The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-07-20
AFakir's Resurrection.


It was on the way from Punnah 90
Bewah. In southern India, said the
bronze-feced man. Our party had just
reached the dark bungalow about O'Clock
in the afternoon, and found assembled
there. near a large banyan tree, number
Of fakirsf 80
Their tricks were more than usually
clever. and they kept US amused 1or
considerable time. Finally, as part
ing stroke. they suggested that for a
small sum of money one OF their party
should be buried alive. Our curiosity
was not proof against such tempting
offer, and the rascals set to work.
1t did not take them long to make an
excavation from seven to eight feet in
length and two and one-half feet wide
at the top When they got down about
four feet they suddenly narrowed the
grave to a width of two feet. leaving an
even margin or ledge all around Below
this they dug some two feet further,
making a total depth of six feet.
A slim. wiry-looking chap, with cast
in his left eye, was selected as the VIC
tim. The chief fakir, with the usual IN
carnations and passes, soon had him rigid
in sort of hypnotic sleep; then. wrap
ping him loosely in q white cloth, he was
lowered into the narrow part OF the grave.
Over him, resting upon the sandy ledge
described, was placed a layer or thin
boards to prevent the soil from coming
in contact with his body. This done, the
others set to work with a will to shovel
in. tramplfng down the earth solidly ev-
cry few inches.
1 must confess that by this time felt
tribe squeamish. The scene was rather
too realistic for my fancy. Could It be
deliberate murder. and I an accessory to
the act? A sickly feeling crept over me.
but the Hindoos, noticing my uneasy
looks, only ground and shoveled and
stamped the harder.
In about fifteen minutes they had
smoothed over a neat mound, and after
ward sodded 1t evenly down.
This was surely no common conjurfng
trick, and, try as I might, / could not
shake of the uncomfortable feeling that
that Hindoo had been laid away Ior his
final sleep. I succeeded. however. In re-
pressing my emotions and assumed an in
different air 1 was far from feeling.
How long will you leave the man
there? feebly managed to ask. after
a time.
LAS long as sabih pleases." the chief
fakir replied.
In turns we watched the grave during
the night, and next morning was about
to leave my quarters for the place at
about S O'Clock.
A light hand tapped me on the shout
der. I turned quickly, and to my unut-
terable amaZement, who should confront
me. grinning and bowling and scraping.
with his TSalaam, sahib, bakshush.' but
that long. wiry rascal with the cast IN
his left eye, the same whom the night
before had left securely planted beneath
six feet OF compact earth.
1t would have been bad policy to show
establishment. so I simply nodded and
passed on with him to the grave. There
it remained, not a sod disturbed. and one
of my companions standing by, still on
guard duty. 1t was a resurrection, sure
enough.
It cost me just fifty rupees to worm the
mystery out of that willy fakir. but I
was bound to know II II cost me 100.
There was, as I said, large banyan
tree close by the grave. That tree was
hollow. Between 1t and one end Of the
tomb was a subterranean passage just
big enough for thin man to creep in.
The victim then had merely to break
through a thin wall Of soft earth, worm
his way into the hollow of the tree and
wait there until the darkness afforded
an opportunity to escape.-Boston Globe.
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