River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-10-11
4 Mystery at the Towers of Silence.


A sensation has been caused in the
Parsee community BY this disclosure of
rumors, which have been circulating in
Bombay for the past three weeks, with
regard TO certain mysterious circum-
stances that took place at the Towers of
Silence on June 80. Early on the morn
ing of the 23d Parsee died, and three
hours afterward his body was exposed to
the vultures in Tower No. /, locally
known as Kapis Khao's Dokhmd(a tower.
In the afternoon another body was taken
to the towers, and it was decided to ex-
pose it in Kapis Khao's tower also. The
funeral procession proceeded thither and
had taken the formal farewell of the
dead, which is customary, while the
corpse bearers (nassassalars) were opening
the iron doors of the tower. The nassas-
salars pushed the door open, looked ir,
saw something unusual, and then closed
the door again. Descending the steps
they told the mourners that the bsdy
could not be exposed there, but must be
carried TO another tower. They were
questioned aDGTt their singular proceed
ings, but chose only to give evasive and
rude answers. The procession was
formed again and moved on with the
body to Tower No 2, where it was duly
exposed. One of the mourners suspected
that all was not right, and he went to the
Sigree or prayer-house and watched the
corpse bearers. He saw them reenter
Tower No. 1, where they remained for
half an hour. The suspicion dawned up
ON the watchers that the corps, bearers
had observed some one alive (probably
the Parsee who had been exposed that
morning) in Tower No. /, and hal re-
turned thither to murder him, in accord
ance with a well-known Zoroastrian
superstition that no one should be al
lowed to return into the world from
Tower of Silence, otherwise he will be
the cause of dreadful plaques. lie com
municated his suspicious to number of
people, and soon a knowledge of the
affair spread throughout the Parsee COM
munity. Although it was exciting the
Parsees to the very cores, whole sections
believing that the nassassalars had COM
mitted the dreadful crime of which they
were suspected, singularly enough the
native press studiously observed silence
upon the subject, and it was not until the
gist of anonymous letters which had
reached Bombay paper were put into
shape that the conduct of the nassassalars
was openly discussed.
1t has beer pointed out on behalf of
the Panchayet five individuals who are
the recognized heads of the Parsee COM
munity) that the whole story has arisen
from the insOlence of the corpse-beaTers
in refusing to give prompt explanation
of the reason why they had opened No.
Tower and then shut it up again. Had
they said at first that the body had fallen
against the door, and that they did not
like to push open the door further lest
the mourners should be shocked by see
ing the mutilated corpse, the excitement
that has since arisen would, the Pancha-
yet believe, never have taken place.
This explanation pleases some of the
Parsee community, and merely excites
the ridicule of others, who will have il
that the story told by the corpse-bearers
was only an lfterthought invented to
save them from the consequences of their
guilt. The Psnchayet have pointed out
that chains are hung round the inside
of the towers to enable persons who may
come TO life again to escape; but all the
same, young and enlightened Parseeism,
as distinguished from orthodox Zoroas-
trianism, believe that the corpse-bearers
still have instructions to let no one
escape alive from the Towers of Silence.