Sworn Statement of Julia Sauer
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State of New York
County of New York
City of New York
Julia Sauer, being duly sworn, deposes and says: I reside at 413 S. 4th St., Brooklyn, N. Y.
During the years 1925 and 1926, I was a private secretary of the late Harry Houdini. I also
was a member of the company in which Mr. Houdini was appearing on the stage. I saw
Houdini almost daily during the entire period referred to.
His health and physical condition during such period was excellent, with the exception of
an accident which he sustained to his ankle while playing at Albany, N. Y. in the autumn of
1926. He seemed to be in robust health, was extremely active in connection with the
various enterprises and so far as I know, was not ill or suffering from any indisposition.
I am told that it has been stated that Houdini was ill on the train after his performances at
Schenectady and while he was going to Montréal. This is not true. I was with him on this
trip, and with the exception of a natural discomfort because of his injured ankle, he was not
sick in any other particular or in any other way. It is not true, as was stated, that he vomited
on the train during this trip or had any stomach ailment or indisposition whatsoever.
Neither was he sick or confined to bed at any time during the summer of 1926 as far as I
know, and I saw him practically every day during such summer.
I was with the late Harry Houdini on Friday, October 22nd, 1926 at the Princess Theater,
Montréal, Canada. About the middle of the day, there being no matinee on that day, I,
together with Miss Julia Karchere and other members of Houdini’s company, left Houdini to
go to luncheon. We did not return to the theater until the middle of the afternoon. Upon
returning, we found Houdini in pain and he stated to us that he had been violently struck a
number of times by a student of McGill University. He said that three students of the
University had called on him in his dressing room and he had made the remark that his
physical condition was such that blows did not bother him and that he would permit himself
to be struck to prove what he said was true. He further stated that he was lying down at the
time and intended, of course, to stand up and brace himself and prepare for such blows as
might have been delivered, but that while he was actually engaged in reading his mail, and
before he had an opportunity to anticipate the striking of blows or to prepare for them, one
of the students, possibly because of a misunderstanding of his remarks, had struck him
violently a number of times from a standing position, such blows being delivered in the
neighborhood of his abdomen and before he had an opportunity to prepare for them and
without his knowing that they would be struck while he was reclining and reading his mail.
Julia Sauer
Sworn to before me this:
7th day of May, 1927
Jacob N. Robius
Notary Public