The National tribune., 1894-11-15


saw them at the time of the visit of the
Prince of Wales to India in 1875 &c. In
the great plaza of Calcutta, surrounded by
native princes and begums. and with $4,000
of the people looking on, he says he saw this
marvel performed by three fakirs. The mas
ter magician saiaamed to the Prince and then,
taking three sharP-pointed swords. set them up
right in the earth in row by burying their
hits. A younger fakir then came forward,
and at gesture from his master, stretched
himself out beside the swords and apparently
went into a trance, becoming lileless and rigid.
Then the master seized his head, the third fakir
took him by the heels. and the two laid him,
back downward, upon the swords points. One
point rested under the nape of his neck, one
bel W cen his shoulders, and the third at the base
of the spine. His legs were unsupported, but
he lay straight and unframed upon the swords.
The third fakir now retired and the master.
digging away the earth with dagger, removed
first one sword, then another and finally the
third leaving the body suspended in the air
about two feet from the ground with absolutely
no support. The third fakir now approached,
be and his master lifted the body down to the
ground again. and the apparently lifeless man
was restored by few passes of the hands by
the old fakir.
Mr.. Stevens says it was such stories as this,
coming from sources that could not lie doubted,
that interested him. Two years ago in London
he began making inquiries Of natives OF India
as to the facts connected with these exhibitions
and the means of getting at an explanation of
them. Just what information he obtained Mr..
Stevens is not yet ready to tell in full, but he
learned enough to induce him to go to India
last Autumn, and he had the means in his pos
session of establishing close relations with one
of the real wonder workers. These, Mr. Stevens
says are very rare, even in India. They are
all of them religious enthusiasts who have
. ,ar oh
the jungle. OF these hermits there many.
The greater part of the population of India is
made up of agriculturists. who live in little viii
lagos and outside almost every village is one
or more of these hermits. Most of these men
are merely hermits however, with no power
TO produce miracles. How Mr.. Stevens found
a miracle worker and just where he saw the
wonders is another of the things which he
will not tell just yet. 1t was somewhere
in the Deccan. The wonder worker was old
and shriyelled, naked except for his tuT ban and
breech cloth, and with a venerable beard that
covered his chest. One day in February Mr..
Stevens sought the old man, carrying with him
a snapshot camera, with which TO make q
ord of the marvellous things which he expected
TO see. The pictures he made there those
with which be illustrated lectures. Such pic
lures, Mr.. Stevens admits, could be made
by the jugglery OF a clever photographer,
but he gives his word that every one OF them
is true record Of the things he saw the Indian
hermit perform in the woods, with no assist
ance except such as was given by two mys
FERROUS Indian boys who came and went as they
were wanted or not, few bamboo sticks. bas-
ket and few other things which were pro-
vided by Mr. Stevens Could the simplest of
the GoinCs which Mr. Stevens has recorded by
word and camera be shown here under circnm-
stances which would preclude all thought of
trickery, it would excite the marvel of the
whole country. To put the old Indians powers
to greater trial. Mr.. Stevens says he contrived
test after test, and made faithful pictures of
each.