The article below was published in the daily newspaper Le Bien Public, Dijon, France, pages 1 and 12, on September 30, 1954.
|
One of the craft may have been filmed
Lyon, September 29. -- In the departments of Rhône, Isère, Drôme, and Savoie, many people claim to have seen in recent days, with varying degrees of clarity, craft shaped either like cigars or discs.
In the region of L'Arbresle (Rhône), one of these witnesses, a Paris music hall director, even filmed one of these mysterious objects, which he estimated to be flying at an altitude of about 700 meters. After the film is developed, it will be possible to determine whether or not it was an optical illusion.
Near Feyzin (Isère), a young man reportedly saw, in the countryside and close to the ground, a craft shaped like a dome emitting a very bright light. The witness compared it to the light produced by burning magnesium. The craft suddenly rose vertically, leaving a trail of sparks behind, and disappeared.
In the Drôme, a woman from Valence, Mrs. L..., who was walking near Chabeuil, claims to have encountered on the path she was following a small being dressed so strangely that she initially thought it was a scarecrow made of cellophane. The
Continued on page 12
[Caption under drawing:]
(At the Porte de Versailles, the autumn exposition bringing together 900 inventors is about to open)
THE MARTIAN. -- Porte de Versailles, please?
(Drawing by Bill - Universal)
|
Continued from the front page
dog accompanying the woman on her walk barked furiously, seized by terror. As for Mrs. L..., also terrified, she hid behind a hedge.
It was then that she saw a disc rise from the cornfield bordering the path, emitting a whistling sound. Shortly afterward, the witness and some farmers went into the field where, according to them, a clearly defined circular trace about three meters in diameter was visible, with flattened corn stalks and broken branches around the edge.
Other residents of Chabeuil also stated they had seen, that same day, a flying saucer maneuvering over the countryside.
Finally, in Savoie, near Lake Bourget, above Mont Revard, several motorists - a total of about fifteen people - simultaneously saw a disc-shaped craft maneuver for about four minutes before it abruptly disappeared.
One of the witnesses, a doctor from Chambéry, is a former artillery observer. He carefully noted his observations and drew a diagram reproducing the path of the mysterious craft.
Perpignan, September 29. -- A baker from Canet-Plage, Mr. Etienne Err, stated that while returning from a delivery round with his van, he saw above the locality a bright disc which, after making wide circles, moved off toward the sea.
Meanwhile, seven workers from a factory in the suburbs of Perpignan also claimed to have seen an object of an undefined color, moving at high speed, which appeared to cross the Pyrenees toward Spain.
***
Toulouse, September 29. -- Three residents of Lanta, near Villefranche-de-Lauragais (Haute-Garonne), Mr. and Mrs. Brunet and Mr. Gadra, a local schoolteacher, claim to have seen, last night above the village, a luminous orange-colored disc.
The object was flying at a great altitude and moved in a north-south direction.
After being visible for 30 to 40 seconds, the luminous disc disappeared over the horizon.
Rennes, September 29. -- Mr. Gérard, engineer, and Mr. Paroux, fireman, who were driving an empty engine from Nantes, saw last night, while passing a place called "La Butte du Rouge," in the commune of Saint-Nicolas-de-Redon (Ille-et-Vilaine), a craft rising from the nearby marshes.
This craft, of considerable length and trailing a luminous tail, flew for about ten seconds above the engine and disappeared into the sky.
While the engineer remained calm, the fireman was so frightened that he fell ill and had to undergo a medical examination this morning.
Châtellerault, September 29. -- Mr. Yves David, 28 years old, a farmer in Brouloux, in the commune of Vouneuil-sur-Vienne (Vienne), stated that on September 19 at 10:00 p.m., he saw a kind of "diver" approach him on the road from Cenon to Vouneuil.
This being, he said, stroked his arm, uttered unintelligible sounds, and retreated toward a craft (which Mr. David could not describe). A green beam of light was projected in his direction, paralyzing him on the spot, and then the craft disappeared into the sky vertically and without a sound.
Mr. David says he did not want to talk about this strange encounter for fear of being ridiculed. However, he did mention it to a friend, asking whether anyone else had seen the "diver." That is how the whole village found out.
