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Death and its Mystery, At the Moment of Death; Manifestations and Apparitions of the Dying – Camille Flammarion
from Letter 715, Mr ROUGE, Villa des Tilleuls, Salon, Bouches du Rhone 1899

On May 31st 1895, my eldest son, a volunteer with the First Hussars at Valence, was taking part in field manoeuvers. 

Being at the head of the advance guard, he was walking his horse, making observations of the country occupied by the assumed enemy, when suddenly from an ambuscade, a bullet struck my unhappy son full in the chest.  Death came with almost lightning swiftness.

The man who had involuntarily caused this fatal accident, seeing his comrade drop the reins and topple over upon the neck and shoulders of his horse, hurried towards him to hold him up and was able to catch the last words that the dying man breathed out in a sigh

‘You’ve hurt me badly – but I forgive you.’  Then he died.

Now this same day, May 31st 1895, about half past nine in the morning, while my wife was at home, busy with household duties, our little daughter, then aged 2 ½ went up to her mother and said

‘Mamma, look at Godfather [my eldest son was his sister’s godfather]; look, Mamma, look at Godfather.  I’m having fun with him’.

‘Yes, darling, have your fun with him’ her mother answered, attaching no importance to the child’s words.

But the little girl, in the face of her mother’s indifference, redoubled her insistence and added ‘But Mamma, come and see Godfather.  Look at him he’s there.  Oh, how nicely he is dressed!’

My wife noticed that in speaking to her in this way the child was as though transfigured.  She was affected by it at first, but soon forgot this little scene, which had lasted only a few minutes.

Shortly before noon we received a telegram telling us of the terrible accident that had happened to our beloved son and I found out later that this incident happened had occurred towards 8 o’clock