Astonishing Legends

Tonight's show is... well... we don't know what it is, frankly.  What we can tell you is that friend and screenwriter Richard Hatem stopped by the Astonishing Legends studio, we ordered pizzas, made more than a few "Dirty Martinis" (at Rich's resolute insistence, which he then sent back several times to the bar until they met with his exacting and cruel satisfaction) and talked with great ardor and exuberance about everything paranormal and supernatural from the sublime to the silly, and apparently, this is the result.  Oh, and we eventually talk about the recent spate of Moth-Owl-Bat-Man sightings in the Chicago, IL metropolitan area, which was the primary reason for inviting him over in the first place.  For those of you who can embrace a rollicking discourse as a fresh change of pace, please enjoy.  For those of you expecting more conventional and disciplined fare, please accept our apologies.  ; )

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It's easy to dismiss the entire Kelly-Hopkinsville Encounter as the booze-fueled fantasy of a bunch of backward hicks who can't tell the difference between a goblin and an owl, or maybe you think it was an outrageous hoax perpetrated for cash. But before you begin telling people what they saw, or make assumptions based on character or class, just remember: unless you were there, you weren't there. These people didn't ask for this incident to happen to them, and they especially didn't ask for the notoriety or ridicule that followed. What the authorities at the time believed, and what many skeptics agree on in hindsight, is that the Sutton and Taylor families were genuinely terrified of something real, and yet even the most seasoned paranormal researcher can't definitively say by what or by whom. So maybe your educated reasoning doesn't allow for the possibility of otherworldly creatures? Well, that's fine, it's a natural human desire to make sense of the impossibilities of our strange world with rationalizations that we can comfortably live with. But as you do so, keep one more thing in mind: you can spend years or a whole lifetime developing and refining your rationale for disbelief, but it only takes one undeniable, paranormal experience to make you a believer.

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In Part Two of our series on the Kelly-Hopkinsville Encounter, we analyze the elements of the Sutton and Taylor families' story. Is the tale that ended up in the media what actually happened or were certain descriptions exaggerated to make the story more sensational in order to sell newspapers? Perhaps some details were misreported due to anxiety, faulty memories and the phenomenon of the "Telephone Game?" Or was it all a hoax and for what gain? What we find is that the story in its original and accurate telling is so bizarre, any further embellishment would be pointless and believe it or not, that's the story the families stuck to, which only serves to add more mystery to an already mysterious world. 

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The 1950s was awash with incredible UFO sightings and purported alien encounters, but the Kelly-Hopkinsville Incident remains a highlight for the field of Ufology.  The report was significant not only because of the long duration of the event and a large number of witnesses but also because the frightening contact sparked a one-sided gun battle.  On the evening of Sunday, August 21, 1955, one of the occupants of the Sutton farmhouse, in the unincorporated area of Kelly north of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, reported seeing a saucer-like craft land a short distance away in a gully to the rear of the property. Moments later, the two families staying there claimed that a number of "strange little men" approached the house and peered through the windows, and one even tugged the hair of Billy Ray Taylor, the man who had first seen the craft land.  Understandably bewildered and fearing for their lives, Taylor, and another adult male, "Lucky" Sutton, fired round after round at the unwanted visitors from close range, all to little effect.  After about four hours of this awkward alien interaction, the families saw their chance to escape and rushed to police headquarters to get help.  The unusually large police response which resulted in a flurry of sensational news reports for years to come would cast this incident as one of the most bizarre and intriguing "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" ever to be included in UFO lore.

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Was Anneliese Michel truly possessed by demonic forces, or was she suffering from a more earthly psychological affliction such as an extreme case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder with Scrupulosity, epilepsy, PTSD or Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis? Tonight we examine this case from the solely scientific, clinical angle with our interview of Dr. Jennifer Sy, Ph.D. of the Houston OCD Program. Dr. Sy is a licensed clinical psychologist with training in cognitive-behavioral treatment of mood and anxiety disorders. She received a BA in Cognitive Science from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, and her MS and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Wyoming. She has published on cognitive/behavioral mechanisms and exposure-based treatment of social anxiety, specific phobias, and panic. In the end, however, even with a diagnosis that seems to cover many of her symptoms, those who allow themselves to consider possibilities beyond flesh and blood may wonder if the truth of Anneliese Michel will remain forever hidden between the worlds of the natural and the supernatural.

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When considering the answer to the question, "Who or what was responsible for the death of Anneliese Michel?" as with all mysteries it is best to consider every opinion, especially an informed one.  Tonight we interview Father John Duffey, author of the book, Lessons Learned: The Anneliese Michel Exorcism: The Implementation of a Safe and Thorough Examination, Determination, and Exorcism of Demonic Possession.  Father Duffey is a former priest for the New American Catholic Church and Chaplain for the American Legion and has been researching and investigating incidents of suspected demonic and other spiritual activity since 1999, and researching matters of human behavior and anthropology since 2002.  Father Duffey has formal training and experience in military law enforcement and anti-terrorism intelligence operations, general psychology, cultural anthropology, parapsychology, theology, and counseling.  He holds a degree in psychology from Auburn University (Honors) and will soon complete a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Wake Forest University.

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The legal systems of Western societies have no place for, nor consideration of, the offenses of the spiritual world. Neither does the spirit world have regard for the laws of men. These factors make the case of the death of Anneliese Michel so fascinating, so compelling, so confounding and ultimately so tragic, that it remains one of the benchmark legal cases for determining negligent culpability in purported cases demonic possession. Anneliese was a German girl who was known in life for being very intelligent, shy, kind, generous and pious, but will always be known in death as an unfortunate soul who experienced a deteriorating malady so mysterious and devastating she ultimately succumbed to starvation. But who, or what, is to blame? Was it the severe affliction of an extreme case of epilepsy or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder having gone untreated, or was it the detestable work of the Devil himself?

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Southern New Jersey is steeped in the legend of The Jersey Devil, with the eponymous rascal inspiring everything from the names of businesses to stickers and T-shirts for tourists.  But as one "South Jersey" native has informed us, The Pine Barrens themselves may be nothing like what outsiders envision, with most of it being "lush, green and beautiful" and a joy to explore.  Also, maybe almost no one from the area believes the myth themselves.  However, it seems in the case of the legend of Jersey Devil – there are two distinct yet connected phenomenal elements at play: the ye olde myth, and the otherworldly thing that more than a few people swear they've encountered.  So what do you say to them?  Are you sure all they saw or heard was an owl, a stray African bat, a mutant goat havin' a laugh, or that good ol' well-worn chestnut the Sandhill Crane?  Because now these accounts become much like any other testimony of the paranormal; those who have not experienced it probably won't believe it, but those that have can never forget it.

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They say if you meet someone from New Jersey, Pennsylvania or New York, you don't ask them if they've heard of the "Jersey Devil," you ask them if they've had some kind of encounter with it. The legend of the curious cryptid is so prolific, they've no doubt heard of it, and if they've spent any time near the Pine Barrens of "The Garden State," more often than not you'll find they've experienced some evidence of the beast, or know someone who has. Folklorists say that there are more than 30 variations of the legend, but the main origin story of New Jersey's own "Official Demon" goes all the way back to 1735, and a Mrs. Leeds of Galloway, NJ, who upon a difficult delivery of her 13th child, exclaimed it might as well be a devil – which, if the tale is to be believed, you should never do. Since then, the story has been so popular that the idea of The Jersey Devil has made its way into movies, television, and video games, and is even the inspiration for the name of New Jersey's National Hockey League team. But why has this tale endured for at least 282 years? Is it because somehow the legend is just so fantastic that people can't forget it? Or is it because, as so many residents throughout the years have claimed, from New Jersey's eastern shores, through the mysterious Pine Barrens all the way to western Pennsylvania, something really is out there?

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Most of us go on about our lives, enjoying the predictable routine of family, work, and if we're lucky, a little bit of leisure. Usually, nothing too out of the ordinary happens from day to day, and although it may seem dull, we forget it's also comforting. But if you're Orfeo Angelucci – aerospace worker, family man, thoughtful but average citizen, one day you get contacted by a race of advanced, extraterrestrial beings that reveal to you the secret of the universe, your purpose here, and the task ahead that would change his life forever. This was the incredible claim in Angelucci's book, The Secret of the Saucers, which tells the story of his contact with a pair of kind, ethereal entities, who want him to share their message of peace and love for the human race. But these warm greetings came with a warning: that we must change our harmful ways or else suffer the fate of the world that came before us. Spreading this message caused no small amount of ridicule and hardship for Orfeo and his family, but as the legends tell us, being a messenger to the world can be a blessing but also a curse and the challenge requires courage. Join us tonight as Rich Hatem returns to discuss Angelucci's wondrous story. Whether you choose to believe Orfeo or dismiss it all as a fanciful daydream, it's hard to deny that the message for Earth has real beauty in its truth.

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