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

= An interesting letter from India to
thei6 6yRacuss Courier, 10 correspondent,
signing the initials i" n, T, G. says: !:
"You have all Heard 6iX Xhh Pafsees.
They are the Jews OF Bombay. They
are q race that was excluded from
Persia a. the Jews have been from many
countries. Here they located:
They. are very industrious and
are a peculiar people. They are
the traders. They buy and sell the
cotton. They are the brokers, the
money lenders, ind sLavers. Fhey
never mlngle With. others. They have
their own schools, and in their way are
highly. Jedncated.a 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 u very beautiful but are
never allowed to receive visits from
any but those Of their own race. They
are fond of amusements,, and have q
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
SUM-, 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 q
visit to their cemetery, not knowing at
the time that no one was admitted. 1t
is a 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 ad-
mission, and were refused. We ap-
pealed to q Young Parsee, who happen
ed to be passing. He was dressed in
silk and very, gentlemanly 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 Amer.
cans, but could not, but did not re
fuse that we should 60 up the road
outside tho inner wall, and have a view
of the city and bay. The sentinel tool
us along the winding road, and = rupee
given to him acted like q charm. Il
opened all the gates and passed th'
police. There were no Parsees in sigh
to stand in our way, and we entered til,
prohibited enclosures. These grounds
are surrounded by q wall twenty fee
high, and have been used for a great
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 fit,
to sixty feet high. On the top of thes,
towers there is an iron CRATE. The deae
are brought to the gate and delivered
to the priests, and the friends depart.
The priests prepare the corps.
and lay it., on the CRATE, ant
it is devoured by the vultures, ant
the bones drop through: the graft
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 th'
flesh from the bones of corpse in NJ
hour. We asked why these towers
The sentinel, pointing to one, said
"Parsee with plenty of money pu
there :" to another, p" Parsee with bu
little money put there, and the other
"Parsee with no money: put there.
The:sentinel said when . corpse j
placed on the CRATE, the strife; am
noiso of the vultures is frightful, an,
could be heard for long distance. w
saw those "TOwers Of Silena." and d
not care ever to be any nearer. -.