The Prisoner of Limoges The following fact was communicated to the Society by Mr. Achille R…, member, according to a letter from one of his friends from Limoges, dated July 18th:
“At the moment our town is involved with an interesting fact for Spiritists, which I promptly pass to Mr. Allan Kardec through you. I myself collected detailed information directly from witnesses of the fact in question, that is, in the prison where the hero of the story is now found.
A soldier of the first regiment of the infantry, called Mallet, was condemned to spend one month in prison for having stole the amount of three francs that belonged to one of his comrades. His sentence will expire in seven days. This young soldier lost a nineteen year old brother, a servant, about eight years ago, and for the past seven years he sees at least four nights out of eight, after midnight, a large flame with a little sheep sticking out from the middle. The vision terrified him but he dared not talk about it. Alone in prison he felt even more terrified and begged the jailer to bring him the company of other prisoners. Four soldiers of the second regiment of mounted hunters were sent to share his place. It was I am when Mallet woke up and saw the flame and the sheep, as did the four witnesses.
As I told you the apparition repeats often; the poor young man is so affected that he cries, remains devastated and refuses to eat. The medical officer of the regiment wanted to attest the fact but did not stay long enough and the vision only took place an hour and a half after he had left. A priest from Saint-Michel, father F…, was luckier, as it seems, since he took notes. I shall pay him a visit to ask him about his opinion.
However, that is not all. The jailer told me that he had seen the jail’s door open several times in the morning, although he had carefully locked it on the night before. Mallet was advised to interrogate the little sheep what he did last night, and this is the answer given to him and that I literally heard from him: Let me say “de profundis” (psalms 130) and the Eucharist; I am your brother; I will not come back.
This is the accurate description of the facts. I pass it on to Mr. Allan Kardec so that he can do as he pleases.”
