The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: Oct-54-Enocq.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
The local newspaper Le Réveil de Berck for October 17, 1954, told that one "of these last evenings", a "fantastic being" had entered a bar in the village of Enocq, causing a panic among consumers.
The so-called being "was about 1.50 m tall, wore a helmet with an antenna on it, his body was covered in long hair, and a bizarre instrument he held in his hand" spread a strange glow "at the same time as no less disturbing crackle sounds."
He said some incomprehensible words and disappeared into the night.
The story would have been carried by public rumor in the surrounding villages.
The lady owner of the bar discreetly spoke to the gendarmes, who discovered, according to the rumor, that the Martian was a little sprankster who had been entangled in electric wires, put on a motorcycle helmet and armed himself with a luminous pressure gauge to perform this joke.
[Ref. rdb1:] NEWSPAPER "LE REVEIL DE BERCK":
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It has been reported to us that a fantastic being, one of these last evenings, had pushed open the door of an Enocq coffee shop, spreading panic among consumers.
This character was about 1.50 meters tall, wore a helmet topped with an antenna, his body was covered with long hair, and from a bizarre instrument which he held in his hand, emanated a strange glow along with no less disturbing crackle sounds.
He said a few incomprehensible words (maybe he was asking for a pint) and disappeared into the night.
From there to conclude that a Martian, or a Uranid, during a stopover on the banks of the Canche had visited the country's café, there was only one step.
This step was taken at the speed of a saucer and the story immediately spread over Etaple, Montreuil and beyond.
However the sympathetic landlady, after reflection, considered that such visits were likely to put the cash drawer in danger - given the general commotion - and she talked, discreetly, to the gendarmes.
The gendarmes are curious people who have solid feet on the ground. If we are to believe the rumor, they were able to go back, without going to his planet, to the origin of the phenomenon, and to discover that in fact of Martian, it was a small joker who had entangled himself in electric wires, wore a motorcycle helmet and was armed... with a luminous pressure gauge, to make a good joke, which succeeds perfectly.
It remains to be seen whether such actions are valid outside the Carnival period or April Fools' day.
This is why it is not impossible that one day we will do the honor of the correctional column to a Martian - this one or another one - for making fun of the poor World.
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Prank or journalistic invention.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Enocq, Pas-de-Calais, luminous, helmet, Martien, prank, joke, bar, panic, rumor, police, hair
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
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| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | October 31, 2020 | First published. |
