The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1896-12-11

you should know all about me. / am
generally supposed TO be a cosmopoli-
tan as speak many languages, have
travelled a great deal. and physically
resemble the natives of no particular
country. Asa matter Of fact how
ever, | am Of mixed blood my father
being ar Irish adventurer and nv
mother a pure-blooded Hindoo. This
blending of the East and West gave
me on n hand a strong physique.
and on the other a reflective brain, so
that | was eminently fitted for the
strange career l chose to lead during
the earlier part of my life.
My father went out to India when
it was ruled by the H. Z. ]. c., and.
being an INSCRIPTIONS man, deter
mined 10 make money in the easiest
way he could. A chance soon pre-
sented itself, for my mother, the
daughter of a. high priest of Brahma,
fell in love with his handsome face,
and. yielding to his protestations of
love. gave up her country, religion
and parents in order to fly with him,
which she did. carrying with her no
inconsiderable amount of wealth.
principally consisting Of gems stolen
from the treasury of the temple.
MY parents came to England, and.
shortly after | was born, my mother,
unable to bear the rigor of the Eng
fish climate. died. while my father
shortly afterward followed her to the
grave, being assisted there. as l
strongly suspect, by a Hindoo SER
want who resented his treatment of
my mother. This servant. by name
Lal Chunder her returned to India.
taking with him the remnant of the
stolen jewels and myself. the offspring
of the Inflated marriage. The iewels
were restored to the temple c. the
offended god. and I was given in
charge of my grandfather, the high
priest, while Lal Chunder, having
lost caste by crossing the ocean. was
purified before the shrine of Brahma
and then sent forth as a fakir to do
penance for the rest of his life.
Seeing that | was partly Irish.
and the offspring of a man he hated,
my grandfather was not at all pre-
possessed in my favor, and ] have
often wondered that he did not kill
me by ONE subtle means
known to his Sect but whatever power
muy have withheld his hands he did
not do SO; but at first tolerated nv
presence and afterwards grew very
fond OF me: My mixed blood prevent
ed me from becoming a priest, but
my grandfather taught me all the lore
Of the temple. and. being a remark
ably quick child. | soon picked up a
great deal Of curious knowledge. The
East, as you know, has always been
much more accomplished in ~escoteric
learning than the West, seeing hat
the Asiatics study the operations of
the spirit while the Europeans confine
themselves mostly to the material
wants of ma so that having a vein
of Eastern mysticism in nv blood
coming from my mother side, I
became deeply versed in occult
science.
LAS the years rolled by l was in
itiated into the most profound nv
stories. and by s%ubjecting my BODY to
the ordeal of fasting, It's practised by
the fakirs and yoghis Of Hindostan, /
gained a wonderful command over the
spiritual part Of myself. Unluckily
my grandfather died just as | was
attaining the last secrets oil Eastern
psychology and, his influence being
withdrawn, his fellow = priests de.
termined to kill me as one knowing
too much of their secrets and danger
Gus to the brotherhood. Fortunately:
however. my learning stood me in to
good stead, for discovered nv dan.
ger and fled from the ueighborhood.
This would not have saved me, SEEING
that the priests had at their command
secrets which. if used. would have
annihilated me physically by dis
intepratinU nv bOdv and San6ipn NV