FAMOUS
CASES
Mothman
NOTE: This was sent to me by "Rodney" I found it fascinating reading, and I
believe you will too. You might be interested in
renting "The Mothman Prophecies" starring Richard Gere, available for rental
or sale in DVD or VHS format.)
Background of
Mothman
One of the most celebrated, and strange,
cases in the history of ufology is that of Mothman. The creature was first
reported on November 15, 1966 when a pair of young married couples drove past
a deserted TNT plant near Point Pleasant, West Virginia and saw a large pair
of red eyes. The couples reported the eyes were on a creature which stood
about six or seven feet tall, had the basic shape of biped and large wings
which were folded against its back. The witnesses claimed the eyes were
hypnotic. Suddenly, the creature turned and dashed towards the open door of
the TNT plant.
The couples quickly turned their car around and raced down the desolate road
to get back to Point Pleasant. Seconds later, the creature was seen standing
on a hillside near the road. It spread its gigantic wings, which resembled
those of a bats, and rose into the air with little effort. The creature began
to follow the car as it sped nearly one hundred miles an hour towards town.
The sound of a "record played at high speeds" was heard, which could account
for the flapping wings. When the couples reached the city limits of Point
Pleasant, the creature broke off its chase and turned back towards the desert.
The couple noticed a large dead dog on a hill near the road as they entered
town. Later that night, when returning to the scene with police investigators,
the dog could not be found.
On the same night, Newell Partridge was watching television at about 10:30 PM
on November 15 when the television screen disappeared. Partridge, a building
contractor, claimed the screen was then replaced by a "fine herringbone
pattern" and a "loud whining noise." Partridge's dog Bandit began to howl on
the porch. After stepping onto his porch, his dog, Bandit ran towards his barn
which was about four hundred and fifty feet away. Partridge claimed to have
shone a light in the direction of the barn and picked up two red circle-like
eyes. Bandit was an experienced hunting dog and used to fighting and fending
for itself. Partridge dashed inside and grabbed a loaded gun and barricaded
himself inside his house. That night, he slept with his gun at his side.
Later, when looking for Bandit, he found tracks running in a circle, as if the
dog had been chasing something in the sky which had kept in a tight ring. A
reporter soon nicknamed the creature "Mothman", after a once popular Batman
character.
Other Sightings
For the next twelve months a large number of sightings took place. Perhaps the
most infamous involves two adults and an infant on November 16, 1966. After
visiting friends, the trio stepped outside of the house and began to walk to
their cars when suddenly a large figure rose from behind the vehicles. One of
the women, Marcella Bennett, was so frightened by the creature that she
dropped her baby. As the creature unfolded its gigantic wings, Raymond Wamsley
scooped up the child and dragged the stunned women into the house. The trio
later claimed the creature was a "big gray thing" that was "bigger then a
man." The creature had no distinct head but a large stump that rose from its
shoulders. The creature then followed them to the porch, where it emitted
strange sounds and looked inside the windows. By the time the police arrived,
however, the creature was gone.
More sightings flowed in, including a mass sighting of over one hundred
people.
Theories Behind the Creature
Several theories have been created to explain the creature. The most common is
that witnesses mistook a Sand hill Crane or an owl for Mothman.
These known animals, combined with fear and wild imaginations could have
created the biped. The study of Mothman is not over and most likely will never
be.
-Webmaster.