The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-10-09

never had met with q single case well
attested or otherwise. | began at once
TO make injuries. and was repeatedly
told that such eases did actually occur;
but after trying in vain to run d0wh
even one of the floating stories winch
reached my ears, / gave up the task as
hopeless. The man who is able to do IL
always lives a good many hundred Iiiles
distant. The meme of his town. or village
can never be given The exact place ana
time az which he performed the seml-I
racle are never known In short. there
is never anything but the most vague or
shadowy rumors on which to build such
a story.
So far rs the stories which Europe
and America are concerned, they may
one and all bc traced 10 the history or
man named Hari Das, who belonged to
Cashmere. or possibly the Punjab, and
submitted himself to be buried alive III
the presence Of Ranjit Singh. in the year
1887. The authority almost invariably
quoted for this statement is Or. .lohn
Martin Honiherger. formerly physician
at the court of Ranjit Singh. then ruler
Of the Sikhs. | was personally ac-
Quainted with DR.. Honlbercer about
thirty years ago. and had every reason
10 esteem him as a man OF Veracity ana
int gritty. He was at that tlne very "iu,
but with retentive memory anu cle"r
Judgment. SO far as his testimony 20 an
occurrence which ne had seen Is concerned,
l should not hesitate for moment 10
receive r. without question; hut when
examine the story itself / find it far from
satisfactory. DR.. Honibcrgcr never
witnessed anything Of the kind; lie
says that he returned from n iuilouGh
in Europe in 1880, and on the voyage out
he had as a travelling companion zen
eral Ventura, who was at that time IN
the service Of Ranjit Singh. In the
course OF the voyage General Ventura
told him that during his absence some
wonderful things had taken place at ~
hore; that. among other things, n tahr
from the mountains had bcca able 10
place himself i'm state resembling death,
and while in this condition WAS buried,
and when disinterred returned 10 NE
again. Dr. HOnibcTger says. alter SPEAK
ing Of Hari Das as having thrown NM
self into a hynOptic or unconscious state'
"Hc was wrapped in the linen on Wih Il
he was sitting: the seal OF lanJlt SlhF1
was stamped thereon. and 1t WAS pIaCeu
in q chest. on which the Maharajah put
strong lock The chest was buried IN
garden outside the city belonging 10 me
minister: barley was sOwn Oh the ground;
and the place enclosed with a wall ana
surrounded 10y sentlnelS. On the lot
tieth day, which was the time hXed fOr
his elimination. a great number of the au-
th9rities of the dunbar. with General
Ventura and several Enghshncn from
the vicinity, one of them medical man.
went TO the enclosure. The chest was
brought up and opened. AMI the tahlr
WIS found i'm the same position as they
had left him. cold and stiff \ friend OF
mine told me that had | been present
when they endeayored to bring him to
life. by applying warmth to his head, IN
jecting air into his ears and mouth, ana
rubbing the whole OF his body to promote
circulation. etc. | should certainly not
have had the slightest doubt as to the re-
atty Of the performance. The minister,
Raja Dhyam Singh. assured me that he
himself kept this fakir four months I'M
der the ground when he was at Jumm0o,
in the mountains. On the day OF his
burial he ordered his beard to be shaved,
and mt his eXhumation his chin was rs
smooth as on the day Of his interment,
thus furnishing Il complete proof OF the
powers of vitality having been suspended
during that period
The same story is related by one or
two other writer's; but It IS worthy OF
note that they have it only as hearsay.
Dr. Honiberger himself did not witness
this wonderful scene. 1t is also stated
that the man Hari Das had bad reputa-
ton, and that his moral character was OF
the worst description. There Is nothing
incredible in the statement that he threw
himself into a state which reSembled
death. That can be done by many men,
both in India and elsewhere. Nor IS 1t
incredible that he was buried in the
presence Of Ranjit Singh. There, how
ever. the admissions must cease. 1t IS
perfectly credible that the body was re-
moved from the grave almost Immediately
after the guard had been set. Large
numbers of these devOtees are accom-
plished jugclers; but we need not assume
that any real deception was used IN thlS
case. A very cOnslderate bride would ac-
complish all that was necessary. Inc
story of the barley being SOwn over the
ground was probably a later addition to
the original statement. 50 also with re-
gard TO the interment lasting four months
The statement was made to Or. honi-
berger bv an officer of Ranjit Singh; and
evpn if we assume that this gentleman
intended TO tell the truth. he was no doubt
creduous to the last degree, ara per
haps noticed that he had sympathetic
nearer in the person Of DIR. HomberEer
The weak point in the whole Story'noN-
ever. is found in the fact that niue
later an English officer proposed TO llarl
ing himself to be locked up IN strong
box. suspended from the ceiling OF
room so that the white ants couid not
POSSIBLY reach the box and endanger
his safety. and remain for specified
time i'm the box. while the olhcer III
question held the key. To this taH las
Would not for one moment consent nc
KEY. no matter what happened. must oe
in the hands Of his chosen 1rieh1S ~, ~
Honiberger states that many EhgilSh-
men lost confidence in his pretenslonS Oe-
cause of his unwillingnesS 10 nave the cN-
pertinent tried with reasonable safe
guards 10 test its reality. when we re-
member that the whole occurrence LOON
place more than fifty years ago. tL.dt an
India has been searched over ana over
in vain for another man who can accom-
plish the same wonderful feat, ana tnat
only one case has yet been located so 'nas
oven the most curSOry examination "l
the alleged feat could be made. the reauer
will no doubt hesitate 10 believe SO tN-
traordinary 4 story. From the Irst the
Indian iugglers and the Indian deVolees
have been practically one ana the eAine;
and il is from this extremely douDtl"I
source that Theosophy has drawn most
Of its wonders and all its traditions. Our
friends in America need not trouble their
minds about people in India having
learned how TO bury themselves awe
and remain in the grave four mounts
forty davs. or any lesser period. mus
for Tho assertion that such wonder mas
actuoIlv transpired rests upon an eA-
ceedingly slender foundation.