Date:
November 2, 1973
Location: Manchester, New Hampshire, United States
Excerpt:
"As the car approached a point opposite the middle
of the cemetery, the UFO closed possibly to within less
than 500 feet... At this point, she estimated the object
to be at the height of a three-story building. The figure
in the window was now distinct."
Brian James, APRO staff artist, worked with Mr. Webb and
the witness to execute the artwork
above.
Detail of occupant based on witness sketch.
Source:
Walter Webb, APRO Bulletin, Vol. 12 No. 4 (Jan/Feb 1974)
The
following information is condensed from the very detailed
and excellent report submitted by Mr. Walter Webb, one
of APRO's Consultants in Astronomy, as well as that of
Mrs. Betty Hill, F.I. in New Hampshire.
At
2:45 a.m. on Friday morning, November 2, 1973, Mrs. Lyndia
Morel signed out at the Swedish Sauna in Manchester, New
Hampshire where she is employed as a masseuse. She then
proceeded south in her 1964 Chevrolet Corvair, arriving
at Ben Roy's Restaurant on South Willow Street in Manchester,
about 10 minutes later, where she had two cups of coffee
with a friend from work. After approximately 45 minutes,
she and her friend left the restaurant and parted company.
Mrs. Morel drove across the street to a gas station and
purchased two dollars worth of gas. This episode, according
to Mrs. Morel may have taken about 10 minutes.
After
crossing the Merrimack River via Queen City Bridge, Mrs.
Morel proceeded northwest on Mast Road (Route 114A). As
she passed the Bi-Wise Supermarket in Pinardville (outskirts
of Manchester), her attention was attracted to a large,
bright, yellow light in the sky to her left and ahead
of her. Resembling a bright star, the object flashed red,
green and blue colors. In fact, the witness couldn't tell
at this point if it was moving and thought the object
was a planet. Mrs. Morel also was aware of another bright
yellowish "star" to the left of the object
which undoubtedly was the planet Mars. The UFO was brighter
and yellower than the other object.
The
witness continued to drive at what she believed was an
average speed of about 30 miles per hour, although she
had no way of checking her speed since the speedometer
was broken and disconnected. After traveling about a mile,
Mrs. Morel said she looked at the object and saw that
it was still in the same position but seemed to be brighter.
Approaching
the intersection of Routes 114A and 114, the woman lit
a cigarette and at that moment, as she looked at the object,
its light went out. Thinking that was peculiar for a planet,
she entertained the idea for the first time that the object
might be a UFO. However, she was not apprehensive and
after passing the intersection, the light reappeared in
the same spot to the left and ahead of the car.
The
road was dark, but up ahead on the right, Mrs. Morel said
she could see the lights of the Hillsborough County Nursing
Home (the so-called "county farm") and
across the road on the left, the lights of Moore General
Hospital. As her car approached the farm, the object's
light went out again. Immediately after this disappearance,
a couple of cars traveling toward Manchester passed by
in the eastbound lane. The witness recalled seeing no
other traffic in either lane throughout the rest of the
sighting, at least not until after her arrival at the
Beaudoin house.
About
a half mile from the nursing home, near the Boston and
Maine Railroad crossing, the light came back on again,
perhaps at an even brighter level. For another two miles,
the strange object maintained the same appearance and
relationship to the Morel car as before.
On
the outskirts of Goffstown (population 1050) about where
the town's street lights began, the UFO's light vanished
once more and after about .7 mile (mileage intervals from
Mr. Webb's speedometer) reappeared for perhaps 15 seconds,
according to Mrs. Morel. But as she veered right around
a corner into downtown Goffstown, the light went out and
remained out during the drive of .3 mile through the lighted
downtown area.
Veering
left at the intersection of Routes 114 and 13 (near a
popcorn stand), the witness said she was astounded to
see the light dead ahead down North Mast Road (Route 114).
The object appeared larger, quite a bit closer, and lower
than before and positioned as if waiting for the observer.
Mr. Webb had Mrs. Morel indicate the UFO's position and
apparent distance and size. His estimate of the elevation/
true azimuth was 5°/287-290°. Although she could
not really judge how far away or how large the object
was, the witness pointed out a landmark near where she
thought the object might have been, and that was determined
by speedometer check to be 1,600 feet away. By holding
various coins at arm's length, she guessed the UFO's apparent
size was as large as a pea.
Mrs.
Morel said that she was amazed at what she perceived before
her. According to her, the object appeared to be an orange
and gold globe completely covered with a honeycomb design
of hexagons except for an oval window of paler color situated
on the upper left portion of the UFO. The witness thought
the object was not totally opaque, but had a peculiar
translucent quality about it. The flashes of red, green
and blue light were rays or beams emanating from
a source in the center; these three colors constantly
changed back and forth (as in the twinkling of a star).
A steady, thin, high-pitched whine was emitted by the
object and, according to the woman, this sound was felt
through her body as a tingling sensation.
Mrs.
Morel said her amazement quickly turned to panic when
she suddenly was unable to remove her hands from the steering
wheel. Moreover, she reported that she felt her eyes pulled
toward the UFO and had the sensation it was taking control
of her body and drawing her toward it. When asked about
any possible disturbances to the car's electrical system,
she said she was not aware of any effects on her automobile's
engine, lights or radio which was playing at the time.
At
no time during this phase of the sighting did the witness
recall stopping her car. However, as she drove forward
a "short distance" from the intersection
she said she experienced a "loss of memory"
(for nearly a half mile). She said she was unaware of
driving a stretch between a church on her right and Westlawn
Cemetery on her left, although she felt her eyes followed
the UFO without interruption. After the experience, she
speculated that "they" may have retrieved
and recorded her memory during this interval.
Suddenly,
Mrs. Morel said she realized where she was and became
cognizant that the car was moving at a high rate of speed
and that the vehicle was out of her control. She had the
definite impression that the UFO was pulling her car toward
it like a magnet and getting closer, its apparent size
having increased to an angle subtended by a dime at arm's
length. The observer thought the object's actual size
was "at least as big as a large automobile."
When Mr. Webb questioned Mrs. Morel closely about the
car's increased acceleration, she replied she normally
was a slow, careful driver, rarely driving very fast,
but did admit she could have unconsciously stepped hard
on the pedal from fright, although she didn't think that
was the case. It was at this point that she noticed the
figure in the upper left window.
As
the car approached a point opposite the middle of the
cemetery, the UFO closed possibly to within less than
500 feet (perhaps considerably less), becoming larger
than a quarter at arm's length. At the same time, the
object grew brighter and the whine seemed louder. At this
point, she estimated the object to be at the height of
a three-story building. The figure in the window was now
distinct (see drawings by Brian James which accompany
this article). Mrs. Morel barely mentioned the occupants
in newspaper accounts because she thought it would be
too unbelievable and might discredit the whole experience.
Mrs.
Morel said that the figure's head, upper body and arms
were visible while a dark horizontal surface occupying
the lower portion of the oval window obscured the rest
of the body. The woman guessed this humanoid could have
been standing at a control board of some kind. Behind
the figure was a white background. The occupant's body
appeared darker than the face, with small shoulders, but
it was uncertain whether the body was clothed in a uniform
or not. The rounded head was grayish (between a gray and
flesh tone) except for a darker color on top, and the
face bore wrinkles or loose skin like an elephant's hide.
Angling upward across the forehead, two large "egg-shaped"
eyes with large dark pupils gripped the observer's attention
so much that she felt unable to look away. She said she
received an impression or awareness that "told"
her "don't be afraid." A mouth-slit turned
down at the corners, completed the description of the
face. No nose or ears were noticed.
Panic-stricken,
Mrs. Morel believed she was in imminent danger of being
captured by the UFO. Passing by the cemetery, she spotted
a house ahead on the left. The globe became so dazzling
that she covered her eyes with an arm and simultaneously
turned the wheel with the other hand, entering the driveway
of the Beaudoin house at an angle and coming to a halt
partly on the front lawn. The witness had covered a distance
of almost exactly a mile from the Route 114/13 intersection
and now she was only 3/4 mile from home.
Leaving
the engine running and the headlights on, Mrs. Morel said
she pushed open the door of the car. At that instant,
the Beaudoin's growling German Shepherd dashed up to the
woman as she got out of the car. Normally afraid of strange
dogs, she said she "belted" the animal
across the mouth! Though she did not recall running to
the house, she began pounding on the kitchen door, ringing
the bell and yelling over and over again, "Help
me! Help me! Help me!"
Glancing
to her right, she noticed the UFO had shifted its position
from west to north as if to keep her in view, and was
now hovering directly across the road opposite the Beaudoin
house. The object still emitted its high-pitched whine,
which according to Mrs. Morel was becoming almost unbearable.
(Mrs. Morel pointed out the globe's new position and Mr.
Webb determined an elevation/azimuth of 12°/15°;
the object had changed direction from about 280° to
15°, a drastic shift in azimuth of 95°.
After
what the witness estimated to be about 2 minutes of attempting
to attract the attention of the residents of the house,
the door was opened by Mr. Beaudoin as Mrs. Morel began
sinking to her knees in almost a faint. The Beaudoins
had been asleep upstairs and reluctantly came down in
response to the persistent noise at the door. Mrs. Beaudoin
said an obviously frightened woman, her eyes wide open
with terror, fell into Mr. Beaudoin's arms, crying, "Help
me! I'm not drunk! I'm not on drugs! A UFO just tried
to pick me up!" Mrs. Beaudoin said the witness
was covering her ears but neither she nor her husband
remember hearing any unusual sound. Mrs. Morel said that
the sound ceased and the numbness or tingling sensation
she had experienced vanished after two minutes in the
Beaudoin kitchen. However, she became aware of a bright
spot much similar to the effect caused by staring too
long at a bright light source.
The
clock on the kitchen wall read 4:30. Mrs. Beaudoin said
the woman's story sounded impossible but she did phone
the Goffstown Police Department and reported the occurrence.
Goffstown Patrolman Daniel Jubinville, 23, received the
call while on routine patrol and proceeded to the Beaudoin
house, arriving there at 4:40 a.m. On his way to the door,
the officer turned off the lights and engine of the Morel
car, then heard Mrs. Morel's account. In his report to
Mr. Webb, he stated: "This writer took note that
the subject was quite shaken up and this writer did not
note any evidence of alcohol or drug influence."
This,
basically, is the "meat" of the Goffstown
incident. After officer Jubinville arrived, the four went
outside and spotted an object whose light seemingly went
out when a flashlight was trained on it, and appeared
to move slightly, occasionally changing colors. However,
in his evaluation of the report, Mr. Webb said: "The
multiwitness phase of the sighting, in my judgment, must
be ruled ambiguous and therefore nonsupportive of the
Morel sighting because (1) the object, as described by
all four observers, matched the appearance and behavior
of both the planet Mars and the UFO (the latter when seen
at a distance) and (2) the planet's known position was
too close to the UFO's estimated position to entirely
dismiss the planet from contention."
Mr.
James worked with Mr. Webb and the witness to execute
the artwork which accompanies this report.
Source:
http://www.ufoevidence.org/cases/case303.htm