Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1888-08-10
A WONDERFUL STORY.

| IyttOn of the wonderful prolongatlOn
of human existence under the most re-
markable circumstances that occurred
under his notice while he was Govern
or-General of India, who, it is said,
vouches for its truth:
"A deputation of the highest rank
of Indian priests visited Lord Lytton
in 1878, his second year as Governor
General of the Indian Empire. He re
ceived them with the honors due their
rank, consequence and dignity, for he
knew the influence the native priest
hood had on the people of the coun-
try. AS proof of their learning and
the knowledge they had Of secrets and
mysteries of nature only known to
their order they proposed an eXtraor-
binary test. If it resulted as they de-
clared it would the particular order
they belonged to should be exempted
from the more stringent of the regula-
tions now in force all over India touch
ing the practices of the native priest
hood.
"A pit was prepared ten feet in depth,
about 6 feet in width, perfectly square.
On the bottom was laid native ce-
ment foot thick, which became in
forty-eight hours as hard as stone.
The walls of the pit were prepared
with the same material about half its
depth, and thus chamber was made,
to which was fitted a covering of stone,
weighing about 1,200 pounds, that
closed over the walled space, fitting it
like the lid of a box.
with solemn ceremonies one of the
priests present was prepared for the
sacred rite. At midnight the evening
of the new moon for that month, Lord
Lytton. his private Secretary, and an
aide-de-camp, with a civil officer, were
then told what was to be done. The
priest prepared for the solemn rite
looked as though he was dead. No
sign OF pulse appeared. His eyes and
nose-all organs openinginto the body,
in fact-were closed up, first being
filled with prepared cotton, then COW
cred over with some waX-like sub
stance.
The entire person of the naked
man was annointed with something
that smelled to me like collodian, said
Lord Lytton. We will put oar broth
er in the pit said the spokesman;
then cover it over with the stone and
seal it tightly. Then your men shall
fill in the rest of the earth. taken out
in digging till the level of the garden
has been reached. Then you with
your hand shall SOW on this earth that
covers the pit a crop of millet. 1t
shall grow, ripen and be reaped by
our own hands. After that, in your
presence and with those who are here
looking on tonight as witnesses, we
will remove the earth, raise the stone,
and restore our brother TO this life he
hath left for the moment, recall him
from that Nirvana TO which he has
gone. Shall it be so, my Lord?
This pit was in the government res
ervation not more than one hundred
and fifty yards from the Governor
Generals residence. The grounds
were surrounded by lofty wall, and
the entire place was within the abso-
lutte control of Lord Lytton himself.
Here now, thought and said he othe
Englishman present, is an opportuni-
ty TO test the truth of the often re-
peated assertion that these people
have a knowledge of the mysteries of
nature that Western nations never
have dreamed of. / will permit this
to be done upon one condition, that
being that guard of English mot ma
tive) troops shall be kept over the
spot night and day till the experiment
is ended. He announced this to the
head of the order, who accepted the
proposition. So, just at the moment
the old moon became the new, the
seemingly lifeless body was placed in
the tomb, or pit, wrapped in layers Of
woolen cloth. The great stone was
placed with derrick and pulleys over
the mouth of the chamber, and the
same cement they had in preparing
the bottom and walls was used TO fill
in the small crevices between the
walls and the great closing stone.
Then five feet of earth Gt was careful
ly measured by the aide-de~camp pres
ent) was filled in. The millet was then
sprinkled over the moist, rich soil, a
handful or two being used, and the
the ceremonies were closed.
Two of the Englishmen remained
at the place till the detail of a guard,
from new regiment just come out to
India, was made. The place was
watched day and night. There was
no possibility of any interference from
the priest The tackle used in lifting
and placing the great fiat stone over
the mouth Of the pit was removed,
and without 1t the mass of granite
could not be handled at all by human
hands.
THE millet sproutedand grew green
and thick with the spring rains. Lord
Lytton felt little anxious. AS far as