San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-02-26
MESMERISM IN THE ORIENT.
Two Wonderful and Cruel Tests Described
by an Eye Witness.

Two Wonderful and Cruel Tests Described
by an Eye Witness.
There were ten years ago, and presume
are uow, in India, meSmerlstS whose perfor-
manccs transcend in wonder the combined
efforts of such of their Christian rivals as |
have ever seen. Let me describe one perfOr
nance:
1t was in SeCunderabad, in 1873, and it
took place in the broad corridor of the palace
of Saler Jung, the nyZam. | was one of
party of Englshmen, among whom were DR..
Crawford, surgeon of the British army, and
Mr. John HodgkimS formerly an officer i'll
her ma jeStV'S LanCerS, but at that time III
the employ of an English banking and mer-
camille firm in Hong Kong. We were i'll the
front ranks of the spectators, nearly all of
whom were Europeans. After we had waited
a few minutes, flaming ourselves, for the day
was OppreSsively hot, the faliirs made their
appearance There were eight i'll the party.
An Old man with aquilne features, patri-
archal white beard and a pair of flashing
black eyes, was the leader. His wife, Il pretty
little woman, young enough TO be his daugh-
ter, was his chief assistant, and the six re-
naming men served as subjects and under
assistants.
had heard l..urh about the wonderful per
formances Of this particular band of fakirs,
as all itinerant performers are generally
termed and thus when received the invita-
ton of the palace authorities | was delighted
to accept it, But must admit that all the
praise ! had heard seemed FAINT and cold af-
ter had seen all that was to be seen. 1t
was, taking it all in ALL the most wonderful
performance Of the sort any Of our party had
ever witnessed.
After the fakirs arrived they proceeded at
once to business. The old man bound a band
lge tightly around the forehead of one of his
young men, placing a small wedge shaped
piece of pith under the cloth and directly be-
tween the eyes Then he handed him a small
round mirror, telling him to place it in his
hand and gaze upon it intently. This the
young man did. Meanwhile the other fakirs
made a circle partially around him, droning
a monOtonous chant that ran something as
follows:
Ram, ram, amaram, amaram, ram,
Amaram, amaram, amaram, ram.
This was repeated over and over again in
singing tones resembling the distant hum of
a hive of bees, and when the chant was ended
we were nearly as drowsy as the poor subject
was
Drec,iy /, u va, finished we started
from cur !g.EII"sy aAu brought our tagging
senseS to bear upon the victim of this remark
able incarnation. He was lying on the par
lor floor, to all appearances dead His face
was of the CHASTITY pallor of the tomb. His
arms legs and fingers were as though they
had been suddenly turned to ice. His blood
seemed to have been frozen on a day when we
living spectators We're almost suffocated by
the heat.
We felt his fingers. They were as rigid as
though modelled from marble Dir. Craw-
ford raised his eyelids. The pupil had been
upturned and nothing but the white was
visible. The doctor examined his heart and
felt his pulse. His blood had stopped flowing
through his veins. To make the test even
more complete the doctor stopped his noStris,
his eyes and his ears and mouth with thick,
putty like paste that made breathing an i'm
possibility. In every previous mesmcric or
hypnotic experiment | had witnessed the sub
Ject always breathed.
Now came some further tests, and cruel
ones they were, too. Large bodkins were
thrust entirely through the palm of his hand,
and he never moved a muscle. Neither did
single drop of blood follow the withdrawal of
the steel. This prodding was repeated upon
his cheeks, his finger points his thighs and
arms, with precisely the same results. Then
the old man took glowing coal of burning
charcoal from his pot and placed it on the
upturmcd palm Of his unconscious victims
hand. Here it at first smoked, then szzlcd,
and the corridor became permeated with the
odor Of burning human flesh. Still the man
was unconscious. At last the doctor forced
the old man to remove the coal, for fear that
it might do the young man some permanent
injury.
The subject was then turned over to the
doctors care. The physician made every eff
fort known to medical science to resuscitate
him, but all for naught. After he had been
in this trance for nearly an hour the old fakir
made some wide spreading passes over his
body with his arms and leaned back to watch
the result. \ shiver passed over the sub
JeCtS form, and Il grim smile of triumph
curled the corners Of the old mans mouth
We gathered around the PROSTATE man and
watched him until we grew sick at heart and
felt faint Such torture, such horrible ago
ny l never before Oeheld ON a human beings
ed out of all human resemblance His limbs
became kuOJted, and he writhed into a thou
sand different shapes from his finger tips to
his toes After five minutes, that seemed to
us an age, he opened his eyes, rubbed the
moisture from his forehead and sat up as one