The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-10-02
THE MORNING NEWS: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2 1895.


Runiit-Singh identified the impression OF
his seal as the one he had affixed, and as
he was personally somewhat skeptical as
TO the result of the fakir's experiment, he
had during the forty days kept two com
panies of his personal escort stationed
near the building. from which four SEN
tinels were furnished and relieved evegy
two hours. night and day. to protect the
fakir from intrusion. one Of his principal
officers was also detailed To visit the snot
regularly and report the result OF his in
spection While he himself kent the seal
that closed the hole OF the paddock. The
minister of state received the reports of
the officers OF the guard morning and
evening, and duly communicated them to
his master.
on the door of the apartment or tomb,
a Il may BE- termed. being thrown open.
nothing was visible except a dark room.
Runjit-Singh and Sir Claude entered the
servant OF the buried fakir accompanying
them. A light was brought, and they de-
seconded into a cell about three feet below
the floor of the square apartment. In this
cell was a wooden box Tcur feet in length
by three in width, with square, slipping
locked and sealed in the same manner as
the door OF the barra durri The box was
the coffin of the fakir, though 1t could not
literally be said to contain his remains.
Before opening the box the body was
brought to view. enclosed in a white linen
bag. drawn together a the top and Sc
curely fastened with a string. The grand
salute now shook the garden air, and the
lowering multitude came crOwding 10 the
floor TO witness the spectacle. The ser
want first removed the BODY OF his master
from the box, and placed il against the
closed door of the receptacle in q squat
ting posture. Runjit-Stngh and Sir claude
then descended into the cell, which was
so small that when they tried to sit down
on the ground in front OF the box their
hands and knees came in contact with the
person Of the seeming corpse Inc ser
want now commenced TO pour warm wa
ter over the body of his master but, as
1t was the purpose OF Sir claude 10 detect
any fraudulent practice, he objected TO
this. and proposed to Runjit-Singh TO
have the bag torn open. SO as TO inspect
the person of the fakir before the process
of resuscitation was initiated. Ihis was
dewed as to render II Dut the work OF d
moment
shrivelled and stiff, but the face was full
as in life. the head reclining on the
shoulder, like that of acorpse. Sir Claude
called to the medical gentleman VINO was
in attendance to descend into the cell
and inspect the body, which he did, but
could discover no pulsation IN the heart,
temples or wrists. There was, however,
a beat about the coronal region OF the
brain, which no other part Of the person
exhibited. This is one of the facts which
establish a resemblance between the imi-
tation death of the HindoO fakirs and
catalepsy In this disease flushing Of the
face has often been noticed, while the
trunk and eXtremities remain cold. In
perhaps the majority OF cases, however,
the face is pale and at least as cool as
the rest Of the body. The servant now
commenced bathing his master in hot
water, the arms and legs gradually re-
Taxing from the rigid state in which they
were contracted Runjit Singh assisted
the servant by rubbing the legs and arms
OF the to-all-appearanccs dead man,
while the later put a hot wheaton cake
on top of the fakir's head-as process
which was twice or thrice repeated be-
fore any result was apparent.
The servant next removed from the
nostrils and ears of his master the wax
and cotton plugs with which they had
been sealed, then opened the rigid jaws
by inserting the point of his knife between
the teeth and prying them apart. Then
holding the jaws open with his1eft hand
forehnger of his right, that usual fieNi-
bic member flying back to its curved posi-
ton, so that its tips closed the gullet re-
repeatedly during the process. I5e now
butter (ghD for some seconds until he
succeeded in opening one of them. The
eyeball was still glazed and motionless.
The next process was to renew the hot
wheaton cake on the top Of the head. At
this instant the body heaved convulsively,
the nostrils became violently inflated,
respiration was resumed, and the limbs
began to assume their natural fulness.
The servant at this stage placed some
clarified butter on the tongue Of the fakir
and made him swallow 1t. A few minutes
after the eyebals began TO dilate slowly,
recovered their natural color by insensi-
bic gradtions, and cleaned with intelli-
who sat facing him, the fakir commenced
70 articulate in scarcely audible tones,
inquiring whether he was now convinced.
RunJit Singh answered In the affirmative,
and then began the work of investing the
eNperimentalist with a pearl necklace. a
pair OF superb gold bracelets, shawls,
full khilet or regalia.
The period that elapsed between the
opening of the box and the recovery OF
the voice was about an hour: ana in half
an hour more the fakir was able TO talk
freely, though feebly, with those about
him. Sir Claude Wade, remarks in con-
cludlng his narrative that he now took
some pains to investigate the manner i'm
which this result was effected and was
informed that the rationale of the pro-
cess rested on the view of the Hindoo
psychologists that heat constitutes the
self-eXistent principle of life, and that
II the functions even be not SO far inter
rupted as to leave this one in perfect
purity, life can be continued for long
periods without air, food, or other means
of sustenance.
SO much for the resurrection of the ia
means to boot" as King Henry saith,
by which he worked his little game Ali
these will be found set forth in very
choice English in work entitled THE
Court and Camp of Runjit Singh" by
Capt. Hon. w. 6. Osborne. Capt. Os-
borne was secretary to the governor
general of Lahore, and he gives a very
minute description of the way the fakir
prepared himself for the ordeal .Anoint-
il1S the DOuy WIN BHl ana stopping up
the nostris and ears were a necessity
as the writer remembers the description.
1t is to be regretted that the words of
Capt. Osborne cannot be given in full,
but there is not a copy of his work in
the Public Library or the Athenaeum
which can be consulted. Sir Claude
is sufficient to show that the feat which
Tyndall proposes to perform is not a
new one, and ten days is as nothing to
six weeks walking in the valley Of the
Shadow of Death" There was certainly