Otoman Zar-Adusht Ha'nish

He adopted the name Otoman Zar-Adusht Ha'nish in 1902, and his European follower David Ammann claimed that he was born in 1844 to a Russian diplomat in Tehran and to have been sent as a child to a secret society of Zoroastrians in the mountains of Iran due to his serious congenital heart defect, where he was trained to master his hypoxic condition with control of breathing.

According to Upton Sinclair, Hanisch lived in Mendota, Illinois, and his career included such varied pursuits as sheep herding, typesetting, mesmerism, and spiritualism.

In 1908 Hanisch and his follower David Ammann published a magazine entitled Mazdaznan in Germany, which dealt with philosophy, physical education and dietary practices.

According to the Chicago Daily News, the reading caused a number of women to leave the courtroom and even Hanisch himself blushed at hearing his own words.

[6] The judge concluded the hearing by issuing a judicial decree which declared that Billy was a "neglected and dependent child, having no guardian of his person other than his mother", who because of her "religious fanaticism" was unfit to raise him.

Elizabeth Lindsay was found to be in contempt of court for fleeing; this prevented her from obtaining a writ of error, since to do so she would have to bring Billy back, when she would lose custody of him.

[7] The Lindsay case prompted an investigation of the movement, and after Hanisch sent an alleged obscene book by express to another state, the temple was raided on March 4, 1912, and he was arrested.