Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-06-26
The Fire.WOrshipl>ers.

An interesting letter from India to
the Syracuse Courier, q correspondent,
signing the initials IN, F.. G." says ::
"You have all heard 6f EahA Parsccs.
They are the Jews of Bombay. They
IRE race that was excluded from
Persia as the Jews have been from many
countries. Here they located.
They are very industrious, and
are peculiar people. They are
the traders. They buy and sell the
cotton. They are the brokers', the
money-lenders, and sEavers. They
never mlngle with others. They have
their own schools, and in their way are
highly educated. They take care of
their own poor. They have great
wealth, and have elegant villas on
Malober Hill, the most fashionable
part of the city. They drive splendid
horses and ride IN elegant carriages.
If the ladies or children appear on the
street, they are dressed in silk. I never
saw children so elegantly dressed any
where else. Many of the young ladies
are very beautiful but are
never allowed to receive visits from
any but those of their own race. They
are fond of amusements, and have a
theatre OF their own. They are fire
worshippers. When the labors of the
day are over they are seen along the
shores of the sea, facing the setting
sun, with their hands clasped, repeat
ing their prayers. They have very
peculiar notions of life, but their
cemetery is more peculiar still. It is
different from all others. We made a
visit to their cemetery, not knowing at
the time that no one was admitted. 1t
is large tract on the best of Malobor
Hill. It is very valuable now, but it
was purchased many years ago. We
made application at the gate for adj
mission, and were refused. We ap-
pealed to a young Parsee, who happen.
ed to be passing. He was dressed in
silk and very gentleman]y in his
appearance. He said that no Euro
peans were admitted. We told
him that we were not Europeans,
but Americans. Ho said he would
! be very happy to oblige Ameri
cans, but could not, but did not re
! fuse that we should go up the roa<
outside the inner wall, and have q view
of the city and bay. The sentinel tool
MS along the winding road, and a RUPEE
given to him acted like charm. I
opened all the gates and passed TIL
police. There were no Parsees in sigh
to stand in our way, and we entered til
prohibited enclosures. These ground
are surrounded by wall twenty fec
high, and have been used for a grea
number of years by this strange people
There are no monuments in the GENE
terry. There are three round tower
about fifty feet in diameter, and fift
to sixty feet high. On the top of thes
towers there is an iron CRATE. The dea'
are brought to the gate and delivere'
to tho priests, and the friends depart
The priests prepare the corps
and lay it on the CRATE, an
it is devoured by the vultures, an
the bones drop through the graf
into the charnel house below. Thes
towers are called the "Towers of Sile
na." We saw hundreds of vulture
sitting on these towers, and the senti
mel told us that they would take all til
flesh from the bones of q corpse in al
hour. We asked why these towers
The sentinel, pointing to one, sale
"Parsee with plenty of money pu
there ;" to another, 6 Parsee with br
little money put there" and the othel
"Parsee with no money put there.
The. sentinel said when corpse
placed on the CRATE, the strife an
noise of tue v,,ltures is frightful, an
could be heard for u long distance. "
saw those FLOWERS of Silena,' and 4
not care over TO be any neArcr.