The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1885-10-31
ALIVE IN THE GRAVE.
Some Stories Concerning the In
dian Fakir's Trade.

Much has been written Of late about
the capacity of frogs to live for years
in rocks. OF much greater interest,
however, is the fact that human beings
can also lie for months buried under
ground and then be brought to life
again. Such phenomenal beings are
not, of course, found on this continent
or in Europe, but in India, that verita-
BILE realm Of wonder working. A Ger
man writer, DR.. du Prel, has recently
written a very interesting essay on the
capacity, often proved, of Indian fakirs
to allow themselves to be buried for
longer or shorter periods, and to come
to life again smiling after the ordeal.
In a Persian work. the "Dabistan," on
the religious sects Of India, the state
ment was made that there were indi-
viduals who possessed the power to
separate the soul from the body and to
bring them together again at will, and
that such persons could exist without
breathing for weeks at a time. Euro
pean scientists refused for a long time
to believe this, but actual experiments
have proved the marvel. DR.. du Prel,
in his curious essay. says:
1.-THE first trustworthy information
received in Europe about the Indian
fakirs was from DR.. Johann Martin
Honigberger, who spent many years as
court physician at various Indian CAPT
tails, and who wrote a book entitled
'Fruchte aus dem Morgenlande, pub
iished in Vienna in 1851. DR.. Honig-
berger. after paying a flying visit to
Germany, returned to Lahore in COM
pany with General Ventura, who told
him what had happened with the Fakir
Haridas during his absence. An Indian
Prince had heard hat this fakir pos
sessed the miraculous power Of allow
Ing himself to sink into apparent death,
to be buried, and to be kept in his grave
a number Of months before being ex-
humed and again brought to life. The
Maharaiah summoned the celebrated
fakir to his court and babe him make
the experiment. The fakir did not hes
ifate. He sank into a condition resem-
bling death, and his body, in the pres
ence Of the Prince and grandees, was
wrapped in linen and placed in a box.
on which the Prince himself hung the
lock. The box was then buried in the
garden of one of the Ministers outside
the city. Over the grave barley was
sown; round about it a high wall was
built, and s%entinels, who were relieved
every few hours, were placed on watch.
Forty days afterward the Prince, &C.
companied by his Ministers of State,
General Ventura, an Eng]isbman, and
physician, went to the garden. The
box was exhumed, and in it lay the
fakir, cold and stiff. By the applica-
ton of warmth to the head, the blow
ing in of air through the mouth and en-
ergetic rubbing of the body, the man
was quickly resuscitated. One of the
Ministers then said that he had known
the same fakir to have been buried for
four months. The day Of the burial
the chin had been smoothly shaved, and
the day of the exhumation 1t was found
to be perfectly smooth. The Calcutta
Journal Of Medicine (lS35) reported
that the same fakir had frequently been
subjected to similar experiments by En-
lishmen, though, with them, he had al
ways insisted in having the box hung
up in the air instead of buried, as he
feared the ravages Of ants. DR.. HONG
berger says that the ways the fakirs Ga
to work to produce this peculiar condi'
ton is to have the little ligatura under
the tongue cut, whereby they r en-
nabled to stretch this organ out to a
great length. Then they turn it back,
inserting the end in the throat, and
closing up at the same time the inner
nasal apertures. The external apertures
of the nose and the ears, he says. are
closed with wax and the eyes covered
to exclude the light Long preliminary
practice is, however, needed in holding
the breath, and a long course OF fasting
before burial. There are stories current
of fakirs who have existed, not for
months, but for years in o comatose
state"
Other Indian travellers have reported
marvels about the fakirs. Braid, the
discoyerer Of %hypnotism. reports two
cases communicated to him, the one
by a diplomatic agent at the court Of
Lahore, the other by an English major
who lived a long time in India. The
first case refers to Hsridas, mentioned
by DR.. Honigbcrger; and Sir Claude
Wade is given as n Of the witnesses
Of the disinterment and Identification,
The second case is taken from o book
Of travels by an English officer. entitled
.Report of a Journey in Rajwarra IN
1885" In this the story is told OF a
fakir who wandered about and allowed
himself to be subjected to intermen'
whenever he was well paid, arranging
the length Of time according to the
amount Of his reward. He was buried
within the four walls Of q small house,
the door al which was then walled up