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Death and its Mystery, At the Moment of Death; Manifestations and Apparitions of the Dying – Camille Flammarion

Communication from Prince Troubetzkoy, October 20th 1920, letter 4287

Some years ago, the entire family of Ricordi, the celebrated music publisher of Milan, was living at number 1 via Omenoni.  On the top floor was living his sister, Amelia Brentano, who was seriously ill; she was the wife of a well known architect and mother of the famous architect who died prematurely, the winner of the world-wide competition for the best design for the new façade of the cathedral.

The floor below was occupied by friends of the family, the name of which escapes me, Signore and Signora X… 

On the evening of Saturday, February 18th, 1899, there was a great production at the Scala, but Signore X could not persuade his wife to accompany him to the theatre.  She was in great pain.  So he went alone.

After midnight, when he came back, he found his apartment lighted, his servants up and his wife in a distressing condition; an inexplicable emotion weighed upon her; something horrible had, in her fancy, passed before the window.

Her husband, however, succeeded in calming her and getting her to bed.  The night passed relatively quietly.

Now, the morning of the next day, poor Signora Brentano, under some pretext or other, sent her attendant away and driven by a fixed idea, in a sudden paroxysm, opened her window and threw herself into the street, where the fall killed her; in its course she passed before the window of Signora X’s room.