Imperial Valley press., 1936-09-27

cation of the body and uplifting of the soul -
and money.
That the great masses of India possess re-
ligious fervor perhaps greater than any other
civilized people cannot be denied Among the
many ways in which they prove their piety and
sincerity is in throwing themselves beneath the
wheels of the great Juggernaut as it is pulled
through the streets at religious festivals. Men,
women and children are crushed to death or
crippled beneath its great ornate wheels -
certain salvation for the soul.
THE one feat in India about which l had al
ways heard and which fascinated me above
all others was the famous rope trick where a
boy climbs up rope thrown into the air and
disappears into space There was not person in
India to whom I talked who had actually seen
this trick, however, and after searching out
every likely spot and offering ridiculously large
sums to numerous fakirs, became convinced
that this trick is fgment of imagination
did see men suspended in the air four to
five feet above the ground (this feat was re-
Gently photographed by P. T. Punkett, South
India tea planter, and the pictures appeared in
the Illustrated London Ne,os); others who
walked barefooted across beds of glowing Goals
without much as scorching toe-nall; ana
snake charmers who took live chickens, monkeys
and snakes out of my own ears, nose. and
clothing.
There was a youngster of perhaps eight years
who came up to group the hotel verandah
in Bombay evening to completely bewilder
us. In fact, he made monkeys out of dozen
dignified Engshmen to say nothing of myself.
He held out wallet bulging with rupees, and
told us that if we could open it we might have
the money, if not, must give him rupee.
It seemed ridiculous, but after my many ex-
periences l was not so sure. 1t was an ordinary
wallet simply folded over once, but when at
tempted to turn back the fiat my fingers just
wouldn't do the trick. We all tried it with the
same result. Not one of us could turn back the
flap our fingers would only press it down
tighter when we attempted to open it. Admit
ting failure we turned it back to the boy with
a rupee. Calmly, he opened the wallet placed
his newly earned rupee inside with the Others
bowed low and walked nonchalanty away. If
they can do this at eight it be imagined
what chance the poor bewfldered white man has
with the adult fakir.
ND now let me tell you about the miracle
~ man OF Mysore = to my thinking the
most amazing fakir in all India because there
was very definitely no trickery about most of
his feats at any rate. He again and again
submitted himself to medical apd scientific
aminations, X-rays not excepted. have seen
him eat live, venomous cobras, drink carbolic
acid, nitric sulphuric, and cyanide He consumed
quantities of crushed glass, tacks, needles and
pins. He swallowed scorpions, mice. leeches,
rats, birds, swords and fire.
When 1 saw him at Delhi, surrounded by a
great crowd he swore to the world that nobody
could kill him and that if his head cut off
it would grow again. No seemed willing
to experiment, but if they had he would un-
doubtedly have willingly submitted. Cobras were
his speciality. He finished off live cobra with
a glass of nails and two three cigarette tins.
When he ate rice, he consumed plate and all.
This fakir came from the Mysore jungles, at
tempting to prove that he was immune to all
worldly perils, including death. He demonstrated
his phenomenal powers in Bombay, Lahore and
Delhi. His feats attended by doctors,
chemists, and scientists. All were baffed.
"I am life he cried to his vast audience. II
live for all time. Nothing. anywhere anytime,
harm me-"
Scientists inspected the wide assortment Of
poisons and acids he had before him. They
agreed that small portion, in some instances
much less than drop, would prove fatal. The
fakir then took each glass in turn and drained
it, as though each was a glass of refreshing
lemonade He submitted to examination The
poisons were in his system. Fascinated, I
watched him for more than two hours. All the
usual things that kill men were gone through
with He let a cobra bite him four times and
then handed the reptile to the scientists for
careful analysis under microscopes. The an
alysis showed a complete and active set of
poison fangs. He then picked up the cobra and
calmly, deliberately, chewed off the tough head
and ate it.
III AM supreme" he screamed Il am the
master of life and death. I possess the
secret of eternal life. can teach all to live
forever. They will grow neither old, gray,
nor withered There is but fear in all the
world = the fear of death. have dispelled it,
I have no fear. Look at my body" He pounded
his chest with fist Indeed he was muscular
and we'll proportioned = fine looking in the
measurements of his land. II more thar
three hundred years DID, he shouted. where
upon he grabbed handful of rusty razor blades
and downed them as if they so many pea
nuts.
No one who witnessed his performance had
any answers, least of all l. But l pass it on to
you. and, Mr. Ripley would say. believe it
or not" it's the truth.