The Russellville Democrat., 1888-11-22
HIRERNATlNa FAKIRs.
A Curious Story which Nobody is Com
peeled to Relieve.


peeled to Relieve.
A traveller from India relates tho
Rllowing trick OF the fakirs, which, If
tr le, certainly Houdinizes Houdin:
A akir makes wager with some skep-
teal person or persons, generally Off
GERS of the British army, that he will
allow himself to be buried in the earth
from corn to corn a period of about
six months. When the arrangements
are completed, the fakir betakes him
self to his family, probably for the pur-
pose of going through a course Of
treatment He Is then brought forth.
dressed in flannel, which is the chief
article OF apparel among his class
Every one who desires is permitted to
witness what occurs from this point
The man is then laid upon the
ground by his brother fakirs, and his
tongue is thrust upward and backward
into his throat and there secured.
This is probably done, physicians
think, TO prevent the flow of saliva.
His knees are then drawn up and his
head thrust down between them,
bringing him into as small a compass
as possible, In this position he is al
lowed to remain until such time as he
becomes unconscious and his respira-
ton imperceptible. II is supposed
that unconsciousness is produced by
the position of the tongue. He is then
placed in a 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 bur-
led, there being but one restriction i'm
posed upon them, which is that they
shall select place slightly elevated
above the surrounding country, in or
der 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
the trick was performed the officers
who laid the wager kept two sentinels,
who were relieved according to regu-
lar 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 therabout
had expired the body was disinterred
and laid upon the ground in the
presence of considerable audi
ence. After short time the rubber
bag was removed, care being taken to
keep the body always on its right side,
and another interval occurred. Then
the flannel covering was loosened and
shortly after the tongue was brought
back to the proper position. The body
was then raised to a standing position
and carried about between two fakirs
until its limbs became capable of mo-
ton. These demonstrations were con-
tinued but short time before the
fakir, to the satisfaction of his audi
ence, walked up and down unaided
several times before them and then de-
parted alone to his home TO be cared
for by his family.
Medical men who were present at
this experiment and were allowed to
examine the fakir when exhumed as
serted that they were unable to detect
the slightest evidence of circulation by
feeling OF the pulse or the heart. -
Boston Home Journal