Foreign News: EI Fakir

In the heart of Mexico City’s business district, in a showroom, a thin, redheaded man reclined on an adapted operating table. He was attired in rich oriental costume. Both his feet and one hand were nailed to blocks of wood, with long golden nails. He had been in that position for 488 hours and 45 minutes.

El Fakir was the most exciting thing seen in Mexico since a poor farmer’s field at Paracutin split wide open and disgorged a little volcano. A lively row had sprung up between two powerful newspapers, El Universal and Novedades, over whether El Fakir’s crucifixion was sacrilege. Universal, which sponsored El Fakir’s show, finally overcame objections by getting from Archbishop Luis Martínez a statement: “I have nothing to say about this spectacle . . . because it is nothing that has to do with religion.” Religious or not, many awed Mexicans gave El Fakir medals of the Virgin of Guadalupe, asked him to pray for them.

El Fakir, whose real name is Harry von Wickede (he claims Swiss parentage and studied yoga in India), had left one hand free—partly to avoid the blasphemy of complete duplication of the crucifixion, partly to smoke mentholated cigarets (three packs a day) and to drink countless bottles of soda pop. The table had a built-in toilet.

In all, something over 70,000 people paid one peso each to view El Fakir. They included 25 doctors (a vacationing U.S. doctor tried to wiggle El Fakir’s toes, caused him much pain), five bull fighters, 65 Mexican cinema actors, one ex-President (Portes Gil), two boxers, two wrestlers, and a lady editor from the erstwhile antagonist Novedades, who wrote: “After knowing him I have been enchanted.” A radio station broadcast reports of El Fakir’s condition and a movie theater combined a newsreel of El Fakir with Disney’s Bambi.

Finally, at 1:30 a.m. Independence Day Sept. 16, El Fakir’s doctor ordered,him unnailed lest he be permanently injured. From his bed in the Sanatorio Mexicano El Fakir declared: “I am strong enough to be nailed up again next week.”