Evening star., 1933-09-20
DR.. ANNIE bESANT
EXPIRES IN india
Prominent Throughout World
for Leadership in Theo-
sophicaI Activities.
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
MADRAS, India, September 20-Dr.
Annie Besant, who was known through
out the world for her leadership in
theosophical activities, died here today
On October she would have been o6
years old.
The peacefulness of her last few days
was in vivid contrast to the storm Of
her life. She was in state OF half
consciousness for some time, never
speaking at length even to her most
intimate friends.
DR.. BeSant had no malady except old
, age. She was mentally and physically
worn out.
Injured in Fall.
In 1881 she suffered fall from which
she never recovered. On that occasion
she was unconscious 80 hours and, &C
cordine to q theosophist friend, an
inner group of the elect sat in a circle
about her and restored her to con-
sciouSnesS by concentrated tranSference
of power from themselves to her
Many theosophists expressed the
opinion that her last days were marred
by disappointment in Jeddu Krish-
namurti Hindu, in whom, DR.. Besant
said at one time, the "reincarnation of
Christ" would be made manifest. Sub
sequently, Krishnamurti announced that
he no longer held with the tenets Of
DR.. Besant's religion.
Numerous of her followers said, how
ever, that she had felt no great disap-
pointment and that the personal regard
between Krishnamurti and herself never
waned.
In the latter part of 1882, after
HriChy hod rnnntrHAi ha
cial claims of "mastership" which DR..
Besant had made for him. he spent two
months with her at Adyar. They sat
for hours, day after day, in silence.
Evolution from wifehood and mother
hood in a quiet English vicarage to
worldwide leadership of the Theosophi-
cal Society, interspersed with pioneering
in British socialism and with work for
home rule in India, marked the long life
of Dr. Besant
As president of the Thesophical So
ciety, to which post she was elected in
1907, 1914, 1922 and 1928, she lectured
and organized branches of the creed in
many parts of the world. There were
eleven such sections" or national So
cietieS, when she first became president.
BY 1882 there were At.
She asserted that she herself had
been reincarnated many times and said
her first life began 200 years ago. She
was credited by her followers with oc-
cult powers. particularly clairvoyance.
1t was claimed that with c. w. Lead
beater, colleague, beginning in 1895,
she had made a clairvoyant examination
of chemical elements which had added
to the knowledge of the atom along
lines parallel to those pursued by orth-
odox chemists and physicists.
Born In London.
: DR.. Besant was born in London. Oc-
tober /, 1847. Her father, william Page
Wood, was an Englishman, half Irish.
Her mother was Irish. and she always
referred to herself as Irish. When 20
Annie Wood married Rev. Frank
Besant. who later became vicar Of Sib-
sey. in Lincolnshire. A son and q
daughter were born of this union.
The marriage ended in discord when
the wife challenged tenents Of the
Church of England and became "free
thinker" She left her husband in 1873,
taking the daughter with her. She be-
came identified with free thought and
radical political movements led by
Charles Bradlaugh, member Of Parli-
ment. and when the two republished
on birth control as protest
against police order banning its cir
culation were prosecuted.