Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-12-05
REoALLRp TO LIFE.


a HOnderful performance SOuCneu
for by GOnjnrer keliar.
In last Sundays New York World,
X liar, the well-known magician, mathe-
ma ician and illustrator OF spirituaiistic
and ''secoad sight" phenomens, tells of
some wondarfui hypnotic performances
by hindu fakirH. 1t was in 50cnnderabad.
in 1878, In the corridor of tho palace of
Saler Jung, the Nzsm, that he Witnessed
the performances of which he writds.
Besides Kellar there was present party
of Eugiishmen, among them DIR. Draw
ford, surgeon in the British army, to
whom the hypuotized subjects were
turned over and who used every effort
known to medical science to sesuscitate
them, but 10 vain Tho performers were
an old man, his wife, and six
men VINO served ns subjects and under
assistants After describing In detail the
approximation by the old man Of one OF
his asSistsnts, the extreme tests which
were applied TO detect any vastige OF ike
or Hensati0u; the Br fish surgeons Efforts
to bring back the life that seemed TO
have ALSO utely deserted the body, and
the readiness with which the old man 70
called life and sensation after the doctor
had given up the job; Kellar continues:
While this was very wonderful the old
man now proceeded to astonish us still
more. With no one to help him save the
singers and their chant, OF bis own Volt
tlon hs threw himself into this same
marvellous state We repeated the same
experiments upon him that we had done
in the feat instances. We drove steels
through Ills limbs aud scorohsd the palm
OF his hand with living coal. We
stopped up his noNrils, cars, eyes and
mouth sad then the doctor worked on
him for half "a h0ur or more. The
effect OF death was in this Case more pro.
nouucea than in the former. The natural
pallor OF the old mans face, his flowing
white hair and heard made him appear
like the carved figure of some old Iadiau
chiei;ain in onb OF the royal burial
grounds. 1t impressed MS as though we
were in tho presence of actual death and
we inst!nctiYeiy spoke in whispers.
When the doctor was tired he turned
the boty over to the woman, who made
certain passes ever it, and slowly aud
terribly the old man regqined his senses.
That ended this performance the like Of
which never personally seen equalad.
The old man was said to DO the only
member of this particular party who
could throw himself into this trance, If
| may 80 call i, and bis wife was the only
Que who had the power to bring him to
life. Without her help he would remsin
in that condition for an indefinite psriod.
Some of the natives claimed that he
could slenp that dreamless sleep Tor cen
turtles and then be brought to life. How
ever that may be, he would undoubtedly
remain unconscious until death really
came to him unless some powerful agent
recalled his dormant ssnses.
Several months later, during the same
year, l visited Lucknow, the guest OF
COLONEL Sir julius Medley, whole niece
afterwards became my wife. We we're
entertained by Colonel jenkins, com
mander OF the British forces, at the
Ohuddarmumzil Ciub, of which the col
onel was secretary. One evening l re
lated to the colonel the experience I have
just described when he proceeded TO tell
me OF one that recently happened liz Luck
now the truth of which he vouched for.
This il the ooionel's story:
In 1877, l think he said, party OF
fakirs, possibly the same ones had seen,
for their description Tailed closely will
TINT OF my acquaintance, visited the
coloneis quarters and gave an exhibition
OF their almost sup 'shuman powers. The
old man threw hims-lt while in sitting
or rather squatting position into a trance
and his assistants proceeded to plaza his
tongue far back in HE mouth. Ther
they swathed his body with bsndsges, al
mummy is prepared for the tomb. They
filled his ears, eyes, mouth and nostriIi
with paste and bGndagsd his face ant
neck, arms and chest, 40 they had dom
the lower part Of his body. When thi
was done he was turned over to tht
colonel. Mind you, all this had beer
done in the presence of the colonel ant
bis officers. There vas and could be n,
deception i'll IL.
The colonel had had deep hole du,
in the barrack yard and into this h
placed the bandaged fakir, after frs
putting him into box, shesthed with
metal and hermeticslly sealed. III,
earth was spread over this box and ths
grave was placed under guard OF q squa(
of soldiers. Every second of the time
day and night for 40 days, the grave wa
under guard. Ths box could not hay,
been meddled with by any human bein
aud have escaped detection. At the eut
OF that period the box was exhumed an,
opened, the body was uuswathed aud
woman breathed upon it's face and passe
her hands over his limbs and precisely q
have described before, tho man cam
to hto, apparently none the worse 70
his long burial. How much longer b
could have remained under ground o
course / cannot tell. Ali know is the
he certainly was buried and remainej
there 40 days githout air, food or drink
There are many stories current in Indi
apropos OF such phsnomeua, but thes
two are all that can vouoh for durinl
tie fifteen years OF my residence in this
land of mystery. have never ssen o
heard of suob experiment. being pro
duced by an American or European per
former. What the secret may ne shel
leave you to doodle. 1 have described /,
YOU what l have seen with my own eye
and what / have received on eVidenc
that cannot be impsached. You may ex
plnin it as you please. II you eau do j
satisfactorily you will do more than
haya Guar haat, ahta IN In