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f babies crying and 〃women screaming；〃 telephones malfunctioning…the works。 Rolfe Lee； a farmer with a big spread in the area； confessed that he had seen so many UFOs over his land that he didn't pay attention to them anymore。
Officer Harold Harmon and I slipped away to Gallipolis Ferry on the night of March 31 while nearly everyone else headed for the TNT area。 We soon saw a number of bright starlike objects which flitted about the sky with rapid zigzag movements。 Two local teen…agers were sitting on a nearby hilltop next to a roaring bonfire； hoping to lure the UFOs down。 I called up to them and asked them to put the fire out； knowing that bright lights tended to repel rather than attract the objects。
Harmon fiddled vainly with his police radio。 He could get nothing but static。 Later I learned that all the police forces for miles in both directions had constant trouble with their radios that week。 Heavy magnetic interference totally disrupted munications among law authorities while the UFOs carried out their mysterious missions。 The destruction of Sheriff Johnson's transmitter was just one small part of the scenario。 Telephones； too； went bonkers that week。 It seemed as if half the phones in the valley were either out of order altogether； or were dogged with crazy beeps and buzzes。
Acpanied by the two teen…agers； I left Harmon and hiked into the nearby hills in the total blackness。 As my eyes became acclimated to the night I began to distinguish a number of vague purple shapes hovering over a woods on Rolfe Lee's property。 At first I thought they might be stars low in the sky； gleaming through the natural haze。 But when I flashed my six…celled light at one of these purple blobs it suddenly and jerkily moved to one side； as if it were jumping out of my light beam。 Fascinated； I repeated the experiment several times。 Then I tried flashing the light at obvious stars to see if this wasn't just some trick of my eyesight。 The stars didn't move； naturally。
We sat on the hilltop studying the purple blobs for several minutes when suddenly the whole forest in the valley below lit up and glowed with a bright； eerie purple light。 There were no houses or roads down there。 It would have been a long hike in the dark and the boys were reluctant to join me； so we just sat and stared at the glowing forest until the light faded。
III
The next night； Saturday； April 1； Mary Hyre and I drove up Five Mile Creek Road below Gallipolis Ferry until we reached a hilltop which manded a view of the hills and valleys I had visited the night before。 There was a single farmhouse on the hill and the people who lived there went to bed at 9：30 each night； being early risers。 So the whole area was silent； deserted； and without lights throughout the night。
A few minutes after we arrived； Mary pointed out a small reddish light low on a steep wooded hill south of our position。 It appeared to be blinking on and off； and bobbing up and down in a manner quite different from any of the stars on the horizon。 While we watched breathlessly； barely speaking； it slowly circled the distant fields and woods and crossed in front of us； edging closer and closer。 The farmhouse was about seventy…five feet in front of us。 The object now appeared to be square or rectangular。 It could not be mistaken for a star。 It vanished momentarily behind some trees north of the farmhouse and when it reappeared it was much closer。 Now we could make out a dark form。 The red glow seemed to be a window。 It hovered about fifty feet off the ground。 I thought I could see a shadowy human figure in the 〃window〃 but Mary thought it was some kind of partition。 This was the only point on which we disagreed。
We sat transfixed for several minutes； fully expecting the object to land directly in front of us and ask to be taken to our leader。 I finally got out of the car and flashed my powerful beam directly at the object。 It responded instantly； quickly shooting straight up into the sky； the red light going out pletely。
〃I guess I blew it；〃 I groaned。 But there would be other nights and more funny lights。
The following night we returned to the same hilltop。 The brilliant night sky was filled with stars 。。。 and things not on my star map。 We could easily recognize the UFOs because they were brighter and more brilliantly colored than normal stars。 Some were red flashers； some were cold purple blobs； and some were multi…colored。 Mrs。 Hyre confirmed that they jumped out of the way of my flashlight。 I picked out an especially large object and flashed： …。。/。/。。。/…。…。/。/…。/…。。 （〃descend〃）。 Mary gasped as it began to lose altitude。
〃It looks like it's going down a flight of stairs；〃 she noted。 We were watching the famous 〃falling leaf motion which has been described by many UFO witnesses。
About 12：30 A。M。 Mrs。 Hyre decided to call it a night。 She drove off leaving me alone in my car sitting； like an idiot； waiting for something to happen。 And it did。 One hour later； at 1：35 A。M。 on April 3； 1967； I had my best sighting。 A clearly defined circular object suddenly zipped down from the sky and passed parallel to my car。 It was so colorful that it is burned into my memory。 The greenish upper surface was topped by a bright red light。 There were reddish 〃portholes〃 or circular lights around the rim。 The colors were so brilliant they were almost unearthly。 It disappeared behind some trees to my left。 I felt it was very close 。。。 perhaps only a few hundred feet from my car。 Although it had been in full view for several seconds I never even thought of picking up the movie camera on the seat beside me。
I had three interesting physical reactions to this sighting。 First of all； although I am used to prowling graveyards and TNT areas alone late at night； I was scared to death。 My first thought was to start the car and get the hell out of there。 But I managed to brace myself。 I did lock the car doors。 Second； while I was watching the object I thought I heard a sizzling or hissing sound。 Later I realized I couldn't be sure if the sound had been real。 Third； the next morning my eyes were sore and reddened。 They felt like they were full of sand。 I had a mild case of conjunctivitis and it persisted for several days。
In my notebook I scribbled； 〃2 A。M。； drove to turnaround point ＇a driveway by a barn down the road＇； turned and returned to original parking position 。。。 unable to see anything in ravine 。。。 no lights or signs of activity 。。。 still scared。。。 not anxious to get out of car。。。〃
Another note reads； 〃No sign of moon which was supposed to rise at 1：59 A。M。〃 This referred to something that had happened the night before。 After the object with the reddish 〃window〃 had disappeared； Mary and I sat in the darkness for a long time when suddenly a great glowing object appeared behind some trees on a distant hill。 It was red and large and we both thought we could see a human figure moving about on the hill。 We really thought something had landed there。 After a few minutes the object slowly rose upward and to our mutual embarrassment we saw that it was the moon。 I had never seen a moonrise exactly like that one so I decided to deliberately watch the moon the following evening。 I checked the papers for the time the moon was supposed to e up。 But it never did。
That night； as I said； was cloudless and star…filled but the moon never appeared。 I stayed in the area until 3：30 A。M。 and the moon was still conspicuously absent when I left。
The night after that the moon appeared right on schedule。
Sheriff Johnson； Deputy Halstead； Mary Hyre； and I went back to Five Mile Creek Road the next afternoon to look for my saucer。 Deputy Halstead carried a Geiger counter。 As Johnson followed my car up the hill he was startled when his car radio suddenly sprang to life； emitting police calls from the adjoining county。 The amazing thing was that his radio was turned off at the time！ It had to be turned on with a key and the key was not even in the lock！
We searched for scorched marks； broken tree limbs； radioactivity； anything that could have provided evidence of my sighting。 But as Halstead and I clambered around the ravine I was chagrined to find that my estimates must have been way off。 The object must have been further away from me than I thought； and therefore it had to be bigger than I thought （I estimated it was only fifteen or twenty feet in diameter）。
In my favor was the fact that there were widespread UFO sightings on the nights of April 2…3。 South of Charleston； West Virginia； a large group of people； including several state police officers； watched a formation of fifteen lights maneuver over a forest and descend。
Every night I went to the hill at Five Mile Creek Road； sometimes alone； sometimes acpanied by a few others。 And every night I saw a variety of strange aerial objects。 Only two airplanes passed over on a regular schedule； one at 11 P。M。 and another at 2 A。M。 Each night from three to eight unidentified 〃stars〃 appeared。 They were always in the same position at the beginning of each evening and a casual observer would automati