This article was published in the daily newspaper Le Quotidien de la Haute-Loire, France, October 21, 1954.
An intense emotion seized the parishioners of Walscheid (the Moselle) when, at the exit of the evening mass, a group of children told them that a "commando of Martians" took position at a farm of the village. With thousand precautions, some men among the most courageous, left as scouts and indeed distinguished, on the terrace of the said farm, silhouettes as vague as suspicious, even worrying. A war briefing was held during which the manly elements of the population decided to go dislodge the agressor. While the women took refuge in the church, the men gathered a weapons which, though disparate, was not handled with less poise: sticks, forks, rifles, knives... In silence, using at the best the ground and its features, the attackers progressed, towards the Martians' positions and encircled them. No emotion appearing among the suspect silhouettes, the attack was decided. Two columns were formed and the carriers of non-shooting weapons progressed with caution under the protection of the hunters, fingers on the triggers.
At an adequate distance, summations were shouted. The Martians did not react. The summations were made again, more pressing, and soon a window opened, a man appeared. It was the owner of the place who, in a sleepy voice, asked: "What's going on? What are you doing there?" He was informed. He answered by an enormous burst of laughters, which was soon communicative to everyone... It was indeed explained that he had, at the fall of the night, wrapped the chrysanthemums on the terrace to preserve them from the frost. In fact, those were the suspicious silhouettes that had fired the imagination of the children.
Misters Varenne, Sicard, Bernard Mathieu and son[s?], whereas they were collecting potatoes Monday towards 05:30 p.m., road of Soulage, in Craponne, saw in the sky within 4 or 500 meters of height, a ball of a sharp red. They managed to observe it during 5 to 6 minutes motionless, then they saw it rise vertically at a high speed and disappear in a south/east direction.
