按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
lled they were interrupted several times by high…pitched beeping noises and were also cut off twice。 The next day the calls continued。 Sometimes there would be mechanical sounds； and others； the high…pitched whining； beeping sound that sent sharp pains through the mastoid bones。 Our number is unlisted so I knew no one could have gotten it out of the phone book or through the operator。 We had long since screened all calls through another number in order to avoid cranks。 I called the telephone pany and they gave our line a plete check with NO findings。 The service man offered his personal opinion that the line 〃could have been tapped。〃
Several days after our telephone problems began； my husband； who is a building contractor； was in a large downtown Schenectady store inspecting some work and dropped into the snack bar for a cup of coffee。 A few moments after he seated himself； a tall； tan； 〃saturnine〃…looking man； whom my husband had never seen before； sat down next to him and started a conversation。 He began with； 〃There have been people watching the sky every night down by the river in Scotia。〃 Since Peter was one of 〃those people；〃 he was shocked 。。。 but kept cool and said； 〃I beg your pardon？〃
The man proceeded to talk about UFOs。 Peter tried to draw him out and asked his name； and so on。 All his questions were either parried or avoided。 My husband was beginning to feel a bit unfortable when the stranger finally excused himself after noting； 〃People who look for UFOs should be very； very careful。〃
At my request； Peter Stevens made two sketches of the 〃saturnine〃…looking man。 They sent me one copy and kept the other。 A few weeks later their home was broken into and thoroughly ransacked。 But nothing was stolen 。 。。 except their copy of the sketch。 （1）
Two months later Peter Stevens； a young man in his thirties； died very suddenly。 Anguished； Jen abandoned UFO research。 I never learned the full circumstances of his death。 She would tell me only that it was 〃related〃 to the UFO business in some way。
＇1＇ No one ever tried to steal my copy。 It was subsequently published in a special issue of Flying Saucer Review； June 1969。
I have shown Peter Stevens's drawing to numerous Men…in…Black witnesses over the years and the usual response is； 〃It looks close enough to be a brother。〃
Today 〃heavy breathers〃 plague telephone subscribers from coast to coast and are usually assumed to be sex nuts。 When I received many such calls in 1967…68 I recorded some of them and studied the tapes。 The sound is more mechanical or electronic than human and is probably caused by the introduction of a modulated current into the telephone line。 This phenomenon is not isolated to the cities。 People in remote towns with a population of only twenty…five or so also get these calls。 The heavy breathing of the sex nut who （supposedly） masturbates while he listens to a female voice on the line contains certain recordable vocal characteristics which are totally absent in the heavy breathing calls I taped。 Played at a slower speed； the recorded 〃breathing〃 was an evenly spaced series of pulses resembling the swishing sound of a phonograph when the needle reaches the end of the record and does not reject。 Heavy breathing would not be so uniform。
II
Mr。 Kevin Dee and his NICAP submittee urged Woodrow Derenberger to submit to a psychiatric and medical examination。 In early December Woody voluntarily entered St。 Joseph's Hospital in Parkersburg and underwent hours of tests administered by Dr。 Morgan （I have changed his name here for reasons that will bee obvious later on）； a leading local psychiatrist； and Peter Volardi； an EEG technician。 In his final report； Dr。 Morgan stated：
There was no evidences of abnormalities at all。 Subsequently； a report and interpretation was obtained from Baltimore； and the report indicated no abnormalities at all and was a perfectly normal electroencephalogram。 There was no evidence of organic brain damage or of seizure disorders。 We were particularly concerned about epilepsy and there was no evidence of this。 The record was a normal record with no indication of any central nervous system pathology at all。 There was no evidence of any psychiatric disorders。 I submitted a report to the Pittsburgh Submittee of NICAP； of the psychiatric examination of Mr。 Derenberger in which I stated that I could find no evidence of mental disorder。 There was no indication of any lower pathology。 I found Mr。 Derenberger to be normal。
The NICAP investigators sent the medical records on to the Washington office of the organization； along with detailed reports on Woody's encounter and his personal background。 Typically； the NICAP newsletter later devoted a couple of paragraphs to the Derenberger case； denouncing it as a hoax； misspelling Woody's name； and referring to Cold as 〃Kuld。〃 Woody had spelled the name C…o…l…d from the outset and it was spelled that way throughout the submittee's documents。 How NICAP arrived at the K…u…l…d spelling is a mystery in itself。
III
〃Look at that crazy character ing in downwind in that plane；〃 Eddie Adkins mented。 He and four other men were standing on the field of the Gallipolis； Ohio； airport； just across the river from Point Pleasant on Sunday； December 4； 1966。
At 3 P。M。 that afternoon a large winged form came cruising majestically along the Ohio River； just behind the airport。 The pilots later estimated that it was about three hundred feet in the air and was traveling about seventy miles an hour。 As it drew closer they realized it was not a plane but was some kind of enormous bird with an unusually long neck。 It seemed to be turning its head from side to side as if it were taking in the scenery。 The wings were not flapping。
〃My God！ It's something prehistoric！〃 one of the men cried。
Everett Wedge grabbed his camera and sprinted to his small plane。 But by the time he was airborne the giant creature had vanished somewhere Sown river。
Three days later； on December 7； I arrived in Point Pleasant for the first time。 I found a sleepy little town； clean； well…managed； prosperous。 The Ohio valley is a busy industrial area and the river is lined with chemical factories and thriving businesses。 It is a far cry from the dreary coal mining towns of Appalachia further east。 The neat； modern homes of the valley boasted more than their share of color television sets and late model cars。 The people are not hillbillies but； for the most part； are skilled technicians employed in the many factories； well…educated； well…paid Americans leading quiet； average lives。 Although there was a hotel in Point Pleasant I chose to cross the Silver Bridge and take a room in one of the many modern motels on the Ohio side of the river。
My first stop was the Mason County courthouse and a chat with Deputy Halstead； a soft…spoken； serious man with a receding hairline and just a trace of the curse of all small…town policemen…the potbelly。
〃There's something to it；〃 he assured me。 〃The people who have seen this Bird were all mighty scared。 They saw something。 I don't know what。 Some say it's just a crane。〃
I asked him if there had been any flying saucer reports in the area。
〃No； we haven't had any of that。 Just the 'Bird。' That's enough！〃
He told me how to find the McDaniel home and I drove out to do the thing I hated most…knock on the door of a total stranger； introduce myself as a hotshot writer from New York； and invade the privacy of people already weary from the publicity； reporters； and self…styled investigators。 Mabel McDaniel came to the door； an attractive woman not at all like the frail； drawn sparrowlike women I so often met up in the hills of Appalachia。 It was early evening and within an hour Mabel had made a series of phone calls and the little house was filled with people。 Roger and Linda； Steve and Mary Mallette； and Connie Carpenter and her fiance Keith； and Mrs。 Mary Hyre all arrived。 My first reaction to Mrs Hyre was negative。 Every town has a local busybody and I pegged her as that； erroneously it turned out。
Connie's eyes were red and swollen； as I have already noted； but she was the only one who had experienced this telltale reaction。 She seemed to be an emotionally fragile girl； but down…to…earth。 Roger and Steve； lifelong buddies； talked with great enthusiasm about their great adventure。 But I had learned long ago that young men usually tend to color their experiences with rich imagination and heroic posturing。 However； there were no false heroics here。 They had been genuinely frightened out of their wits and were not ashamed to admit it。
Later Mary Hyre told me she had heard them recount the episode dozens of times to innumerable reporters and investigators。 〃None of them have ever changed it or added a word；〃 she noted。
Since they had viewed the creature only briefly and in the dark； their descriptions were understandably lacking in significant detail。 Even Connie； who had seen the creature in broad daylight； could not describe the thing beyond the fact t