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October 22, 1954, Lewarde, Pas-de-Calais:

Reference for this case: 14-oct-54-Lewarde.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.

Summary:

Ufologically, the case made its entry in the 1963 book "Les Apparitions de Martiens" by writer Louis Couturier, published under the pseudonym "Michel Carrouges". Trying to "categorize" the occupants of flying saucers, he briefly noted among the cases of "hairy pilots", "Stawsky, in Lewarde (Nord), 27 Oct. 1954".

He indicated for this case, that the hour is not known, that the witness said that the being was 1 meter tall, with "slanted and globular" eyes according to Paris-Presse for October 29, 1954; that the witness did not see any saucer, and that nothing establishes a connection with the question of the "mysterious flying objects".

Then in 1964, the French ufologist Jacques Vallée published in the British Flying Saucer Review an article on "entities" associated with close observation reports of "flying saucers", also trying to "sort out" the cases. He recounted it as follows: the witness was about to enter the forest of Erchin or Bois d'Erchin about 700 meters northwest of Erchin, when he suddenly saw at 4 meters from him a being "3 feet 6 inches" tall (1m03) with a large head, wearing a brown cap forming a net a few centimeters above its protruding eyes which had a very small iris and were slanted. Long hair fell from under the skull to his shoulders, his nose was flat and his lips were thick and red.

Vallée did not specify his source, but commented that the Erchin entity is, in the collection that it presents, "the only creature which recalls science fiction" (!?), but that one cannot dismiss the case because, he said, the observations by this type of entity "are comparatively numerous and very consistent", and "some of the witness accounts are extremely good."

He explains that if such a being exists, we can understand that its sudden appearance at a turn can leave witnesses with an impression that is difficult to forget.

Vallée, in fact, did not think that the "entities" and "saucers" were extraterrestrials; he tried to show that although "real", these apparitions were revealing a phenomenon identical to that of the past apparitions of elves, gnomes, fairies, leprechaun, apparitions which he did not consider as imaginary but resulting from the action of "something" that interfered with our "normal" world - an idea already proponent by the rather wacky American journalist John Keel.

Vallée made no attempt to verify the story he was giving, any more than the others he mentioned, expressing just "usual caution".

And it turns out that in a sequel to his article now titled "The 'Entities': Facts and Legends"; which appeared in the next issue of the Flying Saucer Review, he now said that after "clarification and improvement" of his file, the creature of "Erchin" should be viewed "with renewed caution."

Yet in 1965, he told almost the same story in his book "Anatomy of a Phenomenon". This time he claimed to cite the case "only for its picturesque side", and that although there is no flying "machine" in this case, it very much resembles a small number of other cases in which the "machine" is present.

Despite the lack of a UFO in the case, he would include the case in his famous catalog of "UFO landings" in 1969, 1972, 1974; the catalog is preceded by the usual "warning", but the vague negative opinion which he carried in 1964 specifically on this case was gone. The case became:

October 14, 1954, 3:30 p.m., Lewarde (France): In the wood of Erchin (or "in Bois d'Erchin" depending on the version), a miner, Mr. Casimir Starovski, encountered a strange being, short, with a voluminous figure, large slanting eyes and a body covered with fur.

And the source he gave, "Anatomy 143" was his own 1965 book... which did not specify any source.

As usual, this summary in the Vallée catalog will be copied many times by other authors, in ufology books, ufology magazines, and even later on the Web, as you can see in my file, without any "added value", without any research, and without any precaution. The "source", when a source was given, obviously became: "Vallée Catalogue."

This is so in INFO-OVNI of April 1975, the catalog "Intcat" of the British Peter Rogerson of 1976. An exception would appear first in the catalog by Jader U. Pereira published in the ufology magazine Phénomènes Spatiaux of the GEPA in 1974: Pereira rejects the case: "not admitted" in his catalog, because of the "possibility of error on the part of the witness".

Things will start to become clearer when GNEOVNI, a ufology group from the region where the incident is said to have taken place, published their regional catalog in their bulletin Recherches Ufologiques #2 of the 3 ^rd quarter of 1977.

The case presented as "very well-known but very strange" is described there, GNEOVNI indicates, according to Press sources of the time compiled by Dominique Caudron: La Voix du Nord, Douai issue, Nord Matin, Douai issue, La Croix du Nord, and Nord-Eclair, all for October 27, 1954.

It occurred on Friday, October 22, 1954 (and therefore neither on the 14th nor the 27th) around 5.30 p.m., as Casimir Stanski (and therefore neither "Starovsky" nor "Stawsky", a miner, was picking chestnuts in Lewarde's wood, 120 m from the edge and 388m from the road from Roucourt to Erchin. He heard "the sound of broken branches; he then saw in the middle of a thicket two tubes shining like nickel."

He "first thought of the guns of the gamekeeper and thought of hiding; then thinking that he was doing nothing wrong he approached to distinguish a fawn mane and then a humanoid being about one meter tall and bulky, it was completely covered with hair that also covered the feet, as if it had brown fur. The eyes were oval, the white coming out considerably from the sockets. The nose appeared to be crushed at the base, like that of a boxer. He had a kind of cap on his head with a bead around the forehead from which escaped very long hairs. He did not seem to have fingers and his shiny and closed hands held two metal rods of 30 cm. He approached the witness without speaking. The frightened witness fled at full speed."

Then in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit #169, for November 1977, Dominique Caudron published this information, but with the witness name "Stawski" again, and the source La Croix du Nord on page 4 but now dated October 24, 1954.

But the GNEOVNI apparently did not read their own bulletin, since in a new catalog published in their #5 issue for the 2^nd quarter of 1978, we get the "Carrouges" version, very summarized and even altered: "10/27/54 LEWARDE - Mr Stawsky sees small hairy beings with slanted eyes, globular but he did not see any object."

It was then the "skeptical" ufologists Gérard Barthel and Jacques Brucker who enter the game with their 1979 book "La Grande Peur Martienne". They indicate there that the newspaper "La Croix Nord" for October 24, 1954, reported that Mr. Casimir S., a Polish miner, had the mishap of encountering "one of our hairy brothers from outer space", and that it spoke to him in a Chinese-like language, and "from that day on, Casimir S. became a billiard champion." A version quite different from the previous ones! They had simply mixed the cases of Lewarde and of Ecaillon...

Things got better in the GNEOVNI bulletin #7 of the 1^st quarter of 1979, in the form of an article by Philippe Finet. The witness was Casimir Stanski, the date was October 22, 1954, the events described are those given by Dominique Caudron. But there had been a mixture with the case of Ecaillon, since the witnesses are in both cases miners of Polish origin both with the firstname: Casimir!

But above all, there was news on the case of Lewarde: having read the two summaries published in the bulletin #2 and #5 of GNEOVNI, a reader of the Marchienne region, Mr. F. Boulogne, sent to the Secretariat of GNEOVNI a letter revealing that at the time, Mr. Boulogne frequented the region of Sin-le-Noble and Dechy where Casimir Stanski was honorably known. At the same time, "lived in the wood of Lewarde, in a shack, one of these bizarre characters, half-wacky, half-philosophers, who are the prerogative of almost all the villages of France."

This oddball character was called "Capote"; he dressed very strangely "and his coquetry was quite surprising and implausible for a human", and "he probably did not disdain substantial poaching."

And this strange character, speaking of the affair in a cafe, declared: "I don't understand why he [witness Mr. Stanski] was afraid of me!" Which makes the whole Lewarde affair a misinterpretation.

But if we except the correct versions of Jean-Pierre D'Hondt, from the Groupement Nordiste d'Etudes des Observations Visuelles Non Identifiées, on the Web around 2006, that of Julien Gonzalez in his 2014 book, and the very detailed reminders of the case by Dominique Caudron on his website in the years 2017-2019, we continue to read Vallée's version, without explanation, everywhere..

Reports:

[Ref. vdn1:] NEWSPAPER "LA VOIX DU NORD":

[Ref. ner1:] NEWSPAPER "NORD ECLAIR":

[Ref. cdn1:] NEWSPAPER "LA CROIX DU NORD":

[Ref. nmn1:] NEWSPAPER "NORD-MATIN":

[Ref. dse1:] NEWSPAPER "DOUAI SCARPE":

[Ref. jve9:] JACQUES VALLEE:

[Ref. mcs1:] "MICHEL CARROUGES":

Louis Couturier, under the pseudonym "Michel Carrouges", trying to "sort out" the question of the occupants of flying saucers, briefly notes among the cases of "hairy" pilots, "Stawsky, in Lewarde (Nord), Oct. 27, 1954".

He indicates that the hour is unknown, that the witness said that the being was one-meter-tall, had "slanted and globular" eyes according to Paris-Presse for October 29, 1954; that the witness did not see any saucer, and that nothing establishes a connection with the question of the "mysterious flying objects."

[Note: I was able to read Paris-Presse for October 29, 1954, and nothing was published in it about this case. Michel Carrouges likely mixed up newspapers.]

[Ref. jve5:] JACQUES VALLEE:

[Ref. jve6:] JACQUES VALLEE:

Jacques Vallée said that after a clarification and improvement of his UFO file, the "Erchin" creature should be considered with renewed caution.

[Ref. jve8:] JACQUES VALLEE:

[Ref. jve4:] JACQUES VALLEE:

The catalog from which this entry comes is preceded by this warning, in a previous issue, by Jacques Vallée:

[Ref. jve1:] JACQUES VALLEE:

[Ref. jve7:] JACQUES VALLEE:

The author indicates that on October 14, 1954, in Lewarde in the Nord, in the wood of Erchin, a miner met a strange being of small size and massive body, with broad slanted eyes, the covered body of fur. No apparatus was described.

[Ref. jve2:] JACQUES VALLEE:

[Ref. jve3:] JACQUES VALLEE:

[Ref. gqf1:] GENEVIEVE VANQUELEF:

[Ref. jpa1:] JADER U. PEREIRA:

Jader U. Pereira noted the case as "rejected" in his CE3 catalogue, due to the "possibility of error from the witness":

[Ref. ioi1:] "INFO-OVNI" UFOLOGY MAGAZINE:

[Ref. agd1:] ALAIN GAMARD:

[Ref. prn1:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":

[Ref. gni1:] GNEOVNI:

The bulletin indicated that it was ufologist Dominique Caudron who found the Press article.

[Ref. dcn3:] DOMINIQUE CAUDRON:

[Ref. jve7:] JACQUES VALLEE:

Jacques Vallée indicates that on October 14, 1954, miner Starovski claimed to have met on a country road near Erchin in the North of France a strange being less than 4 feet tall, of bulky figure with large protruding slanted eyes with very small irises on a large head and a fur-covered body. The lips were thick and red, the nose was flat.

It wore a brown skullcap which formed a fillet a few inches above the eyes and had no respiratory device.

The witness saw no saucer. Before he could think of stopping the ceature, it had disappeared.

[Ref. gni2:] GNEOVNI:

[Ref. gab1:] UFOLOGY GROUP "G.A.B.R.I.E.L.":

[Ref. tbw1:] TED BLOECHER AND DAVID WEBB:

[Ref. bbr1:] GERARD BARTHEL AND JACQUES BRUCKER:

The two authors state that the newspaper "La Croix du Nord" for October 24, 1954 reports that Mr. Casimir S., a Polish miner, had the mishap to meet "one of our hairy brothers coming from outer space", and that it spoke to him in a language resembling Chinese, and from that day on, Casimir S. became a pool champion.

[Ref. pft1:] PHILIPPE FINET:

[Ref. agd2:] ALAIN GAMARD:

[Ref. fru1:] MICHEL FIGUET ET JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:

These two ufologists recall the case, and indicate that the date is October 22, 1954, the witness is a miner, Casimir Stawski, the being was completely covered with hairs, had oval eyes, the white expanding considerably around the orbits, the nose crushed at the base. It had a sort of cap on the head with a pad around the face, from which from very long hairs escaped. It did not seem to have fingers and its glowing hands closely held two "metal stems" of 30 cm approximately. "Casimir Stawski [in fact, Starovski] heard a noise of broken branches: he then sees in the middle of a bush two brilliant tubes like nickel. He approaches and distinguishes then the fawn-colored mane, then the humanoid which approaches without a word. Casimir flees at fill speed."

They add that Jacques Vallée has the name and the date wrong, and indicate as sources "La Voix du Nord" Douai issue for October 27, 1954, "Nord-Matin" Douai issue for October 27, 1954, "Nord-Eclair" for October 27, 1954 and the GNEOVNI bulletin N.2.

[Ref. mft1:] MICHEL FIGUET - "FRANCAT":

This ufologist noted:

[Ref. cnu1:] "CNEGU" UFOLOGY GROUP:

[Ref. cnu2:] "CNEGU" UFOLOGY GROUP:

[Ref. jve10:] JACQUES VALLEE:

Jacques Vallée reports that on October 14, 1954, a miner named Starovski claimed to have encountered on a country road, near Erchin, in northern France, a strange being of short and thick body, with large slanting eyes and a fur-covered body. The dwarf was less than four feet tall, he had a bulky head and wore a brown cap which took the form of a band a few centimeters above the eyes. The bulging eyes had a very small iris; the nose was flat; it had thick red lips.

Vallée noted as a "little detail" that the witness did not claim to have seen the creature exit or re-enter a flying saucer, he had only encountered the strange being, who was not wearing any sort of breathing apparatus.

Vallée ends by saying that before the witness thought to stop it, the creature disappeared.

[Ref. jsr1:] JEAN SIDER:

Jean Sider refers to Michel Figuet and indicates that on October 22, 1954 at 03:30 P.M. in the wood of Lewarde, department of North, Casimir Stawski was busy collecting chestnuts 300 meters of the road which goes from Roucourt to Erclin, and approximately 120 meters of the edge of the wood of Lewarde.

His attention was suddenly drawn by a noise, and worrying about it, he noticed in the middle of a thicket a being which may have been of 1 meter 10 height, of strong stoutness, whose body was entirely covered with hairs; its nose seemed flattened at the base like that of a boxer. He carried a kind of cap on the head, and there was as a pad around its face, whose long hairs hung.

This being held in two sort of tubes or metal stems of thirty centimetres length approximately in its glowing hands. When it tried to approach the witness, this one was so much frightened that he fled without seeking to learn more.

Jean Sider also notes that Jacques Vallée, in his catalogue, spelled the name of the witness "Starovski."

[Ref. lhh1:] LARRY HATCH - "*U* COMPUTER DATABASE":

[Ref. goe1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:

The Belgian ufologist indicates that in 1954, on October 22, in France in Lewarde, "In the wood of Erchin Casimir Starovsk met at 15:30, a strange being, of small size, which had a bulky silhouette, large oblique eyes and the body covered of fur."

The sources are noted "Anatomy 143", "Jacques Vallée: 'Chronique des apparitions ET' - DENOEL 1972 - J'AI LU COLL. - p. 280" with the note: "dating the cae at October 14".

Another version is given: "completely covered with hair, oval eyes, the white leaving the orbits considerably. Nose crushed at the base. It had a kind of cap on the head with a pad around the face, from where very long hair escaped. It did not seem to have fingers and its gleaming and closed hands held two "metal stems" of 30 cm approximately. Casimir Stawski heard a noise of broken branches: he then sees in the middle of a shining thicket two tubes like nickel. He approaches and distinguishes then the fawn-colored man, then the humanoid; which approaches without speech. Casimir flees as fast as possible."

The source for this is noted "M. FIGUET/ J.L. RUCHON: 'Ovni, Premier dossier complet...' Alain Lefeuvre pub. 1979, p. 195.

[Ref. jrr1:] JEAN-PAUL RONECKER:

The author indicates that on October 14, 1954, close to Lewarde, miner Casimir Starovski met a being of small size, with a thick silhouette, large oblique eyes and a body covered of fur.

[Ref. ars1:] ALBERT ROSALES:

[Ref. gbo1:] JAVIER GARDIA BLANCO:

The author indicates that on 14 [sic] October 1954 a miner named Starovski assured that he had lived an extraordinary encounter near Erchin in northern France. He found himself confronted by a chunky little being with oblique eyes and a body covered with hair. What was curious is that the witness saw no object, he only described his encounter with a strange being.

[Ref. dcn1:] DOMINIQUE CAUDRON:

[Ref. jdt1:] JEAN-PIERRE D'HONDT:

This ufologist indicates that on October 22, 1954, in Lewarde, the Nord, a case probably identified took place, but put in his catalogue for information, the source being LDLN 103 of December 1969 page 5.

On Friday, October 22, 1954 towards 15:30, Mr. Casimir Stawski, miner, collected chesnuts at approximately 120 meters of the edge of the wood of Lewarde and at approximately 300 meters of the road of Roucourt to Erchin, 59, when he heard a noise of broken branch. He then saw in the middle of a thicket two tubes shining like nickel. He initially thought of the rifle of the forester guard and thought of hiding, then thought that he does not do anything wrong and he approached and distinguished a being of strong stoutness of small size completely covered of hairs of fawn color. Oval eyes seeming to get out of their sockets, nose crushed like that of a boxer. He had a kind of cap on the head with a pad around the face from where long hairs came out and he seemed to have powerful hands holding two metal stems of 30 cm approximately. This being approached the witness without speaking, then Casimir Stawski was frightened and fled at full speed.

The sources are said to be the newspapers "La Voix du Nord" for 27-10-54 Douai issue, "Nord Matin" for 27-10-54 Douai issue, "La Croix du Nord" for 27-10-54, "Nord Eclair" for 27-10-54, and Bulletin du GNEOVNI N° 2.

The author adds that following the publication of this case in the GNEOVNI bulletin "Recherches Ufologiques" #2, one of its readers, Mr. Boulogne from Marchiennes in the 59, he forwarded a mail specifying that at the time he was in the area of Sin-le-Noble/Dechy in the 59 where Mr. Stawski was honourably known. But at the same time, in the wood of Lewarde in a hut, lived one of these odd characters, semi-eccentric, semi-philosopher, who are the hosts of many villages. The one from Lewarde was called "Capote" ["Hood"]. He was dressed very strangely and his clothing was often enough surprising and incredible for a human being and he did not neglect substantial poaching.

One evening in a coffee shop, this strange character speaking about the "Stawski affair", stated: "I do not understand that he was so afraid of me!" And Mr. Boulogne concluded that according to him "Capuche" only rarely reading the newspapers, was unaware of the wave of UFO sightings which occurred in this end of year 1954 in the area. The author notes that this information makes it possible to probably eliminate the "Stawski affair" from their file.

[Ref. jbu1:] JEROME BEAU:

No source is given.

Jérome Beau indicates as source "Vallée, Anatomy 143".

[Ref. jbu2:] JEROME BEAU:

[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:

Luc Chastan indicates that in the Nord in Lewarde on October 22, 1954 at 15:30 "The witness collects sweet chestnuts at 120 m of the edge of the wood of Lewarde and at 300 m of the road of Roucourt to Erchin, when he hears a noise of broken branches; he then sees in the middle of a thicket two tubes, shining like nickel. He thinks initially it is the rifle of the gamekeeper and thinks of hiding, then thinking that he does nothing wrong, he approaches and distinguishes a fawn-colored mane, then a humanoid being of strong stoutness one meter ten tall approximately, completely covered with hairs. Oval eyes, the white leaving the orbits considerably. The nose appeared crushed at the base like that of a boxer. Ie had a kind of cap on the head, with a pad around the face, from which escaped very long hairs. It did not seem to have fingers and its gleaming and closed hands held two 'metal stems' of 30 cm approximately. This being approaches the witness without speech. Then the latter, frightened, flees as fast as possible."

Luc Chastan indicates that the source is "Ovni, Premier dossier complet... par Figuet M./ Ruchon J.L. ** éd. Alain Lefeuvre 1979."

[Ref. djn2:] DONALD JONHSON:

Donald Johnson indicates that on October 14, 1954, "at 3:30 p.m. in the Erchin Wood in Lewarde, northern France a miner named Casimir Starovski met a short bulky figure with large slanted eyes. Its body was covered with fur. It also had a flat nose and thick lips."

The sources are noted as "Jacques Vallee, Anatomy of a Phenomenon, p. 143; Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia, case # 252; David F. Webb & Ted Bloecher, HUMCAT: Catalogue of Humanoid Reports, case # A0301."

[Ref. prn2:] PETER ROGERSON:

[Ref. nip1:] "THE NICAP WEBSITE":

[Ref. tai1:] "THINK ABOUT IT" WEBSITE:

[Ref. jgz1:] JULIEN GONZALEZ:

The author indicates that there was a false close encounter of the third type at Bois de Lewarde, North, on October 22, 1954, at 3:30 pm:

A miner, Mr. Casimir Stawski, was collecting chestnuts at the edge of Lewarde Wood when he met a small being, with a large corpulence body completely covered with fawn-colored hairs. Oval eyes seemed to come out of the sockets, the nose was crushed like a boxer, he had a kind of cap on the head with a rim around the forehead from which long hairs emerged and it seemed to have powerful hands holding two metal rods of about 30 cm. This being approached the witness without speaking, which frightened him so he fled at full speed.

The sources are indicated as La Voix du Nord, Douai issue, for October 27, 1954; Nord Matin, Douai issue, for October 27, 1954; La Croix du Nord for October 27, 1954; Nord Eclair for October 27, 1954; Michel Figuet and Jean-Louis Ruchon, "OVNI: le premier dossier complet des rencontres rapprochées en France", page 195; Jean Sider, "Le dossier 1954 et l'imposture rationaliste", page 215.

Julien Gonzalez indicates that in fact, following the publication of this case in the Bulletin of the GNEOVNI Recherches Ufologiques #2, a reader, Mr. Boulogne of Marchiennes, sent a letter informing us that at the time he was attending the region of Sin-le-Noble / Dechy where Mr. Stawski was honorably known. But at the same time lived in the wood of Lewarde in a cabin, one of those strange, half-wacky, half-philosopher characters; which are the prerogative of many villages. The one of Lewarde was called "Capote". He dressed very strangely and his outfit was often quite surprising and unlikely for a human being and he did not disdain substantial poaching. One night in a cafe, this strange character talking about the "Stawski affair" said: "I do not understand that he was so afraid of me!". Mr. Boulogne concluded that, according to him, "Capote" reading the newspapers was unaware of the wave of UFO sightings that occurred at the end of 1954 in the region, and that this information presumably "aloes to identify" the "Stawski affair".

Julien Gonzalez indicates that the source of this explanation is a personal communication of Mr. Jean-Pierre d'Hondt of September 3, 2010.

[Ref. dcn2:] DOMINIQUE CAUDRON:

Dominique Caudron, a "skeptical" ufologist in the Nord, indicates that several catalogs, including "one century of landings" by Jacques Vallée, mention the encounter of a Polish miner, Casimir S... (the spelling of his name varies depending on the source), with a scary, furry little being, who is interpreted as a "ufonaut", a UFO occupant.

He intends to show that no Polish miner named Casimir has ever seen an ufonaut, that there are in fact two Casimir S., one having seen a true false ufonaut, a being that really existed but was not an ufonaut, and the other a false true ufonaut, a being who would have been a ufonaute if it had existed.

It indicates that Gérard Barthel and Jacques Brucker, in "La grande peur martienne", Nouvlles Editions Rationalistes, Paris 1979, p. 78, wrote: "The newspaper 'La Croix du Nord' of 24 October 1954 reported the misadventure a Polish miner, Mr. Casimir S... He also met one of our hairy brothers coming from outside space, even better! "The latter spoke to him in a language resembling Chinese, but from the day when Casimir had been chatting with this 'ouranian',... he became a billiard champion."

He mentions the following problem with the version of Barthel and Brucker: in his October 24, 1954 edition, La Croix du Nord did not speak of a furry man from outer space; the article of La Croix du Nord, edition of Lille, October 24, 1954, page 4, said in fact:

Casimir's saucer

Four Martians came to shake hands with a Somainian and spoke to him... in Chinese.

The Ostrevent area has been in turmoil since last Friday at 7:30 p.m.: a flying saucer landed on the Douai National Road and there were four occupants in it. The name of the "spectator" being quoted, we went to see him

This is Casimir Szymura, a miner in the pit of Sainte-Marie, residing at Ecaillon, rue des hallots, 125.

Here is what he says:

On Friday, around 7:15 p.m., I was riding a motorcycle on the national road from Douai to Valenciennes, on the territory of Ecaillon, when I saw a highly illuminated craft in the shape of a submarine.

As we approached this machine, my motorcycle stopped suddenly. I could see inside four occupants of small size and furnitures. One of them went out and approached me: he shook my hand, the top of his head came to my shoulder. Needless to say, I was very frightened, especially since I did not understand what he said "it was like Chinese" and moreover I was dazzled by the clarity of the craft. This lasted a few minutes. The occupant reinstated the saucer which flew away at a dizzying pace.

Dominique Caudron shows that there is absolutely no words of hairy being here; but three days later, another article of the same paper mentioned another Casimir, also a Polish minor, who had seen a hairy being, but this time without a saucer and without speaking Chinese:

Casimir (No. 2) saw Martians without a saucer in Lewarde

They have globular eyes, a tawny mane and no fingers.

All the mothers of Lewarde said yesterday to their children:

"You will not go to the wood again!"

It is not the great wolf that they fear, but the wood these days has very curious connections.

Judge for yourselves

A good miner, Casimir Stawski, 33, of the City of the Niveau, had gone Monday afternoon to stock up chestnuts.

Why did he take it fear and flight, at the speed of a running champion?

We shall soon know by listening to his narrative, but let it be pointed out that he leaped at once into the secretary of the mayor's office, who alerted the gendarmes to the Bois de Lewarde, a night which would have been much more beneficial to them with the head on a soft pillow.

But let's listen to Mr. Stawski:

- "I was in the wood, I saw two shiny tubes, I thought at first that it was the guns of the guard forester.

But I soon perceived that these tubes were in hands, and in the hands of which individual?

It was a being of a little more than a meter, his body was strong. His head, with slanting, globular eyes, emerging from the orbits, was surmounted by a sort of fawnish mane that descended on his shoulders. The body to the feet was entirely covered with hair. He wore a ruffle above his eyebrows. The hands were shiny and closed, with no fingers."

Dominique Caudron points out that the above article is from La Croix du Nord, for October 27, 1954, page 5. He comments:

Oh well! There were therefore two Casimirs, both Polish miners, who, a few kilometers distant, saw a mysterious being, immediately treated as "Martian" by the journalists.

The map contains the homes and places of observation of these Casimirs, namely:
1) Home of Casimir Stawski.
2) Place of observation of Casimir Stawski
3) Home of Casimir Sczymura.
4. Place of the alleged observation of Casimir Sczymura

He indicates that if Casimir Szymura's observation is narrated only by La Croix du Nord, that of Casimir Stawski is also narrated by La Voix du Nord, Douai edition, Nord Matin, Douai edition, and Nord Eclair. The newspapers gave other information:

Without his saucer....

A "Martian" was walking in the wood of Lewarde

...

The other afternoon, at 03:30 p.m., he was in the wood of Lewarde, located 300 m from the road from Roucourt to Erchin.

At 120 meters from the edge of the wood, he quietly picked up chestnuts, when he perceived two tubes shining like nickel, projecting from a thicket. Mr. Stawski thought that the guard had been in ambush, and hid behind a tree. Then he thought that he was doing nothing wrong, and left his hiding-place to advance. He then saw a kind of mane and thought he was dealing with a beast or an old vagabond.

He gives the source as La Voix du Nord, Douai edition, October 27, 1954, page 5, and notes that the first impression of the witness is and that it was a vagabond; which is the right explanation, as he will show.

He then gives a copy of the article of Nord Matin, edition of Douai, October 27, 1954, page 4:

IN LEWARDE (NEAR DOUAI) A fantastic being, hairy, with strange eyes...

The gendarmerie, serving the Commune of Lewarde (near Douai), received the testimony of a mine worker, Casimir Stawski, 33, who resides at the cité du Niveau, 31, at Sin-le-Noble. He stated:

Last Friday at about 3:30 p.m., I found myself in the Lewarde wood to look for chestnut trees that were abundant, and I was lowered to pick up when suddenly I heard a sound of broken branches a few meters from me. I stood up and to my amazement I saw at a distance of 10 meters a kind of human being of small size - 1 meter to 1 meter 10 - but of very large body. And he was completely covered with hairs as if he had a brown fur, his eyes were oval and the white sprung considerably from the sockets, the nose seemed crushed at the base like that of a boxer, with a kind of cap on his head, with a bead around the forehead of which very long hairs escaped, which gave him the appearance of possessing a mane. He did not appear to have fingers but solid hands in which he held two brilliant iron rods about 30 centimeters. He had no shoes, but his feet were covered with hair. He did not speak to me and I was horrified, I fled to Bugnicourt."

A farmer did indeed see Mr. Stawski running scared.

He then explains his investigation, on March 2, 1979, at various administrations and various persons:

He discovered that at the mayor's office of Aniche neither Casimir Stawski nor Casimir Sczymura were registered on the electoral lists of the time, but that Casimir was confirmed to be a common name among the Poles.

At the police station of Aniche there is no file on Casimir Stawski, nor Casimir Sczymura, but it has been confirmed that to pick up chestnuts, it is indeed in Lewarde wood that one must go.

At the town hall of Ecaillon, the Mayor's secretary, who had been there since 1951, remembers the Sczymura affair and confirmed to him on the evening of March 2, 1979, that the witness had died.

Casimir Sczymura was born on February 16, 1912, in Germany, and died in 1972 in Douai. Mr. Sczymura's address given by the newspaper is correct. According to the secretary, Casimir Sczymura often passed by the national road from Douai to Aniche. The secretary knew him, described him as a brave man, an old bachelor, who would often play cards in Aniche's cafes, and had imagination. He remembers thinking about a joke at the time.

For the observation of Casimir Stawski, Dominique Caudron was able to question Mrs Stawski, who had given him a lot of unpublished information: she had an emotional memory of her late husband whose picture showed a man with a hard working look, with a very straight moustache, and not at all the looks of a joker or a timorous person.

Ms Stawski told Dominique Caudron that Casimir Stawski was born in 1921 in Poland, and lived in 31, cité du niveau, in Sin le Noble. Excellent father and strong nature, he was a pigeon fancier in a Dechy association and well known in Sin le Noble. Miner, he went to work at 4 o'clock in the morning and returned home about 1:30 p.m. In October 1954, he left almost every day to pick up chestnuts.

Ms. Stawski confirmed the newspaper's account. Mr. Stawski seeing the being approached found himself "electrified". He ran away without even realizing that he had lost a shoe en route although it was a lace-up shoe. When he reached the house, it was his wife who made him notice this; he was disturbed and spoke in hurried words. When he reached his house, he had his throat so tight that he could barely swallow the coffee his wife had served him. Mr. Stawski saw a doctor who found him concussed.

As soon as his observation was known, many friends came to make him tell his observation, which made him very uncomfortable because he no longer wanted to think about it. He no longer set foot in the woods of Lewarde and was so frightened for a while that one night he needed half an hour before opening to his own wife. He was suffering from sleep disorders for almost a month to a month and a half, and his watch was no longer working. The jeweler declaring it irreparable, he wore it no more, although it was new. The jeweler could not open the case of the watch which was like welded. Casimir Stawski died on September 19, 1974.

Mr. Stawski would have heard a loud noise of a propeller, and seen an object land and a little being descend, dressed in a bright garment, and approach him.

He then gives the explanation of the observation of Casimir Stawski, noting that ufologists are used to copying one another without going back to the sources closest to the case:

In 1969, Jacques Vallée cites himself, with his "Anatomy of a Phenomenon" of 1965, where he does not give his source.

In 1963, Michel Carrouges, gave as source "Paris Presse", which only copied a regional newspaper.

He notes that if these ufologists had consulted the weekly edition of the local newspaper, Douai Scarpe, October 31, 1954, page 2, they would have found this:

The Martian was only a tramp.

There was a great stir around the appearance of a Martian in the wood of Lewarde.

This phenomenon has found its explanation... down to earth.

The Martian was only a tramp, well known in the region, as far as Waziers.

The phantasmagoric being who frightened Mr. Casimir, the chestnut collector, was hairy because he had lost his razor in the galleys.

Another saucer... broken.

He notes that this explanation is confirmed 24 years later by a letter addressed to the GNEOVNI on July 15, 1978, by a reader of the bulletin who used to frequent the Lewarde region at the time:

"A simple man, not being favored by life and bearing the name or nickname of CAPOTE, living in a shack in Lewarde, once said in a cafe in Lewarde, speaking about this incident: "I do not understand why he was afraid of me." It must be said that our simple Capote was sometimes clothed with the most unlikely objects, this story no longer makes anyone laugh and the elders of Lewarde can confirm this anecdote.

Caudron indicates that this explanation is also clarified by Mr. Henneuse, whom he interrogated on the evening of March 2, 1979. He was a guard and investigating officer at Lewarde since 1955, living at Lewarde at the time and confirming that he knows the story of the tramp taken for a Martian. The tramp was named Henri Foveau, and lived with another ragman named Hary, nicknamed "capote," who himself lived in a shack. Mr. Foveau was later nicknamed "the Martian". Mr. Henneuse did not recall Stawski, but it may be normal as he was in Lewarde only since 1955, when the "Martian" still lived there, but Casimir Stawski had not been there since then his adventure.

He notes that, unlike Mr. Henneuse, Mrs. Stawski, who lived in Sin le Noble, and not Lewarde, never seems to have heard of the explanation by a tramp.

Dominique Caudron comments that this misunderstanding is ultimately very interesting in light of the symptoms associated with UFO sightings. Here, at the sight of a simple tramp, dressed in a heterogeneous manner, the panicked witness runs away without even realizing that he has lost a shoe, his throat is tight, he is shocked, loosed sleep for more than a month, his watch no longer functions. All these symptoms are found in the observations of supposedly real ufonauts.

He indicates that the witness reconstructs his observation later,...

with a landing craft, and a shiny little being, while we know in detail the description of the being he saw, both by the newspapers of the time, and by the fact that the pseudo-Martian was known. Yet no ufologist came to stuff his head with saucer stories. The mere fact of talking with friends, who knew what the press had said about the many landings of the time, might have sufficed.

He adds that for the different versions of the Stawski case according to the ufologists, one can consult the website of Patrick Gross (this page).

He adds that few ufologists mention the tramp, although this explanation was provided by a newspaper as early as October 31, 1954.

On the other hand, he mentions the explanation by an owl, an hypothesis that could account for the appearance of the top of the head, but not the hairy body, and hands holding two shiny tubes. Moreover, it is odd that the witness did not recognize an owl at less than 10 meters away and in broad daylight, especially since the owls are rather nocturnal.

[Note: this is a possibility that I had mentioned in this page initially, with, in my Explanations section: "Not looked for yet. Ccould be the tramp reported by D. Caudron, or an owl. The description corresponds in an absolutely confusing way with one of these birds... There is no UFO."]

For the observation of Casimir Sczymura, he indicates that it was a hoax; that the secretary of the town hall of Ecaillon, who knew the witness, thought of a joke.

He says that, in fact, this joyous bachelor added to his story:

Lately, some of his friends, who were rather skeptical, had gathered to hear his narrative. He performed with good grace. The Martian's handshake electrified me, he said, and gave me a vigor, a vivacity of mind that make me now another man. Here, for example, in pool, from the decent player I was, I became unbeatable.

Challenges came forth, and for a few hours Casimir played like a great champion. His good friend, whose name we shall mention, was the only one who beat him.

He indicates the source of the above: Nord Matin, edition of Douai, November 7, 1954, page 4.

He comments that Casimir Sczymura had improved on pool, but not to the point of being invincible; it could be the effect of the confidence in him that gave him his aura of privileged witness.

He notes that the account of his observation does not stand up: first his description of a submarine-shaped object, in which, although dazzled by the clarity of the craft, the witness sees four occupants and the furniture, is unbelievable. Then the observation would have taken place for several minutes on the road from Douai to Valenciennes, without being interrupted by the passage of a vehicle, as nobody else reports this luminous machine. Dominique Caudron says he went to the scene at the same hour to count the vehicles that passed, and there were several dozens a minute; it is therefore unlikely that the road was deserted for several minutes.

Finding that the alleged observation of Casimir Sczymura is as inconsistent as it is impossible, unlike that of Casimir Stawski, he concludes that this story is obviously invented.

He observes that, not content with believing this story, Jean Sider, in "Le dossier 1954 and l'imposture rationaliste", Ramuel, 1997, page 216, imagines it is even richer:

"This case remains interesting insofar as it implies a possible change in the behavior of the witness, and a relative improvement in his physical and mental state. This observation may give the idea that this CE3 actually conceals a CE4, in other words: an "Abduction", or experience of "kidnapping" type."

Dominique Caudron comments:

Yeah right! That cheerful bachelor would not have said it all. He would have concealed that he had been kidnapped into the saucer. Good old Jean Sider...

[Ref. ubk1:] "UFO-DATENBANK":

This database recorded this case ten times instead of one:

[Ref. prn3:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":

[Ref. dcn5:] DOMINIQUE CAUDRON:

Explanations:

See [dcn2], [dcn5]:

Actually two affairs, one hoax and one mistake.

Keywords:

(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)

Lewarde, Pas-de-Calais, bois d'Erchin, bois, forest, wood, miner, Casimir Starovski, being, humanoid, owl, animal, furry, fur, eyes

Sources:

[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.

• [----] Article in the regional newspaper La Croix du Nord, Lille issue France, page 4, October 24, 1954.
• [vdn1] Article in the regional newspaper La Voix du Nord, Douai local issue, France, page 5, October 27, 1954.
• [ner1] Article in the regional newspaper Nord-Eclair, Roubaix, Nord, France, page 2, October 27, 1954.
• [cdn1] Article in the regional newspaper La Croix du Nord, Lille, Pas-de-Calais, France, page 5, October 27, 1954.
• [nmn1] Article in the regional newspaper Nord-Matin, Douai issue, Nord - Pas-de-Calais, France, page 4, October 27, 1954.
• [dse1] Article in the local weekly newspaper Douai Scarpe, Douai, Nord, France, page 2, October 31, 1954.
• [jve9] "Entities associated with type 1 sightings - Part 2 - The scientific interpretation", article by Jacques Vallée, in the ufology magazine Flying Saucer Review (FSR), U-K., Volume 10, #3, page 4, May / June 1964.
• [mcs1] "Les Apparitions de Martiens", book by "Michel Carrouges" (pseudonyme of Louis Couturier), Fayard publisher, France, pages 107, 108,109, 1963.
• [jve5] "A descriptive study of the entities associated with the type 1 sightings", article by Jacques Vallée, in the ufology magazine Flying Saucer Review (LDLN), U-K., Volume 10, #1, page 10, January / February 1964.
• [jve6] "The 'Entities': the Facts and the Legend", article by Jacques Vallée, in the ufology magazine Flying Saucer Review (FSR), U-K., Voume 10, #3, page 22, May 1964.
• [jve8] "Anatomy of a Phenomenon - The detailed and unbiased report of UFOs", book by Jacques Vallée, Henry Regnery Company publishers, USA, page 143, 1965.
• [jve8] "Anatomy of a Phenomenon - The detailed and unbiased report of UFOs", book by Jacques Vallée, ACE Books publishers, USA, page 198, 1965.
• [jve4] "Un Siècle d'Atterrissages", catalogue by Jacques Vallée, in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans la Nuit (LDLN), France, #103, page 5, December 1969.
• [jve1] "Passport to Magonia - On Ufos, Folklore, and Parallel Worlds", book by Jacques Vallée, Contemporary Books publishers, USA, page 228, 1969.
• [jve7] "The Humanoids: A Survey of World-Wide Reports of Landings of Unconventional Aerial Objects and their Alleged Occupants", book by Charles Bowen, Neville Spearman publishers, U-K., 1969.
• [jve2] "Chronique des Apparitions Extra-Terrestres", French translation of "Passport to Magonia", book by Jacques Vallée, Denöel publisher, France, page 302, 1972.
• [gqf1] "Les Occupants des M.O.C et leur comportement", article by Geneviève Vanquelef, in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit (LDLN), France, #116, page 4, February 1972.
• [jve3] "Chronique des Apparitions Extra-Terrestres", French translation of "Passport to Magonia", book by Jacques Vallée, J'Ai Lu publisher, France, page 280, 1974.
• [jpa1] "Les Extraterrestres", catalogue by Jader U. Pereira, in the ufology magazine Phénomènes Spatiaux, GEPA, France, special issue 2, page 52, 1974.
• [jve7] "En Quête des Humanoïdes" book by Charles Bowen, French translation of "The Humanoids", J'ai Lu publisher, France, page 54, 1974.
• [ioi1] "Le lapin et le Renard", article in the ufology magazine INFO-OVNI, France, #0, april 1975.
• [agd1] Alain Gamard, in The UFO Register", J. Bernard Delaire editor, Data Research Contact International, U-K., Volume 7, Parts 1 and 2, page 43, 1976.
• [prn1] "The Catalogue - An international catalogue of type 1 sightings", compiled by Peter Rogerson, in the ufology magazine MUFOB, U-K., New Series #3, page 9, Summer 1976.
• [agd2] "Further Contributions to a knowledge of French humanoid cases", catalog compiled by Alain Gamard, in The UFO Register, by J. Bernard Delaire, Contact International U.K., U-K., Volume 10, parts 1 and 2, page 6, 1976.
• [gni1] Ufology bulletin Recherches Ufologiques, of the GNEOVNI ufology group, France, #2, 3^rd quarter 1977.
• [dcn3] "Coïncidence... Coïncidence... Et s'il n'y avait pas de coïncidence?", article by Dominique Caudron, in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit (LDLN), France, #169, page 5, November 1977.
• [gni2] Ufology bulletin Recherches Ufologiques, of the GNEOVNI ufology group, France, #5, 2^nd quarter 1978.
• [gab1] "Soucoupes Volantes: Le Grand Refus?", book by the ufology group G.A.B.R.I.E.L., Michel Moutet publisher, France, page 79, 1978.
• [tbw1] "HUMCAT", catalogue by Ted Bloecher and David Webb, USA, circa 1979.
• [bbr1] "La Grande Peur Martienne", book by Gérard Barthel et Jacques Brucker, Les nouvelles Editions Rationalistes publisher, page 78, 1979.
• [pft1] "L'anti-légende, ou les cas 'Casimir'", article by Philippe Finet, in the ufology bullein Recherches Ufologiques, of the ufology group GNEOVNI, France, #7, 1^st quarter, 1979.
• [----] Richard Heiden, ufologist, USA.
• [fru1] "OVNI, Premier Dossier Complet des Rencontres Rapprochées en France", book by Michel Figuet and Jean Louis Ruchon, Alain Lefeuvre publisher, France, page 195, 1979.
• [mft1] "Catalogue Francat des rencontres rapprochées en France (Listing 800 1982) (2 - Suite)", list compiled by Michel Figuet, in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit (LDLN), France, #257-258, page 20, November / December 1985.
• [cnu1] Ufology bulletin Circulaire CNEGU, CNEGU ufology group, France, #5, page 2, March 1987.
• [cnu2] Ufology bulletin Circulaire CNEGU, CNEGU ufology group, France, #9, July / August 1987.
• [jve7] "Dimensions - A Casebook of Alien Contacts", book by Jacques Vallée, Souvenir Press publishers, U-K, page 25, 1988.
• [jve10] "Autres Dimensions - Chroniques des contacts avec un autre monde", book by Jacques Vallée, Robert Laffont - J'Ai Lu publishers, France, pp 43-44, 1991.
• [----] "The UFO Encyclopedia", book by Jerome Clark, Apogee Books publishers, USA, page 96, 1996.
• [jsr1] "Le Dossier 1954 et l'Imposture Rationaliste", book by Jean Sider, Ramuel publisher, France, page 215, 1997.
• [lhh1] "*U* Computer Database", database by Larry Hatch, USA, circa 2002.
• [goe1] "Chronologie OVNI", web page by Godelieve van Overmeire, Belgium, circa 1999, at users.skynet.be/sky84985/afin54.htm
• [jrr1] "B.A. BA des Extraterrestres - Volume 1", book by Jean-Paul Ronecker, Pardès publisher, France, page 99, 2001.
• [ars1] HUMCAT (Humanoids Reports Catalog), Albert Rosales.
• [gbo1] "Humanoides: Encuentros con entidades desconocidas", book by Javier García Blanco, EDAF publishers, Spain, pp 65-66, 2003.
• [dcn1] Dominique Caudron, on the Internet forum Francom OVNI, France, 2003.
• [jdt1] "Catalogue Région - Rapports d'Observations", catalogue by Jean-Pierre D'Hondt, Groupement Nordiste d'Etudes des Observations Visuelles Non Identifiées, circa 2006, at geru59.free.fr/documents/jp_dhont/catalog_vague1954.html
• [jbu1] "Jeudi 14 octobre 1954", web page compiled by Jérôme Beau, France, circa 2006, at rr0.org/data/1/9/5/4/10/14/index.html
• [jbu2] "Des êtres poilus?", web page by Jérôme Beau, RR0 website, France, circa 2008, at RR0.org/science/crypto/ufo/analyse/hypotheses/HET/ETPoilus.html
• [lcn1] Base OVNI France, website by Luc Chastan, France, circa 2005, at baseovnifrance.free.fr/listgen.php?typlist=9&page=0&numobs=1165
• [djn2] "The Worldwide UFO Wave of 1954", electronic article by Donald Johnson, Ph.D., USA, page 7, 2009, at www.ufoinfo.com/onthisday/papers/Worldwide%20UFO%20Wave%20of%201954.pdf
• [prn2] "Intcat 1954 - International Catalogue of Entity Reports", compiled by Peter Rogerson, U-K., circa 2012, at intcat.blogspot.fr/search/label/1954
• [nip1] List on The NICAP Website, USA, found in 2014, at http://www.nicap.org/reports/1954_ufocat.htm
• [tai1] "1954: October Sightings", catalog on the UFO website Think About It, USA, not dated, found 2014, at http://www.thinkaboutitdocs.com/8-1954-october-sightings
• [jgz1] "RR3 - Le Dossier des Rencontres du Troisième Type en France", book by Julien Gonzalez, Le Temps Présent publishers, France, pp 440-441, 2014.
• [dcn2] "Pas de martien pour Casimir", web page by Dominique Caudron, France, nor dated, found in 2017, last updated December 12, 2016, at http://oncle-dom.fr/paranormal/ovni/confusions/martiens/martiens_poilus/lewarde/casimir.htm
• [ubk1] Online database UFO-Datenbank, Germany, found in 2016, at ufodatenbank.de
• [prn3] "INTCAT 1954", catalogue compiled by Peter Rogerson, U-K., circa 2016, at https://intcat.blogspot.com/search?q=1954
• [dcn5] "Pas de martien velus en 1954", web page by Dominique Caudron, France, last updated March 12, 2019, at http://oncle-dom.fr/paranormal/ovni/confusions/martiens/martiens_poilus/martiens_poilus.htm

Document history:

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