The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-09-28
a Story FROM INDIA.
However There is No Law Compelling
You to Believe It.
From the Boston Home Journal

from me Boston Home journal.
A traveller from India relates the follow
Ing trick of the fakirs, which, if true, GER
tainly out Houdinizes Hcudin. 1t is told SO
to speak, from the front side Of the gibe-
clere. A fakir makes a wager with some
skeptical person or persons, generally OH
Gers oil the British army, tGat he will allow
| himself to be Hurled in the earth from
corn to corn" a period of about six months.
w hen the arrangements are completed the
faklr betakes himself to his family, prob
ably for the purpose of going through a
course Of treatment. lie is then brought
forth dressed in the flannel which is tine
chief article of apparel among his class.
Every one who desires is permitted TO wit
ness what occurs from this point.
The man Is then laid upon the ground by
his brother faklrs and his tongue is thrust
upward and backward into his throat and
there secured. This is probably done, ply
sicians think, to prevent toe flow Of saliva
His knees are then drawn up and his head
thrust down between them, bringing him
into as small compass as possible. In this
position he is allowed to remain until such
time as he becomes unconscious and his
respiration imperoephble. 1t is suppose d
that Inconsistencies is produced by the
position of the tongue He is then placed
in rubber bag, to protect him from all
moisture, and the bag is sealed up. By
this time physicians claim that he has
passed through the comatose state and into
a state of coma, only one remove from
death.
The persons who have made the wager
are then allowed to select the spot in which
they wish the body buried there being but
one restriction imposed upon them, which
is that they shall select a place slightly
elevated above the surrounding country in
order that the water or moisture may not
settle about the buried fakir. He is buried
in plain view of all. Over him the ground
is narrowed, and corn sowed and
reaped. In one instance where this
trick was performed the officers
who laid the wager kept two sentinels, who
were relieved according to regular military
custom, pacing over the body Of the buried
fakir both night and day from the time he
was inferred to the time he was exhumed
in their presence. When the six months or
thereabouts had expired the body was dis
inferred and laid upon the ground in the
presence of a considerable audience. After
a short time the rubber bag was removed,
care being taken to keep the body always
on its right side, and another interval oc-
Cured.
Then the fannal covering was loosened,
and shortly after the tongue was brought
back to its proper position. The body was
then raised to standing position and car
ried about between two fakirs until its limbs
became capable of motion. These demon
stratons were continued but short time
before the fakir, to the stupefacation of his
audience, walked up and down unaided
several times before them, and then
departed alone to his home, to
be cared for by his family. Medical mon
who were present at this experiment
and were allowed to examine the fakir
when exhumed asserted at they were I'M
able to detect the slightast evidence of cir
oulation by feeling of the pulse or the heart.
1t Is known that the best European chemists
are unable to teach chemistry to the learned
man of India, and that they have failed as
signally wherever they have attempted to
do 20, as they have in their endeavors to re-
produce certain Indian dyes, especially
Tyrean purple. And it is not impossible
that the east may be ahead Of the west in
other lines as well.