Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-20
SUPERSTITION RAMPANT.
Beliefs of Native Hindus Which Fakirs
Turn to Profit.

From the Metropolitan Magazine.
Some few years ago a gentleman whom
know bought an estate near town of some
size, and Immediately on his taking possess
sion was surprised to find that he had also
taken on a strange responsibility. At the
side of the road before his place was a gil
gantic peepul tree, such as the natives be-
lieve become the residences of departed
spirits in great numbers. This is a Mo-
hammedan as well as a Brahmin supersti-
ton. The tree was in charge of a rascally
old fakir who was Systematically extorting
a fine revenue from the people of the COM
munity by various devices principally VEN
triloqual conversations of departed ones
with their friends. He had hut at the
base of the tree. The protruding limbs al
most blocked the roadway and were a great
nuisance, and the nightly noises about the
fakir's hut were a great annoyance to the
new owner of the property. He stood it as
long as he could, and when one day another
fakir who was also a ventriloquist and had
highly trained monkey came by, he prom
Used him handsome fee to rid him of the
fakir of the tree AS long as the fakir was
there to prophesy what dreadful things
would happen if one branch of the tree was
cut or broken, any attempt to clear the
roadway would mean native revolt.
The second fakir secretly watched the
operations of the first for a day or two and
discovered that the worshipers who came
brought gifts of food money and jewels to
lay before the peer of the tree, the spirit in
charge of their friends spirits. The wor-
Slippers were then sent to the river to wash
in a certain way, by the old fakir, and he
returned to the seclusion of his hut. When
the worshipers returned they found him
still in the hut, but the gifts were all gone,
consumed by the peer of the tree, the fakir
said. AS matter of fact, he had stolen out
and got them meanwhile.
The second fakir assembled into the tree
the third day and posted the monkey, so
that the instant the old fakirs back was
turned the monkey could swing by his tail
and gather up all the gifts. This was done
many times till the old fakir was COM
pletely mystifed and nearly frantic over his
losses. Having secured large quantity of
booty the second fakir took the next step
in his plan. He sent the monkey aloft on a
branch of the tree that was in plain sight,
and when a company of wealthy and nfiu-
entail worshipers gathered to converse with
their dead the second fakir by his ventrilo-
quism made his monkey denounce the old
fakir, making him laughing stock before
the people. The old man flew into a rage,
which was a certain sign that he was not
holy, and at that moment the owner of the
place appeared with an ak to clear away
the limbs. The old fakir told him the peer
would strike him dead if he touched twig,
but the house owner broke off a handful
and when he was not killed and returned to
the people hundreds of rupees worth of
gifts they had given the old fakir, the peo-
pie drove the old man from the district and
allowed the house owner to do as he
pleased with the peepul tree, regardless of
the number of ancestors of theirs which he
gleefuly and with painstaking care chopped
up into bits each time he trimmed it.