, 1880-11-27
A. Wonderful Feat Performed by
Fakirs in Persia and Hin.
dustan.
Sir Claude NJ. Wadts Narrative Of O
Case Witnessed by Him.
4 Mnn Buried Alive for Forty I,a5s 1lc.
suscltatcd III Half an Hour.
The System Of Discipline Essential to Pro-
dcienoy in tho Art Of Death
Stimulation.

Oriental nlystcs In general, ,,a,,y Of tho
ssorlcs rotated By English officers resident III
1niia wilt appear Incredible. Tllere Is TO
rcasn1t, however, 10 doubt tho authenticity
Of tho observations published within the last
],ai.centnry, whatever nny bo tlto fate OF
tho hypothesis TINT trnces many Of tho riys-
ter1es Of trnnsmiyrntion and tNptafNorphosis,
prevalent AMONG tho ancient races OF
Europe to the antiquity Of this practice.
III addition to the testimony Of tho Acting
Secretary of the british Government Of tho
considerable attention to the subject, lrncr-
ous high officials, besides officers alnl pliysl-
cians, with eyes trained 10 careful obserya-
tion, llnve witnessed tho phenomena under
test conditions, and any person willing 10 pay
tho sum demanded i,lny Witness tlcnl.
Several sects In Persia Md 1lindustan re-
r}3E AIT OF APPARENT DEATH
rs n part of their religious ritual, and rrac-
tica It with the assluity Of tleyotces. In tho
ancient books Of tho lIindus, particularly In
the ..SIlastras +" ald tho "S1kh Grouth," 1t is
mentioned and described rs "puraAu-
| YAM" ora stopping tho breath" The
! Persian designation Is "habs-i.tonl," which
frequently occurs lit the "DabIstnn"
4 (nanllnl of lintlners), and, literally trans.
unle Ii numbered nnlo,,g tho translat.ons cx~
| ccutctl under auspices Of tho Royal Aslntio
| Translation Fund, md Includes many curl
ous notes rs to tho physiological regimen
| necessary to perfection In SO strange an art:
aiul from legends handed down III clnsstc
lore, stlcl1 as the ,story of Epimentttcs, who
| lay long lit mystic trance, It Is evident TINT
tho Greeks carried tho nrt with them, as MI
element of the mysteries, When they occl,-
| pied tho Hellenic peninsula, anil TINT It felt
| into disrctude witt, the decay OF religious
rItni that hail matio considerable progress
when l'lntlnr lived, md wi,s tho lion Of tho
| festivals III tile nth century l}. G. ....
,Again, tl,ts nrt crops ont II lnany an MT
cient Got'Ic ani Celtic legend. md ln n.anys
q German tnle Of transformation. as kind Of
@s"s stwss , ttas, tsssr a sat speq Pee.
INIT the it,ycs'lgatola .of It's facts nntt their
litoratnrc, rs now existing ln India, tho pnr-
cntland OF the European RACES. Is to- tho
yIuw, 1nay BE- dfsrGrnyd without explanation.
This, however. ~ not the only aspect from
Which tho subject Is important. On tho coIi-
trary, In lts physiological relations It bears
upon tho slnxufar piIenomena associatetl Will
modern ir'csn!crEssn. Finnl!y, rs = species OF
,nOrbitl sleep, tho Investigation Of tho facts
may possibly, co'slnce to better understand
LUZ OF tho hntlrc OF s!eei' ~ q NORMAL fiinc-
ton and a perpetual llnblt Of tho nervous
system.
ONE OF TIE MOST WONDERFUL CASES
of imltatnn-tleatll Oh record occurred at LII
1 horc, In 1877. while Sir clnuhe n: Wade, who
tclas, tho story, wns !'olltlcal Resident Mt
lncnt nt TIC Court Of Kunjit Singh. Thc iakir
ioltbc.l MID rosuscitutu,l..,
a MS Sdrs p19s9nn u nu sS'5es Slnr m s5r 11 GlaH f
1851, when lie faklr mentioned by ti,o lion.
Cnpt. Osb0rno way buried alive f0rsfx weeks !;
mud, though nrriyctl \ few hours niter lto
Ms ntsrIs @ tho sSoy tn n.y.; of Mn6
@ Wtacsscs 1t Is GoSrt 10 Ito i tratll of tho
fnkir having been SO buried before them /;
mud, from having beeI present. myself wheM l,e
is TO render deception impossible, 1t IL my
tlrM belief THAT there wns no colllIslon IN pro-
aaslns 4,sInI ;! tho extraordinary fact tl'at have
When the forty days ,wcre ended, by luvI-
tation Of Nnntit SInKh Sir Clnude accom-.
pa,Ilc.i tho 1!ajah md Ills suits 10 tbs sput
%ffH tue styS air VI; bre + was ars n;si
Of one Of the gardens adluln!nE tl,o palace NJ
structure, Of which MI Enclosed room occt.
atarrI," K1n}!t s1,lg,, Wi!o W Was attended BY .
retin1lo at Conrt-Otliclals, dlsn.o,tntcd from
Ills elephant mud requested Sir C!altato Jol1
lin III tho exnlnllntiol OF tho building, tt
| 0Atl041 A1lkS ~ VIA
ExAcTIY AS lie HAD LEFT IT FORTY DAYS
= BEFORE.
Sit Claude ncceded. OF the four doors lool,
= i1g to tho fsIllr points Of the Cul,lpAss thret
Ind been herlMctlcn!fy scnlctl With brick mt
ssss Ss aee @ pis5te4s 'ast w' Ts fa'S a % S!f
paddock, w!iictl WIS scaled with tho liajalI'.
private stal, lN Ills own presence, at tho datt
, wlnA tho 1akir WAY elIt0mbetl. rlius the OK
terIor Of the building presented na. aperture
whAtuscr by which on0 coul possibly l,e atl
Mttted, my communication httt, or any ft,ot
, conveyed to the tnrpitl experinclltaist. III.
walls md dooswnys bnrc no marks OF having
Nunjit snsii identified tho impression o
bis scal rs tho nnts no lind aftlxctl; and, o.
h. WINS pcrsonally s9inewhAt skeptic9l ny e
during tho forty days kept two companies
Of his personal escort stationed neAr TIL
building, fro'n, WHICH four senttilcla were fur
nlsl'sd md relieved every two hours, ngl,
Ono Of his principal officers was also Dc
ihs result Of III hls ' insppeeton. p Wfile IL i''iS'
s assKR ssR s e ss sssr t e&s t ya o ress sI ct II It
rolmrts ot tho officers OF tho guard ln9riiln
i. PM eyeniug. and duly communicated Ae'
to Ills lnnster.
On Tug !!oor being thrown opon, nottin
was visible, except AarR; r..sin Ruy}i
SLngll ind Sir Claude entered. tho servant D
thu buried fakir accolllpanying tl!cn., !
sti ns %!s. hFonG snt n btl,,y tsy t SssSe i
stIunru apartment. ln.thls coll was u woolc
Dox, fn,lF feet In length by three IN w!dtl
with a. square, slipping runf.. II st9oA III
s;ti,,e ,,iannur as tho door Of tho ''bara drri.
- This box WIS
j THE COFFIN OF THE FAKIi.
r Upon opcning tho box, tlo b0ly wns Q,
I lllblted. llcloscd III white linen bag, draw
1Stt1i RI ltrlnY fT{aft lRrnti{1 kn1Gtt4 CHM