Around 2016, the "skeptical" British ufologist Peter Rogerson included the following story in his INTCAT catalog:
On June 2, 1930, in Norwalk, Ohio, USA, three "motorists from Detroit who ran out of petrol encountered an ape like creature on the town border. Two nights later a farmer in that area, John Landoll and his two adult sons saw the thing squatting in their garden. There were other witnesses."
He cited a a "Bigfoot" book citing newspapers as sources.
The stories I found in the Press of the time is that it was reported from Norwalk on June 6, 1930, in the form of an Associated Press newsbrief, that nn ape, thought to be possibly a chimpanzee or an orang outang, an "half-upright creature," recently escaped from a circus, had frightened several persons west of Norwalk in the last five days.
The animal was reportedly seen first by three motorists from Detroit who ran out of gasoline a few yards from the home of John Landoll, farmer, living west of the city. One of the men, badly frightened, ran for a quarter of a mile to the gasoline station where he told his story to the attendant.
Landoll and his wife and two grown sons reported having seen the animal three nights ago in their garden,
Landoll said he went into his garden to quiet his dog, who had scented something. He then saw "the shape of what appeared to be a man."
It was also reported that the ape had frightened boys away from the swimming pool west of the Landoll home.
A tourist from Mansfield gave the next report. He said he saw the beast in the outskirts of Norwalk. Many truck drivers and motorists made similar reports. Apparently Norwalk citizens still thought someone was "seeing things."
It was planned that a search for the ape would be leady Sheriff Harry D. Smith. But the latter said later that hw would not hunt for the ape because he did not believe the stories.
On June 7, the Associated Press told thet that the midnight ape hunting posse of 100 men, led by Chief of Police P. R. Remington and armed with shotguns and rifles, found nothing resembling "the anthropoid beast whose reported presence in the vicinity gave women and children a scare." The posse had scoured the western edge of Norwalk for three hours.
One paper said that "even with the aid of the glare of lights of 35 automobiles" nothing was found. Some of the searchers, however, understood that they made enough noise to scare any ape out of the neighborhood.
Some people said they believed the ape reports because one was reported to have escaped some time ago from a circus at Sandusky.
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[Ref. tr1:] "THE TIMES RECORDER" NEWSPAPER:
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Sheriff Will Hunt Big Ape At Large Near NorwalkNORWALK, O., June 6. -- (AP) -- An ape - thought to be possibly a chimpanzee or an orang outang recently escaped from a circus - which has frightened several persons west of the city in the last five days, will be the object of a search by Sheriff Harry D. Smith and a posse of men, he announced late today. The animal was seen first by three motorists from Detroit who ran out of gasoline a few yards from the home of John Landoll, farmer, living west of the city. One of the men, badly frightened, ran for a quarter of a mile to the gasoline station where he told his story to the attendant. Landoll and his wife and two grown sons, reported seeing the animal three nights ago in their garden. The next evening persons passing near the farm also reported seeing it. It was reported that the ape had frightened boys away from the swimming pool west of the Landoll home. |
[Ref. jn1:] "THE JOURNAL NEWS" NEWSPAPER:
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Norwalk Excited! Posse Hunts Ape; Uh, Says SheriffNORWALK, O., June 7 -- (AP) -- Norwalk went ape hunting early today, but found nothing resembling the anthropoid beast whose reported presence in the vicinity gave women and children a scare. A posse of 100 men, led by Chief of Police P. R. Remington and armed with shotguns and rifles, started at midnight. They scoured the western edge of the city for three hours, but found nothing that looked like an ape. The more optimistic searchers, however, were confident they made enough noise to scare any ape out of the neighborhood. A number of tourists, truck drivers, and John Landoll, a farmer living just outside the city, had declared they saw an ape, or some kind of a lumbering, half-upright creature, in the last few days. Those believing in the presence of an ape pointed out that one was reported to have escaped some time ago from a circus at Sandusky. Sheriff Harry D. Smith declined to go along with the posse because he said there was no truth to the stories. |
[Ref. jn1:] "THE MARYSVILLE JOURNAL-TRIBUNE" NEWSPAPER:
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NORWALK HAS APE AT LARGECITIZENS JOIN IN SEARCH FOR ANIMAL - THOUGHT TO HAVE ESCAPED FROM A CIRCUS NORWALK, June 7. -- An army of ape-hunters, a new kind of searching part in Ohio, is combing Northern Ohio today for a large Anthropoid ape, which is reported to be roaming in this section. Residents in the vicinity of Norwalk are horror-stricken following the many persistent reports of the huge animal's roaming activities. First reports came from a party of motorists from Detroit. They said they had seen the ape Monday near the Norwalk Memorial Hospital. Local residents scoffed at the news. Impossible, was the common opinion. A tourist from Mansfield gave the next report. He said he saw the beast in the outskirts of the city. Many truck drivers and motorists made similar reports. Norwalk citizens still thought someone was "seeing things." John Landoll, who lives near the city limits, went into his garden to quiet his dog last night. The dog had scented something. Landoll said saw the shape of what appeared to be a man. As the shape lumbered away in true anthropoid fashion, Landoll remembered the rumor about the ape. He didn't wait to see anymore. It was reported several weeks ago that an ape escaped from a circus at Sandusky. |
[Ref. ct1:] "THE COSHOCTON TRIBUNE" NEWSPAPER:
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NORWALK, June 7. -- An army of ape-hunters, a new kind of searching part in Ohio, is combing Northern Ohio today for a large Anthropoid ape, which is reported to be roaming in this section. Residents in the vicinity of Norwalk are horror-stricken following the many persistent reports of the huge animal's roaming activities. First reports came from a party of motorists from Detroit. They said they had seen the ape Monday near the Norwalk Memorial Hospital. Local residents scoffed at the news. Impossible, was the common opinion. A tourist from Mansfield gave the next report. He said he saw the beast in the outskirts of the city. Many truck drivers and motorists made similar reports. Norwalk citizens still thought someone was "seeing things." John Landoll, who lives near the city limits, went into his garden to quiet his dog last night. The dog had scented something. Landoll said saw the shape of what appeared to be a man. As the shape lumbered away in true anthropoid fashion, Landoll remembered the rumor about the ape. He didn't wait to see anymore. It was reported several weeks ago that an ape escaped from a circus at Sandusky. |
[Ref. ei1:] "THE EVENING INDEPENDENT" NEWSPAPER:
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NO APE FOUND NEAR NORWALKHundreds Join Search But No Trace Of Reported Beast Is Uncovered NORWALK, June 7 (AP) -- Norwalk went ape hunting early today, but found nothing resembling the anthropoid beast whose reported presence in the vicinity gave women and children a scare. A posse of 100 men, led by Chief of Police P. R. Remington and armed with shotguns and rifles, started at midnight. They scoured the western edge of the city for three hours, but found nothing that looked like an ape. The more optimistic searchers, however, were confident they made enough noise to scare any ape out of the neighborhood. A number of tourists, truck drivers, and John Landoll, a farmer living just outside the city, had declared they saw an ape, or some kind of a lumbering, half-upright creature, in the last few days. Those believing in the presence of an ape pointed out that one was reported to have escaped some time ago from a circus at Sandusky. Sheriff Harry D. Smith declined to go along with the posse because he said there was no truth to the stories. |
[Ref. na1:] "THE NEWARK ADVOCATE" NEWSPAPER:
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APE HUNTING IS POPULAR VOGUE FOR OHIO TOWNHundreds Join Search But No Trace Of Reported Beast Is Uncovered Norwalk, June 7 -- (AP) -- Norwalk went ape hunting early today, but found nothing resembling the anthropoid beast whose reported presence in the vicinity gave women and children a scare. A posse of 100 men, led by Chief of Police P. R. Remington and armed with shotguns and rifles, started at midnight. They scoured the western edge of the city for three hours, but found nothing that looked like an ape. The more optimistic searchers, however, were confident they made enough noise to scare any ape out of the neighborhood. A number of tourists, truck drivers, and John Landoll, a farmer living just outside the city, had declared they saw an ape, or some kind of a lumbering, half-upright creature, in the last few days. Those believing in the presence of an ape pointed out that one was reported to have escaped some time ago from a circus at Sandusky. Sheriff Harry D. Smith declined to go along with the posse because he said there was no truth to the stories. |
[Ref. dd1:] "THE DAYTON DAILY NEWS" NEWSPAPER:
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NORWALK GOES APE HUNTINGNORWALK, O., June 7. -- (AP) -- Norwalk went ape hunting today, but found nothing resembling the anthropoid beast whose reported presence in the vicinity gave woman and children a scare. A posse of 100 men, lead by Chief of Police F. R. Remington and armed with shotguns and army rifles, started out at midnight. They scoured the woodlot sandfields to the west of the city for three hours, but even with the aid of the glare of lights of 35 automobiles they found nothing that looked like the anthropoid beast. |
[Ref. pr1:] PETER ROGERSON:
June 2 1930.NORWALK (OHIO : USA) Three motorists from Detroit who ran out of petrol encountered an ape like creature on the town border. Two nights later a farmer in that area, John Landoll and his two adult sons saw the thing squatting in their garden. There were other witnesses. Arment 2006 p239 citing Helena (MA ) Independent + Elyria (OH) Chronicle-Telegram + Lima (OH) News + Coshocton Tribune all 7 June 1930 + 8 June 1930 + Elyria Chronicle Telegram 9 June 1930 + Coshocton Tribune 12 June 1930 |
"Skeptical" British ufologist Peter Rogerson, the only one who made this appear in ufology literature, uses such "cases" with the idea that it proves "imagination" and "invention" have always existed and thus, all CE3 reports are caused by imagination or invention.
Unfortunately for this theory, this is certainly not a valid example: nothing here is proven to be due either to "imagination" nor to "invention".
People reported seing an ape (not an "alien", not a "Bigfoot", not a "ghost", not a "fairy"); and it was known than an ape escaped a zoo not long ago in the area. So, why should their reports of seeing the ape be allotred to "omagination" or "invention"? Animals do escape from zoos and circuses sometimes, and such things happened more than once in the US in 193.. Apes were a popular attraction in circuses.
To give the context, for the year 1930 alone, I list at least 4000 mentions of the expression "Tarzan the ape-man" in the US newspapers that I can consult, which are obviously not the complete collection available. The newspapers published in comics and illustrated serials the adventures of Tarzan written by Edgar Rice Burroughs:
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Circuses capitalized on the success of Tarzan and the apes:
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I do not claim that nobody has ever "imagined" or "invented" anything. My CE3 catalog shows enough that it happened. But at least, this case, like in many others, is a poorly chosen example.
| Id: | Topic: | Severity: | Date noted: | Raised by: | Noted by: | Description: | Proposal: | Status: |
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Probable ape escaped from circus, not UFO-related.
* = Source I checked.
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.
| Main Author: | Patrick Gross |
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| Contributors: | None |
| Reviewers: | None |
| Editor: | Patrick Gross |
| Version: | Created/Changed By: | Date: | Change Description: |
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| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | October 4, 2018 | Creation, [tr1], [jn1], [mj1], [ct1], [ei1], [na1], [dd1], [ca1], [pr1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | October 4, 2018 | First published. |
