Madras, Sept. 20.
Mrs. Annie Besant, the noted theosophist, whose later life was as. sociated chiefly with the cause of Indian Home Role and the lease of J. Krishnamurti, the Messiah," died here to-day.
Born in London of Irish parents, Mrs. Besant (nee Wood) divorced her husband, an English clergyman, but was dented the custody of her two children on the ground she was unfit to educate them. All her life she has preached the doctrine of reincarnation and asserted luan could know God by developing the soul. She claims she herself was reincarnated many times and lived Many lives since she first came into existence 12,000 years ago.
In 1889 Mrs. Besant became pupil of Mme, Blavatsky and joi Jed the Theosophical Society, of which she was later to become president She lectured on phy arts of the world.
She founded the Indian Home Rule League in 1916 and became its President. The next year she was elected president of the Indian tional Congress and was within few months interned by the Gos jemment of India. voluminous writer, Mrs.
books and "Ava.
She has long been known as the "Grand Old Lady of India" and in her 80th year made several] aeroplane trips in Europe to keep lecture engagements, A vegetarian, non-smoker _and teetotaler, she has often expressed confidence she would live to be a hundred years old. She would have been 86 on October 1.—Reuter,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.