, taking with him many of his trade secrets. Rumors he was murdered, however, soon took on a life of their own.

Eighty-one years later, Houdini’s great-nephew wants to exhume the escape artist’s body to determine if he was poisoned by enemies for his efforts to debunk their claims of contact with the dead.

A team of top-level forensic investigators would conduct new tests once Houdini’s body was disinterred, a relative told The Associated Press.

“It needs to be looked at,” said George Hardeen, whose grandfather was Houdini’s brother, Theodore. “His death shocked the entire nation, if not the world. Now, maybe it’s time to take a second look.”

The circumstances surrounding Houdini’s sudden death were as murky as the rivers from which he emerged unscathed, escaping from chains, locks and wooden boxes. The generally accepted explanation of Houdini’s death is that he suffered a ruptured appendix from a punch in the stomach, leading to a fatal case of peritonitis.

But no autopsy was performed, and when the death certificate was filed on November 20, 1926, Houdini’s body was already buried in Queens…convinced George Hardeen and others that poisoning was a real possibility.

found by TJ Geezer