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This article was published in the daily newspaper Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas, page 4, April 18, 1897.
Warning: the airship stories must not be taken at face value as "UFO sightings." Evaluation of such stories is under way here.
Hillsboro, Hill Co., Tex. April 17. -- The publication in The Dallas News yesterday and today relative to the airships that has been seen in different portions of the state has been the sole topic of conversation on the streets and elsewhere in this city today.
Since the reliability of the witnesses that have seen it is unimpeachable many persons now come forward and admit having seen it. John Ford of Whitney, brother-in-law of O. H. Young of this city, president of the county Christian Endeavor, was in the city yesterday and Mr. Young said to The News reporter:
"John Ford was here yesterday and told me that he saw the airship Wednesday night [April 14, 1897] as he was returning from Hillsboro to Whitney. He was near Peoria and looking up saw a black object that looked "Very much like a passenger coach going in a southwesterly direction." He described it as having an immense headlight and as being brilliantly lighted within and as traveling at a very rapid rate. He watched it until it completely disappeared. He would not say anything about it for several days because he was afraid somebody would think he was trying to get off a gag."
Other parties in various sections of the county report having seen the ship. Several parties are going to set up here tonight and watch the heavens for the mysterious visitor that rarely shows itself except at night.
Texarkana, Bowie Co. Tex. April 17. -- The mysterious bright light that has been visible in the heavens for the past fortnight has been seen from this point. Wednesday night [April 14, 1897] it was spied by the telegraph operator at Hope, Ark., who claims to have experienced a full ray of the headlight upon himself about 11 o'clock p.m.; that it was zigzagging its courses in a northwesterly direction and was sailing about a mile high; that he plainly discerned the shape of a large dark object with one light which he though could be nothing but an airship.
Thursday night [April 15, 1897] many truthful citizens in Texarkana viewed a light of monster proportions sailing away to the northwest. It was described as too large and too near the earth to be a star.
