Flying saucers enthusiast Gray Barker found an article in the newspaper The Daily Star, of Lincoln, Nebraska, the USA, of 1922, in which an anonymous witness allegedly reported that a spherical object landed near his house, and a 2.40 meters tall creature emerged, that this witness thought to be the devil himself.
On another side, it seems that in the 50's or 60's, Jacques Vallée found a letter in the Air Force UFO file in Dayton, Ohio, by a certain William C Lamb, who would have told that while he was hunting near Hubbell, Nebraska, at 5 o'clock in the morning on February 22, 1922, he heard a high-pitched noise and saw a large object fly overhead, blocking the light of stars. Hiding behind a tree, he allegedly observed the object land, and allegedly saw "a magnificent flying creature", 2.40 meters tall, land like an airplane and leave traces in snow.
The creature passed by the tree where Lamb was hiding, and he tried to follow its traces but could not catch up with it.
It seems that thereafter, the two stories merged into one, wrongly or rightly, and this became the brief summary often reproduced, without good indications of original sources.
It seems that ufologist Chris Aubeck, who specializes in pre-1947 reports, discovered a not-so-credible profile for William C. Lamb, who used to claim several UFO sightings, but also that he was able to spot God and biblical creatures on photographs of stars.
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[Ref. jv1:] JACQUES VALLEE:
Jacques Vallée indicates that on February 22, 1922, at 5:00 a.m. in Hubbell, Nebraska, hunter William C. Lamb was following mysterious traces when he heard a crackling noise followed by a high-pitched sound and realized that a circular object was flying above his head, masking the stars. He allegedly hid behind a tree and saw this object, now brilliantly lighted, land behind a depression. Where he thus lost sight of the disk, he saw a magnificent flying creature that landed like an aircraft and left traces in the snow. The creature was at least 8 feet tall and it came toward the tree where Lamb was hiding, passed by and disappeared. Lamb followed the traces for five miles, then gave up the chase.
Vallée indicates that the source is the Aerospace Technical Intelligence Center's official files of the US Air Forces.
[Ref. jv2:] JACQUES VALLEE:
In his listing of UFO landings, Jacques Vallée indicates that on February 22, 1922, at 05:00 a.m. in Hubbell, Nebraska, William C. Lamb was following strange tracks when he heard a high-pitched sound and saw a circular object intercepting starlight. It became brilliantly lighted and landed in a hollow. Soon afterward, a creature over 2.4 meters tall was seen flying from the direction where the object had landed. It left tracks in the snow, which Lamb followed with out results.
Vallée indicates that his source is "Anatomy 22."
[Ref. pd1:] PIERRE DELVAL:
Pierre Delval indicates that on February 22, 1922, in Hubbell, Nebraska, the USA, at 03:00 p.m., William C. Lamb was hunting in the forest when suddenly, after having heard a shrieking shout, he saw a spherical object landing within 20 meters of him. A few seconds after, he saw a creature measuring 2.40 meters fly in direction of the object.
[Ref. mb1:] MICHEL BOUGARD:
The Belgian ufologist indicates that in the USA, in Nebraska, very early in the morning of February 22, 1922, William Lamb had left to hunt in the area of Hubell. At about 05:00 he suddenly heard a shrieking sound at the same time as a dark object made its appearance in the sky, masking the very shining stars of this early morning of winter. Also suddenly, the UFO lit and came to land in a hollow of the ground. Little before the machine took off, the witness distinctly saw a "flying man of almost 2.50 m in height" come out and take some steps on the snow. Lamb followed its prints but without result. Voices were heard inside the unknown apparatus.
Michel Bougard indicates that the source is the Daily Star, of Lincoln, Nebraska.
[Ref. go1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:
The Belgian ufologist indicates that on February 22, 1922, in the USA, in Nebraska, very early in the morning, William Lamb had left to hunt in the Hubell area. Towards 05:00 he suddenly heard a shrieking sound at the same time as a dark object made its appearance in the sky, masking the very brilliant stars of this early winter morning. Also suddenly, the UFO lit and came to land in a hollow of the ground. Little before the machine took off, the witness distinctly saw a flying man of almost 2.50 m in height come out and take some steps on the snow. Lamb followed these prints but without result. Voices were heard inside the unknown apparatus.
Godelieve van Overmeire indicates that the source is Michel Bougard, in "La chronique des OVNI", Delarge 1977, page 234.
[Ref. lc1:] LOREN COLEMAN:
Loren Coleman indicates that in Strange Creatures from Time and Space, by John Keel, there is that curious story collected by Gray Barker from the Lincoln, Nebraska, Daily Star, 1922. The anonymous witness reported a spherical object landing near his house, an eight-foot-high creature emerged, which the witness assumed to be the Devil himself.
Also in this book, John Keel says that Jacques Vallée found in the Air Force file at Dayton, Ohio, a letter by William C. Lamb, who said that as he was hunting near Hubbell, Nebraska, at 5 a.m. on Wednesday, February 22, 1922 he heard a high-pitched sound and saw a large dark object fly above him, blocking the light of the stars. Hiding behind a tree, he watched the object land, and next saw a "magnificent flying creature", 8 feet tall, land like an airplane and leaving tracks in the snow. It passed by the tree where lamb was hiding. Lamb tried to follow its tracks but did not catch up.
[Ref. dj1:] DONALD JOHNSON:
Donald Johnson indicates that on February 22, 1922, William C. Lamb was following strange tracks near Hubbell, Nebraska at 5:00 a.m. when he heard a high-pitched sound and saw a circular flying object. It became brilliantly lighted and landed in a hollow. Soon afterward, a creature over eight feet tall was seen flying from the direction where the object had landed. It left tracks in the snow, which Lamb followed without results.
The source is indicated as Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia: A Century of Landings, page 189; and Jacques Vallee, Anatomy of a Phenomenon, page 22.
[Ref. ni1:] NICAP WEBSITE:
The website indicates that on February 22, 1922, in Hubbell, Nebraska, at 05:00 a.m., William C. Lamb was following strange tracks when he heard a high-pitched sound and saw a circular object intercepting starlight. It became brilliantly lighted and landed in a hollow. Soon afterwards, a creature over 2.4 m tall was seen flying from the direction where the object had landed. It left tracks in the snow, which Lamb followed without results.
The source is indicated as Magonia #44, Anatomy 22.
[Ref. nu1:] "NEBRASKA UFO SIGHTINGS":
This web page indicates that on February 2, 1922, in Hubbell, Nebraska, out on a hunting trip, William C. Lamb came across strange tracks in the forest floor, followed them, and soon discovered a flying disc, hovering at treetop level, right above him. It emitted a piercingly high whine. Lamb ducked behind some brush and let the object pass. After the craft had left, and Mr. Lamb felt he was safe, a flying creature about eight feet tall alighted on the snow. It searched the area, and passed by Mr. Lamb who thereafter followed the creature for five miles before losing track.
[Ref. dg1:] DANIEL GUENTHER:
German ufologist Daniel Guenther kept a sighting database at www.ufodb.net where at a time there was a possibility to input comments. He says on a discussion group that ufologist Chris Aubeck left on April 24, 2005, the following comment on the Hubbell, February 2, 1922 sighting in the database, entered from Vallée's catalogue:
"I worked on this case for about three years, amassing every scrap of information about Lamb and his sighting. I managed to get hold of his personal letters, his original articles, and a good amount of biographical information."
"Basically, the date is not clear. In his private letters he used different dates, ranging between 1920 and 1924."
"The sighting was also much more complex than this brief outline suggests, involving more than one creature. There was also a moral or religious overtone to the story, not just to the interpretation he later made."
"Lamb also claimed he saw other UFO events, before and after this one. They are not very believable, however."
"Before Lamb published this sighting and became involved in UFOs (1950s and 1960s) he had presented a very strange theory about the constellations of space. He believed he could spot God and other Biblical personages on photographs of the stars, and many articles were published about this in the 1930s."
"Before this, he was apparently involved in the local find of a fossilized man. Whether this was a hoax or not I do not know yet."
"I haven't finished my study of William Lamb, but if anyone would like to contribute information please contact me at [email]"
I was unable to find either the Daily Star 1922 newspaper article nor the letter by William C. Lamb is the USAF file. However, the credibility of the story or stories is found wanting anyway.
| Id: | Topic: | Severity: | Date noted: | Raised by: | Noted by: | Description: | Proposal: | Status: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Data | Severe | November 29, 2007 | Patrick Gross | Patrick Gross | Primary sources missing. | Help needed. | Opened. |
Hoax.
* = Source I checked.
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.
| Main Author: | Patrick Gross |
|---|---|
| Contributors: | None |
| Reviewers: | None |
| Editor: | Patrick Gross |
| Version: | Created/Changed By: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | November 29, 2007 | Creation, [jv1], [jv2], [pd1], [mb1], [go1], [lc1], [dj1], [ni1], [nu1], [dg1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | November 29, 2007 | First published. |
