The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1906-01-25
SUPERSTITION IN INDIA.
Beliefs of Native Hindoos which Fa-
kfra Turn TO PROFIT.

kris Turn to Pr0ft.
Some few years ago q man whom I
know bought an estate near town OF
some size, and Immediately on his tax
ing possession was surprised to find
that he had also taken on strange
responsibility. At the side Of the road
before his place was gigantic peepul
tree, such as the natives believe become
the residents of departed spirits in great
numbers. This is Mohammedan
as well as a Brahman superstition.
The tree was In charge OF a rascally
old fakir, who was systematically ex'
torting fine revenue from the people
of the community by various devices,
principally ventriloquial conversations
of departed ones with their friends.
He had hut at the base Of the tree.
The protruding limbs almost blocked
the roadway and were great nui-
sance, and the nightly noises about the
faklr's hut were great annoyance to
the new owner of the property. He
stoed It as long as he could, and when
one day another fakir, who was also
ventriloqulst and had highly trained
monkey, came by he promised him q
handsome fee to rid him Of the faklr
of the tree. As long as the fakir was
there to prophesy what dreadful things
would happen II one branch Of the
tree was cut or broken any attempt TO
clear the roadway would mean ma.
tive revolt.
The second faklr secretly watched
the operations of the first for day OF
two and discovered that the worship.
ers 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 worshlpera
were then sent to the river to wash in
q 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 peel
Of the tree, the fakir said. AS a mat
ter Of fact he had stolen out and got
them meanwhile.
The second faidr ascended into the
tree the third day and posted the
monkey, 80 that the instant the old
faklr's back was turned the monkey
could swing by his tail and gather
up all the gifts. This was done many
times till the old faklr was completely
mystifed and nearly frantic over his
losses. Having secured a large quaa'
tity Of booty, the second faklr tool
the next step In his plan. He sent
the monkey aloft on q branch Of the
tree that was in plain sight, and when
q company Of wealthy and influential
worshipers gathered to converse With
their dead the second fakir, by hia
ventriloquism, made his monkey do
nounce the Old falSir, making him q
laughing stock before the people. The
old man few into q rage which was
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 II 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 people
drove the old man from the district
and allowed the house owner to do as
he pleased with the peepul tree regard
less Of the number of ancestors OF
theirs which he gleefully and with
painstaking care chopped up into bits
each time no trimmed it.-MetropolItaD
Magazine.