The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-10-18
Thu MYSTERY OF AGASA.

HFa< was C[serdSls2g
TIE scsEs as before. was the temple
hewn out Of solid rock Saada ard FIVE
Il his friends offclated. The Munshl ard
old fakir sat near Is. but took no part IN
f3e-ceremony Is perhaps TIE best word
to Use. for whatever these gentlemen did
aad reEsrsnt4ai aspect, as II they were
exercising strange powers by the bensyo-
iert and gracious permission Of he high
eSt % ali powers.
Before he entered the temple I vas
asked % pick Up i stone ana carry l.
with Us, one Weighing three or four ounces
would 90. X was 70 De placed in my hand
keTcaief. ard / was 20 mold the four cor
ners Of tne handkerchi=f SO as 10 touch
the stone as little as possible Suffering
them 10 precs1e ne a few steps, / Sc
lecscd an ordinary peoole and fixed il in
ny handkerchief as requested. We en-
tered the temple. The fakir lighted some
torches, whlEa sufficiently Illuminated the
section We were in. My handkerchief and
the pebble were placed on the hard rock
ground sauda's friends and myself sat
round the handkerchief. Saudi himself
sai DOWN about four yards off and turned
his back 10 Us Nowhere about the smooth
rock vas there stone. pebble, or loose
splinter or segment OF stone
One or the y0gl took cut Of his pocket
a small cake o. common red water color
paint and cameI's hair brush Moisten-
ing the brush with his saliva, he filled
the brush with moist color, and. handing
II 70 me, asked me 70 mark the pebble in
any way / liked. l illnmlned il with
that covered all the available sur
face. W lille X was drying the yog!s bp-
gan murmurlng and placing Their fiat
hdAGs an turn on one spot on the floor
Just away from the handkerchief As
soon as iae marking lad dried | was asked
10 roll the pebble on this spot they had
hall
70 touch IL win my hands The quintet
al bXed their eyes on IL, and at first
pointed the dexter finger steadily toward
the pebble. ceaseiessiy murmuring. infoa-
ing and singing in naezz0 voce This con
Nhue4 some t!Elr- Taen in turn eacn
man seemed 10 lake some thing invisible
out o. the atmosphere ana shake il over
the stone, the others meanwhile continu-
ing 10 chant. As they proceeded their IN
teHslty augmented. Soon The b" | Rad
iaAFAed IA red began 10 fade, and az last
disappeared altogether. The pebble. TOO.
seemed smaller. Ii Is Impossible 10 deter
mine now long / watched the pebble. bat
AIAeT a considerable interval OF time. the
yosls hands dropped and their dronfug
song ceased; the pebble had Disappeared
IL had grown small SO gradually mar It's
maj lsapFeAfanee ] could only credit BY
passing my Aand over the spot where Il
Aad .a4n continuously ana without inter
mission under my eye. / asked for an
explanation.
sahib vas the answer I'VE have dis.
lniegra.ed the pebble by removing agasa
from H. We have reduced ii TO primifiys.
atoms and dispersed it
hen as a pebble it no longer exists"
asked
For answer the old fakir plueked me ~
the sleeve and pointed 10 Saudi Sahi5.
rose ana went TO him. He was seated.
eross-Iesged on the rocky floor, one out
stretched hand, PAIN upwards. on his
knee. his head was sunk en- his breast.
Apparently he slept. The fakir held a
torch near Sauda's hand | looked ana
sasped. Laying in his palm was the peb-
bic precisely as / had marked IL
am able no~ positively 10 say that the
disappearing pebble is a one and the same
time 4 trek and marvel. In other words
the conJurer can come very near reach
ing by trickery a result which wou.4
| otheTN lse seem TO require the oceuf.
| adopts application OF the marvellous agasa
or life essence. Of which / wrote at some
length last week.
what happened on the occasion referred
To was this.
y circle OF yoeis caused a pebble I had
marked. which WAS placed on a solid rock
moor, TO disappear entirely though | con
siant!y watched il. ana reappear on the
hand of another yogi who was seated
some yards away
AZ the time this test experiment oper-
ted. l was entirely unable 10 account for
Ehe phenomena exhibited by any means
accessible 10 the professional magician
SIN one has right 20 question any won
der that can be duplicated by tyickerv
| II. by any process whatever / could dis
| lntegrAte, or seem TO dislnlegrate. a neb-
| Die, the genuinenesS OF its d.sSipst ton bv
| means or agasa was 10 be questioned
Again. X is not impossible TO assume thar
I the abnormal growths due 10 foryrIc ac,1
| or clearinghouse health other words
| an added or multiplied natural energy
may not be reached by what seems to US
| an abnormal application of agasa or the
! essence Of life
| AFTER much study and numerous expert
ments l accomplished this:
| Assembling nay yogls IN the same rock
/ hoofrd temple. which had been the scene
/ OF their Interesting exhibition. | Offered
| them a choice Of four differently marked
! pebbles The one they chose placed on
! the rocky floor IN front % me Produclnr
4 a Iamoler. SINAI. flask OF common water
! and a esg0n ~ ordinary eau de co.o~na.
/ the yogts Were permitted to examine
! These articles ana satisfy themselves thai
| They severaily redeemed my cataloguing.
| Placing ihe water in tumbler. added a
! Tex drops OF eaa De cologne. explaining
taat the perfume gave me strength. Pro-
| Tossing that II permitted 10 charge she
! pertumed water with my magnetism ami
dr!p i' on thc stone I could dissolve II.
Taey skePtical,y agreed to let me Try. |
| started tn. acting conceutrate1ness ara
| intensity IN ave minutes tho pebble "a Z
~ reduced the marking had disappeared.
! In less thau half su hour the uebb1e uyss
/ gone. Seeming 10 fall Into trance. : r..
! auestet somebody 70 trace on the floor n
Chatk nap of a distant part OF tne fem
| p5e as the vision came. This was done 7
/ studied 81 carefully ana then gave out
! that the stone pedestal which upheld 4
| small statue Gunputty. monkey ga
] vas Slightly hclIowe2 at the base II ~ q.
/ WAS Hf;e1 the pebole. ratnteeraee8 rna
/ marking restored. woad DO found beneath
/ TAO II tae yoEis went in quest They
/ returned ia few minutes with the peba.s
/ RESTORED ana marked as g Vas before
haf lukg.et it.
The reader aAa has pertlsed the seem
{ SIX marvr.s narrated in nay paner On
aSasA wi'i eeallIv admit that achieved
feat 0hirn fairly rivaied that os ms
/ snsl frsente
Here iet u9s az sHee admit that v-ns. ?
, ga "A sr pare tricksry. and. thst ths read
/ s~ mav 80 eouvince5. ere details - r--
/ tri kerry shah nere ara now oe n2hflxhss /,
/ fa3t 'Ae cor Sazi who reads may ran -
ans 3o Nkewlse,
Il AL oN osv5a3S 50 tGe r1fa-eSt ra-sr-
! ity taa; to So th:s trsCE. as ty1ek. q -sa,-
bio. AS a Feah.a. woai3 Aa4e 10 nss e,
rl4 ~ fn ssEat X the lsa-.~r---,s.t~.y-,s :
/ NEAR. voEis. No tran table wotIs eeru
us~. I Aaa ta rtrfa-w oa "a rark reer
knowing .ne sTert - certain ar4sx "a
/ s.oae. ! sta~te3 ~ 50 sxpertraer,tslsss
( Forsl teFacls tisne waS exi-nsfci before
I ait $50 a mixture sasr seemed go evausr~-
/ s'onT tnRi - by eeas;an-ly wegs.ns 3