Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-10-21
DEATH SIGHT.

And you're settled down, we'll try
What2 The deuce you say 4! Rejected
You rejected? So was l.
DEATH SIGHT.
What Do the Dying See at the Last
Hour ?-Ghost Stories.
Miss Francis Power Cobbe's "Peak of
Darien is SO called because the dying PEG.
pie, of whom she writes, see, it is claimed,
the oceans of the past and future, just as
peak climbers behold at once the Atlantic
and Pacific. She is of the opinion that
dying people, just before breathing their
last, have their eyes supernaturally opened.
a number of cases are given by the New
York World, from the experience of corre-
spondents, to show the point which it is
desired should be established by larger
concurrence of testimony. Oae corre-
spondent records the death of con-
sumptive, whose case was hopeless, though
there was no appearance of the end being
very near, who was in the full possession
of his senses, able to talk with strong
voice, and not the least drowsy:
LITTLE JIM.
"While we were talking quietly togeth.
er he became silent and fixed his eyes on
one particular spot in the room. which was
entirely vacant, even of furniture at the
same time look of the greatest delight
| changed the whole expression of his face,
and after moment of what seemed to be
intense scrutiny of tome object invisible to
me, he said to me III joyous tone There
Is Jim ! Jim was little son whom he had
lost the year before, and whom had known
well, but the dying man had son still
EuYpn nod Vnha fr- ybo, L
and | concluded it was of john he was
speaking, and he thought he heard him ar.
irving, so l answered No, John has not
been able to come. The man turned to me
impatiently and said / do not mean
John-I know he is not here-it is Jim
my little lame Jim. Surely you remember
him. Yes, l said, Il remember dear
little jim, who died last year, quite WELL
Don't you sec him there? There he is
said the man, pointing to vacant space on
which his eyes were fixed, and when l did
rot answer he repeated almost fretfully,
Don't you see him standing there? /
answered him that l could not see him,
though | felt perfectly convinced that
something WAC visible to the sick man
which | could not perceive. When l gave
him this answer he seemed quite amazed,
and turned round to look at me with q
glare almost of indignation. As his ewes
met mine | saw that a film passed over
them ; the light of intelligence passed
, away he gave gentle sigh and expired.
He did not live five minutes from the time
be first said There is Jim,' although there
had been no sign of approaching death
previous to that moment"
WHAT DID HE SEE?
Another case is that of refined and
highly educated boy of ID, who died of de.
cliEe, being perfectly intelligent and desir-
ing the unknown life to which he believed
he was fastening. Death came on him a.
sunset, suddenly, as he turned away from
contemplation of the scene without to gaze
at the wall, with wide-open eyes and look
of perfect ecstacy. His mother asked if
what he saw was some wonderful sight be.
yond the confines of this world to give her
token by pressing her hand, as he was
speechless, and he at once took her hand
and pressed it meaningly. A third case
was that of the brother of correspondent,
an elderly man, dying of an incucable and
painful disease, which, however, did not
obscure his faculties. Upon him death
came Unexpectedly. 1t hal been uncertain
for come hours whether he was alive or
dead, but the eager, rspt gaze OF wonder
aud JOY came just as with one long breath
the spirit departed. Sill another case was
that of "a man of high intellectual dis
tinction, well known in the world of let
ters," who, when dying peacefully, as
became the close of profouady rel gious
life, va3 observed by his daughter suddenly
to look up, as if a. some spectacle invisible
to those around, with an expression of
solemn surprise and awe very characteristic
of his habitual frame of mind, the end COM
ing before the look had time to falter or
| change.
ANOTHER CASE.
In yet another case so bright light
seemed suddenly to shine from the face of
dying man that "the clergyman and an
other friend who were with him actually
turned simultaneously to the window to
seek for the cause" ga dying lady, ex.
hibiting the same aspect of joyful surprise,
spoke of seeing, one after another, three OF
her brothers who had long been dead, then
apparently recognizing last of all a fourth
brother, who was believed by the bystand-
ers to be still living in India. The coupling
of his name with those of his dead broth.
ers excited such ave and horror in the
mind of one of the persons present that
she rushed from the room. In due course
of time letters were received announcing
the death of the brother in India, which
had occurred some time before his dying
sister seemed to recognize him.
CURIOUS CASE.
To the above the World adds the follow
| ing Dean Plumptre, in a recent letter,
inspired by the publication of Miss Cobbe's
book, records case quite as curious of any
of those just recited "The mother of one
of the foremost thinkers and theologians of
our time" he says, twas lying on her
death. bed in the April of 1854 She had
been for some days in a state of almost
complete Inconsistencies. A shor. time
before her death the words came from her
lips: There they are, all of them :;
William and Elizabeth, and Emma and
Anne then, after pause-'and Priscilla,
infancy, and who's name had Af for q' ye, rs
neve5 passed the mothers lips. Priscilla
had died two days before, but her death,
though known to the family, had not been
reported to her."
TWO OTHER STORIES.
Two other "glimpses of the other side
of the gulf viii be found interesting.
though strictly speaking they do not belon Q
to the same division of the subject. In
May, 1875, NJ. Paul Herisson, Second Sec.
rotary to the French Legation at Rome,
WAS promoted to the Secretaryship of the
legation at Athens. A German lady, who
had taken upon herself the trouble of the
house arrangements of the Eaglish gentle
man who now reports the matter to the
Spectator, took N. Herisson's rooms for her
English friend, and arranged them while he
went to the Florence. On his return one
morning in June she met him, declaring
that the house was haunted, and she was
not going to stop in it another day. 1.-The
night before, the fret she passed in the
new house, at about ? o'clock, she heard
the furniture in the room creaking most
horribly, and then loud groan, followed
by others, weaker and weaker. as if some.
! body had been dying" Though woman
of strong sense and proven courage, she lay
in bed afraid to move until the day came
I IL r