Observations placeholder

Proceedings of the Society for Psychical research 1885 volume III

Mrs. Z., wife of Col Z. (a well known Irish gentleman who does not wish his name published), was having some friends to stay with her and asked a Miss Julia X who was training as a professional singer to spend a week with her and help to entertain her guests.  This she did.

Several years later Mrs Z became very ill and expected to die; ….. her husband came to her bedside and talked over [some business affairs] with her. Suddenly she changed the subject and said to her husband

“Do you hear those voices singing ? "

Col Z who narrates the incident replied that he did not, and his wife continued,

“I have heard them several times today, and I am sure they are the angels welcoming me to Heaven but," she added, “it is strange, there is one voice among them I am sure I know, but I cannot remember whose voice it is”

Suddenly she stopped and said, pointing straight over her husband's head, " Why, there she is in the corner of the room; it is Julia X.  She is coming, she is leaning over you; she has her hands up; she is praying. Do look; she is going”

Her husband turned round but could see nothing. His wife then said, " She has gone."

These things the Colonel at the time believed to be merely the phantasms of a dying person, but two days afterwards on taking up " The Times " newspaper, he saw recorded in it the death of Julia, who some years previously had married a Mr. Webley. He was so astounded that a day or two after his wife's funeral he went to see Julia's father, and asked if his daughter were really dead.

" Yes," he said " poor thing, she died of puerperal fever, and on the day she died she began singing, and sang on and on till she died."