UFOs in the daily Press:

The flying saucer of Bugeat (Corrèze)

"I shook hands with the 'Man from Space,'" says Mr. MAZAUD

(From our special correspondent)

Flying saucers! For a long time now, the existence of these mysterious craft has been the subject of numerous scientific investigations and has sparked the most varied commentary, without it being possible to determine whether these monsters from another world were born from the imagination of credulous or overly impressionable people, or whether, on the contrary, one must face the facts and believe in the incursions onto our planet by strange, fleeting beings from who knows where.

And now, suddenly, two particularly disturbing testimonies have been added to this debate, shedding light that may soon become the dawn of truth. Indeed, after a worker from Valenciennes, a farmer from Corrèze now claims to have seen a flying saucer - and even described its passenger.

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"I SHOOK HANDS WITH THE MAN FROM SPACE"

"I wanted to hit him with my pitchfork, but I was afraid"

(Continued from the first page)

Mourieras, a modest hamlet hidden among the picturesque hills marking the foothills of the Millevaches plateau, suddenly gained fame following the incredible adventure experienced by one of its inhabitants.

Mr. Antoine Mazaud is a robust mountain farmer of tall stature who had never known fear - until the evening when he met, on a dirt path amid heather and tall ferns, "the man from space."

Here is how he recounted this extraordinary story:

"It was 6 p.m. on Friday evening when I left the field where I had worked all day. I lingered a bit to tie some oats and finally decided to return home.

"A neighbor, accompanied by his son, crossed my path on the way back. We exchanged a few words, then I took the shortcut that, across the plateau, leads to my small farm.

"After stopping for a few moments to roll a cigarette, I quickened my pace. Night had fallen, and I was afraid of being late. Suddenly, as I rounded a bush, I came upon a stranger whose presence I had not suspected. He was only a few meters away from me. I stared at him, but the darkness prevented me from distinguishing his features. Fear seized me and paralyzed me. I gripped the handle of my pitchfork more tightly. I was ready to use it, for this encounter, at night, on this desolate plateau, filled me with a terror I could not suppress."

[Photo caption:] Mr. Mazaud explains to our correspondent the circumstances of his strange encounter.

I was afraid

"But the mysterious stranger did not seem to show any hostile intentions. He simply remained where he had appeared, curiously moving his head and body without saying a word. He wore a rather unusual head covering - it looked like a dark-colored cap or tight-fitting hood. His clothes were also dark in color.

"What did he want from me? I didn't dare move, for fear of provoking his anger. Then he reached out his hand to me while continuing his strange gestures.

"Not knowing quite what to do, mechanically, I extended my hand to him as well. He grasped my fingers and pulled me toward him to embrace me.

"My emotion and surprise kept growing. Then suddenly, he calmly walked away across the fields."

A slight rustling

"I hurried to continue on my way, afraid of another encounter of this kind, which might not be so peaceful.

"I had gone about twenty meters when a faint rustling reached my ears. Turning around, I saw at that moment a long-shaped craft gliding like a bird very close to the ground, resembling a cigar about four or five meters long. Its color reminded me of zinc.

"It passed under the electric wires and disappeared silently into the night.

"Its departure dispelled all fear in me, and I returned home thinking about the mysterious pilot and his curious craft. I did not dare tell my wife about the adventure, fearing that if the story became known, people would laugh at me. Eventually, I could not keep the secret any longer - it was too heavy to bear, and I decided to tell her. You can imagine her astonishment. She listened to me, I could tell, without much conviction.

"‘Maybe your eyes were tired,' she said to me. ‘You thought you saw something that didn't really exist.'

"I went to the stable to tend to the animals, and while I worked, my wife kept observing me, looking for some unusual attitude or behavior. But seeing my natural demeanor, she soon came to believe my story."

[Photo caption:] Guided by Mr. Mazaud, the gendarmes examine the field where the flying cigar is said to have landed.

Public rumor

She confided in the neighbors, and soon the whole village knew the news. Public rumor alerted the gendarmerie, which opened an investigation.

"I was sure the stranger would return to the Millevaches plateau," said Mr. Mazaud, concluding [...illegible...]. Then, reconsidering, he added, "But I wouldn't go alone - I would ask some friends to come with me."

[...illegible...] journalists to the man who had shaken hands with "the man from space."

[...] the commander of the Bugeat Gendarmerie brigade and Inspector Bernard of the Tulle General Intelligence Service came to gather new information and search for valuable clues.

This friendly questioning took place in Mr. Mazaud's kitchen, where he repeated - without adding any new details - his previous statements.

He reaffirmed everything, insisting on the truth of his account:

"I saw him as clearly as I see you... He was wearing a cap... He held out his hand to me... He kissed me."

Despite the implausibility of this nocturnal encounter, the investigators, shaken by Mr. Mazaud's arguments and persuasive words, have, for the moment, no reason to deny them.

I asked a few people in Mr. Mazaud's entourage for their impressions.

It's not a hallucination

[...] claims [...] to be the victim of a hallucination and that his adventure [...] that. Moreover, Mr. Mazaud enjoys general respect. He is considered an intelligent, well-balanced, and very [...] man. During the municipal elections, he had been considered for inclusion on a list of candidates. Accompanied by Mr. Mazaud's investigators, I went to the "Piloux" plateau, the scene of the mysterious apparition, a barren land desolated. [...] broom, [thorny bushes and] In the middle [...] a wheat field [...] [...] land made fertile thanks to the tenacity of courageous farmers like Mr. Mazaud [...], add a distinct note to these sites [...]. It was at the corner of the buckwheat field that Mr. Mazaud encountered the stranger. He points to the spot where he encountered him and indicates the direction taken by "the machine that hovered like a bird."

No trace of all this remains. Everything has vanished. There is indeed an oil stain that tarnishes the green grass, but it was simply made by a harvester that had been there for a few days.

The "Piloux" field has become a very busy place. Everyone in the village has come, and Mr. Mazaud tells each of them about his memorable adventure.

Perhaps on a moonless night, when the wind howls through the great pine forests, the "spaceman" will come and shake the hand of another Mourieras resident.

Jacques DHERMAIN.