The Flying Man

On November 12^th 1966, eighty-five miles from Pt. Pleasant, in the town of Clendenin, five men were digging a grave at a local cemetery when suddenly they described a “flying man” that swooped out of some nearby trees and flew low over their heads, vanishing in the woods.  The next day, on November 13^th 1967 in Salem, West Virginia, ninety miles from Pt. Pleasant, Myrle Partridge is watching television in his home when he hears a loud noise outside. Suddenly, his television begins to malfunction, showing static and making strange beeping noises. His dog, “Bandit,” a large German Sheppard begins barking and runs outside. Calling after him, Myrle follows his dog outside where he can hear Bandit barking and running in circles near the side of his barn, roughly a hundred yards away. When Myrle arrives on the scene he sees a large cluster of small lights moving in erratic, circular patterns along the side of his barn. When he moves closer the lights disappear along with Bandit, both never to be seen again. (Eyes of the Mothman (39:00))

The Scarberry and Mallet couples

             Two days later on November 15^th, in Point Pleasant two young married couples are going for a drive near the TNT plant. Rodger and Linda Scarberry and Steve and Mary Mallet are driving down the frontage road by the TNT area when Linda first notices a dark gray colored feathery man in front of them. As they drive they see a seven-foot tall winged creature with dark red, piercing eyes. Both couples see the creature and become terrified. Rodger, who is driving the car, flips a U-turn and goes speeding away in the opposite direction.  According to the testimony, the creature begins to follow them down the road, hovering over the roof of their car. As the two couples start driving down Hwy 62 at speeds of over 100 miles per hour the Mothman is right on their tail, making loud shrill squeaking sounds. Suddenly the creature is gone for an instant and reappears standing on a billboard in front of them. As they pass the creature they note that it appears to ascend vertically into the air like a helicopter, never moving its enormous wings. As they head into town the creature veers off into a field and disappears. When they enter the town line they notice a dead dog on the side of the road. Possible inquiries into whether or not the dog is Myrle Partridge’s “Bandit” are never made since the couples don’t pause to give a second look. 
When they arrive at the police station to recount what they saw, the police put them into four separate interview rooms, where each person recounts the same horrifying story of the dark winged creature. The police especially note Linda Scarberry’s intense demeanor of terror. She would go on to suffer heavy psychosomatic trauma as a result of the incident. The Police dispatch two deputies along with the couples to return to the TNT area to confirm their sighting.  The dead dog is missing upon returning to the area. While unable to see the creature again the deputies note that while crossing the boundary into the TNT area their police scanners start going haywire and turning on and off, experiencing static, and broadcasting police frequencies from the next town over. (Eyes of the Mothman, 47:00)

            Sightings begin to flow in from by the hundreds, overwhelming the police. The reports all stay relatively consistent of a 6 to 7 foot winged man with an enormous wingspan and red eyes.  While its spotted near barns and fields, the majority of the reports are from the TNT area and the surrounding Nature preserve.

Some claim seeing an enormous bird while others provide more detailed descriptions, with the eyes being the only consistent attribute in all accounts.

Original police sketch from the Scarberry's description

            On November 16^th, 1966 as the two original couples who saw the creature are recounting their testimony at a police press conference at city hall, Marcella Bennet is driving to visit her friend Ralph Thomas and his children who lives in a remote area off of Hwy 62 near the TNT area. As she passes the plant she notices a strange red light hovering in the air slowly moving around before it disappears. As she approaches her friend’s house she awakes what she believes is a “slumbering creature” next the house. As the creature rises to stand seven feet tall above her, Myrcella has a terrifying experience. She recounts the grayish coloring and the huge wingspan that unfolds from its back, but most importantly the eyes. The dark glowing red eyes paralyze her with fear, so much that she drops her infant daughter on the ground.

            After what seems like several minutes, Myrcella composes herself, grabs her child, and runs into the house where several other witnesses are inside. According to her testimony the creature walks onto the porch and peers inside her window. Before the police can arrive the creature vanishes. Many Mothman experts identify Ms. Bennet’s story as a key crucial point in the Mothman sightings. Jeff Wamsley, author of “Mothman, Behind the Red Eyes,” notes three reasons why Myrcella’s story is prominent. Firstly, her close proximity to the TNT area is very relevant considering the majority of sightings were in or near this place. Secondly, her proximity to the creature is the closest than any other witness and lasts a relatively long duration. Thirdly, he notes that several other witnesses inside the house and in the neighboring homes support her claims to the police.  (Wamsley, Eyes of the Mothman, 1:00:00)

            Sightings continue for three months, propelling the town into the media spotlight. On November 25^th a shoe salesman reports seeing an object rise vertically in the air and begin to chase him down the Highway. The object turns into a giant bird and chases him for a mile before veering off. On November 26^th in Charleston WV a woman reports seeing the winged creature outside her house. The next night an identical description is given by a 13-year-old child the next town over. On November 27^th a woman claims a dark-winged creature chases her on her way home from church. On December 4^th, five pilots at the Gallipolis airport in Ohio report and pursue a giant bird flying over 70 mph with its wings remaining in a “still position” the entire time.  As sightings being to multiply outsider tourists begin to flood the TNT plant and surrounding area, hoping to catch a glimpse of the creature while hunters roam the fields in eye of a new prey to hunt. Pt. Pleasant becomes a media circus as the strange “bird creature” story becomes popular. An unknown newspaper copy editor, using inspiration from the 1960’s Batman television series coins the term, “Mothman.”