Observations placeholder

Death and its Mystery – After Death – Camille Flammarian

The following account was taken from a letter sent me on April 10, 1921:

 In 1918, I was living in the Principality of Monaco, with my sister, and we were without news of a friend residing in Paris who ordinarily answered our letters at once. For three weeks we had been waiting impatiently for a reply to several letters expressing our uneasiness at the thought that he was unwell.

One evening (I had just gone to bed; it was about ten o'clock) I heard in my dressing-room which adjoined my bedroom (the door of this dressing-room was open and there was a light in it the whole night long) a terrible uproar. It was as though all the mirrors in the room (there were a great many in it) had been broken, and the glass shivered to bits. It was even worse than this. I cannot describe the noise, which was more like a loud and very long peal of thunder, made up of the sound of breaking glass.

While it was going on I cannot say that I was frightened; I was astonished, rather, and all sorts of ideas came into my mind, above all the idea of a bomb, in spite of the fact that the armistice had been signed.

When this noise had stopped, I got up, thinking I should find that everything had been pulverized, and my astonishment was great when I saw that nothing was out of place except a picture 'which was on the floor. Its glass was barely cracked: its cord, new and very strong, looked as though it had been cut. When I saw the picture on the floor, knowing that this is often a presage of death, I thought at once, "Why, A-- must be dead!"

 The loud noise was also heard by my sister, who was then seated at the piano, at the other end of the large villa, but she though: that a wagon-load of broken glass was being emptied, and paid no attention to it.

The servants heard it, too, and went out into the street to see if a rubbish-cart had turned over.

 The next morning, at nine o'clock, I received a telegram informing me of our friend's death; it had occurred three days before. There is nothing more extraordinary about this occurrence than about those you have related, but the astonishing circumstance is the fact that this friend did not cause the manifestation until three days after his death, and after the telegram which was to inform me of it had been sent and was to be given to me the next morning.

Doubtless, he did not wish to leave me in anxiety by producing the phenomenon at the moment of his death, since it would, have been impossible for me to obtain any information, and he awaited the moment when a certain person was sure to receive a letter in which the news was given and sure to let me know; this did, in fact, happen.

For me this occurrence is an absolute proof of immortality, for there were thought and deliberate waiting. I am giving my name and address, but I shall ask you to reveal nothing of a personal nature. My sister and I are in a delicate position with regard to this friend's family. He is married, had lived with my sister for a long time, and had remained, in spite of his marriage, in most friendly relations with us. Discretion is necessary. But the experience is, in itself, something which may aid in your investigation, and I am giving it to you in entire confidence. As for supposing that I made it up, I do not see underwhat pretext I could be accused of this.

MADAME X.

(Letter 4431.)