jak.themothmanprophecies-第15节

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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