The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1880-10-28
BURIED FOR FORTY DAYS.
A WeI-AttesteL Account Of a FaIxir
who Was Sealed Up. Buried. and
Kesuscttated After Forty Days---
The Process OF ReviVinS tine Vital
spark.
London Telegraph.

! spark.
London Telegraph
We are not told whether the seven
sleepers who retired to cave in Ephe-
sus during the reign of the Christian
killing Emperor Decius, and only woke
up 155 years afterward. when Theodo-
slus ii. was on the throne, made any
special preparation but probably they
did not. Perhaps it was not necessary.
Those were stirring times for members
OF the new faith, and they had little
opportunity to grow obese. But as a
rule, to fast successfully it is said to be
necessary for to abstain beforehand
and reduce himself most carefully to
the required condition. by a long course
of preparation. Pre-eminent at this art
Of suspended animation-for an art
1t becOmes-are the easterns, and most
wonderful stories are told of the ma
tives of India, which whether their
|powers are due to narcotics or any 9th
er process, seems to open up-if true
"a wide field of medical study. One
OF these Indian stories, not easily ac-
cessible, but of considerable interest,
on account of the known veracity of
the witnesses will probably be read
with interest at the present time, and
is inserted here. The author of it was
one Hon: Capt. Osborn, and the notes
made OF his statement, come from an
almost unique copy printed for private
circulation.
"Runjeet Sing had heard from a
Seyd or fakir who lived in the noun
talns, that the latter could allow him.
self to be buried when in a condition
of apparent death, without really ceas-
ing to live, seeing that he understood
the art of being brought back to life
on being exumed after several months
had passed. To the maharaah this
appeared to be a rank impossibility.
IN order, that he should be convinced
one way or the other, he ordered the
taklr to be summoned to the court
and caused him to undertake the singu-
lar experiment, under a threat that no
means of precaution would be want
ing toward the discovery of fraud. The
Fakir consequently caused himself to
appear IN state of apparent death.
When every spark of life had seeming
ly vanished, he was in the presence of
the maharajah and the mobiles who
surrounded him, wrapped up in the
linen on which he had been sitting and
on which the seal Of Runjeet Sing was
placed. The body was then deposited
IN chest, on which Runjeet Sing with
his own hand, fixed heavy paddock.
The chest was carried outside the town
and buried in garden belonging to
the minister; barley was sown over the
spot, wall was erected around it.
and sentinels posted. On the fourth
day, when the chest containing the
fakir was dug up and opened the man
was found cold and stark in precisely
the same condition as Chat in which he
had been left. With much trouble he
was restored to life by means of heat
applied to the head, affiation in the
ears and mouth, rubbing the BODY ETC.
The minister, Baiah Dhyan-Sing, as
sured friend that he had this fakir,
whose name was Haridas, for "A period Of
four months underthe earth at Jummoo
in the mountains. On the day of his
burial he had caused his beard to be
shaved off, and when he was taken up
again his chin was just as smooth as on
the day when he was consigned to the
earth-a proof, as would seem, of sus-
pended animation. 1t is related that
the takir in question took a gurgative
some before the burial display, and for
several days afterward lived only on a
scanty milk diet. On the day of the
interment it is said that, instead of tax
ing any nourishment, he swallowed
| thirty yards of a strip of linen Of the
breath of three fingers, which he i'm
mediately drew up again, his object
beng to clean the stomoch. However
wonderful, and perhaps laughable,
these operations appears to many, it is
plain that these people must have a
singular control over the different Or
gans of their bodies, and more espec-
tally over their muscular contractions.
When all the necessary preparations
have been accomplished, the fakir
closes all the openings of his body with
| shoppers made of aromatic wax, laws
his tongue far back in his suspends ami
nation by means of holding his breath.
On his being brought back to life one
of the first operations is, by means of
the fingers, to draw the tongue away
from the back of the throat; a warm
and aromatic paste made of meal is
then placed on his head, and air is
blown into his lungs and into the ear
holes, from which the wax shoppers
have been removed, the shoppers in
the nostrils being presently forced out
with an explosive noise. This is said
to be the first sign of return to life.
He then gradually commences to-
breathe, opens the eyes, and recovers
consciousness, continuous friction of
the body being carried on all the time.
"Here is a further curious statement
of opinion on the subject of the Indian
stories from an equally rare source,
the little pamphlet of Sir Claude Wade,
published in 1887. Il was present. he
writes, at the court Of Runieet Singh
when the fakir, mentioned by the Hon.
Capt. Osborne, was burned alive for
six weeks, and although l arrived few
hours after his actual interment, and
did not, consequently, witness that part
of the phenomenon, | had the testi-
mony of Runjeet Singh himself, and
others of the most credible witnesses of
his court, to the truth of the fakir hav-
Ing OcSu DuIucO DelCfe tuCIn, ana,
from my having been myself present
when he was disinterred and restored to
q. state of perfect vitality in a position
so close to him as to render any decep-
ton impossible, it is my firm beiefthat
there was no collusion in producing
the extraordinary sight which I have to
relate. will briefly state what saw,
to enable others to Judge of the weight
due to my evidence, and whether any
proof of collusion can, in their opinion,
be detected. On the approach Of the
appointed time, according to invitation,
| accompanied Runjeet Singh to the
spot where the fakir had been buried.
1t was in a square building called
bu,7a durra, in the middle of one Of the
gardens adjoining the palace ut Lahore,
with an open veranda all around, hav-
ing an inclosed room in the centre. On |
arriving there, Runjeet Singh, who was
attended on the occasion by the whole |
Of his court. dismounted from his ele-