The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-11-12
46ELM.ST.NEW,HEyEN.CT


the Hindoo fakir has his assistant get into sack the mouth of which he firmly secures and then uncere- moniously hurls his helpless victim to the ground. Without a sound of warning, the falsir drives his spear through the center of the body with in the bag. After withdrawing his weapon, upon the point of which no blood stain apears, the fakir stands and gazes dreamily over the heads of the spectators. The body within the bag founders about convuIsively as if in the throes of mortal agony. These convulsions become less violent, and soon the occupant of the bag has ap- parently died of the thrust, when sud- denly the fakir again plunges his spear into the motionless body. The same antics are repeated The at tendant within the bag goes through a series of convulsive movements and the spearsman appears again lost in profound meditation When the per formanceis ended the fakir releases his attendant from the bag and he steps ut witfoi. z scratch upon his body
 The seeming inability oi the assist , ant, inside the bag, t1 defeAd himself or dodge the vicious spear thrust that appears to pass through his body, and scant possibility of any signal to pass between him and the faxir, who, after q thrust of his spear turns part ly around and pays no heed to the struggling body that is blinded be- Yond any possibility of seeing ,he coming blow has placed this per- formance in the front rank pf Ilin- doc feats,
 Only recently has this trick been exposed, and the unmasking of it ex- cites admiration for the performers, who, to compel wonder ana surround themselves with mystery for their supposed miracle, devote years of time to attain success While the trick is performed with all the care lessness imaginable, 1t calls for more patience, skill and exactness th9n any of the other black art achieve- ments. From the time the. attend ant enters the bag, both fakir and as sistant count every breath they taks.
 When stated number of breaths have been taken the fakir makes lis thrust and the occupant of .he bag | Is prepared to avoid it. Then the count begins again and at the prop ! CT time the spear is driven app arent- | ly through the attendants body. In order to evade the spear and make it apear to pass through his boly the assistantc doubles up in as small a form as possible. His legs are drawn up close, with the chin resting upen the knees and the arms folded around the lower limbs across the shins. When in this position at the tiftletn breath the spear passes under the at tendant's arms between the abdomen and the thighs. The slightest mis2ue by either fal1ir or assistant would mean a serious if not mortal wound for the latter and an unheard-of dis- grace for the former.
 When it is considered that all the mechanical genius in tine wosld has failed to make two clocks tick in unl son for any length of time, the fea of the EIindoo falSirs is little short Q. miraculous. The performance by tht attendant seems more wonderful thar that of the fakir himself. While tut fakir has but to stand quietly hy ap parently lost in thought, when count ing every breath, the occupant 0 the bag must 80 through all the con vulsive movements that are supposed to be enacted by one who has beer given a mortal thrust and at the sam time keep correct count of ever, breath taken. That fakir and attend ant are able to so train themselves | breathe in perfect unison while giv ing one of these performances, whel the slightest variation in time l., either would be fatal, is certainl! wonderful in its accomplishment.
 Marvellous as are some of the trick performed by the Hindoo fakirs tha wander over India they are not to b
 compared with the feats of the Bhlk sinus. The Bhilsshus or Mahatma never perform so-c2lled mifael
 oputside the confines of the temples They are looked upon by the peep;
 of their religion as little less thSi the gods they represent, and tha W jn
 derful tricks performed at relisioI
 rites never fall to inspire fear an
 respect from their followers. Effort
 have been made by foreigners ;o solv inc tricks of the Bhikshus or Mahal mas, but SO jealously are the secrsr guarded that they have bean lnsue cessful.--Kansas City Journal