Intergalactic Smackdown in Kentucky.

  This morning when I got home from work a great flick was on television, a movie that I had not seen in a few years, “Gremlins.”  I love this little monster movie it has everything love, adventure and little green beasts running amok is a midwestern town destroying everything in sight.  I can’t help it the evil streak in me  always cheers for the gremlins.  Is That wrong?  Anyways, although this movie is entirely fictional would you believe that a similar event happened many years ago in the hill country of Kentucky?  Well according to the witnesses that experienced the bizarre event such a thing did in fact occur only with the cheesy prosthetics.

  On the night of August 21, 1955 the Sutton farm near the towns of Kelly and Hopkinsville, Kentucky came under attack by an aggressive alien species.  On the evening in question Elmer “Lucky” Sutton and his family were entertaining the Billy Ray Taylor family (No fooling guys these are the real names) who was visiting from out of town.  At around 7:00 PM Billy Ray decided he needed to wet his whistle and took a mosey out to the well for a cool drink of water about thirty seconds later, Billy Ray rushed back into the house and declared that while he was outside he saw a UFO land just beyond the trees in the woods.  At first the two families were speechless at the wild story of their friend and then suddenly everyone in attendence broke out in great torrents of laughter saying that ole Billy Ray had seen nothing but a shooting star.

  At 8:00 PM the hoedown in the house was broken up by the frightened barking a howling of the family dog.  Lucky’s wife peeked out the window to see what all the fuss was about and watched as the otherwise brave hunting dog turned tail at some unseen threat and ran under the house.  Lucky and Billy Ray could not understand what would make the old hound run away in hysterics.  They both agreed that something strange was afoot and thought it might be a good idea to investigate.  Lucky and Billy Ray grabbed the shooting irons and ventured out the door to see what all the commotion was about.

  As the two men stood on the front porch scanning the woods and the property for any sign of trouble, Billy Ray was the first to see a strange creature emerge from the tree line.  The two men watched as a three foot being with a large head and big floppy ears wearing a silvery jumpsuit started to make it’s way towards the men with a raised hand.  At first the two men didn’t know what to make of the strange sight and wondered whether or not if the raised hand was a greeting or a threat of some kind.  They knew that could not take the chance and raised their rifles to their shoulders and all the fun or mayhem began.

  Lucky’s bullet was the first to meet it’s mark and the two men were satisfied that the threat to their farm and family had been taken care of.  Lucky’s wife opened the door to inquire what they were shooting at.  Lucky turned to explain when he felt a clawed hand reach down from the roof and grab his hair.  Billy Ray looked up to see the creature, or one of the creatures, perched on the roof looking down at him.  Billy Ray pointed his gun square in the face of the little beast and squeezed off a shot.  The creature seemed to float up and then away from the house.  A terrified Lucky and Billy Ray were torn away from their shock when one of the women screamed and said that some kind of monster was peering through the window.  Lucky ran to the side of the building and fired at one of the little beasties that appeared to be floating up by the window and shot at the creature which, like it’s companion, floated away unharmed.

  An hour after the shooting started a voice of reason shouted over the rifle fire and demanded that the two men cease firing.  Mrs. Lankford, a guest claimed that whatever the creatures may be they did not appear to mean any harm.  However Lucky and Billy Ray remained on the front porch gripping their rifles like a couple of heroic cowboys scanning the area for anymore signs of the creatures.  Occasionally the two men could see creeping forms in the shadows of the trees and wondered if another attack would soon commence.  Although the night was now silent the peace was broken by what sounded like a strange buzzing sound that seemed to scare the hell out of the dog and kept the men on their vigilant watch.

  Fearing another attack would soon come, Lucky and Billy Ray gathered their kith and kin together and piled in three seperate cars around 11:00PM and tore ass off the property not wanting to take the chance that whatever the creatures may be would gather together and make another assault against the farm.  Thirty minutes later the frightened group stormed through the doors of the Hopkinsville Police Department nearly scaring the Chief of Police to death.  The Chief ordered the chattering group to calm down and tell him what had happened.  Lucky Sutton stepped forward and gave the police chief a complete rundown of the night’s events.  The Chief listened to the story all the while taking notice that no one appeared to have been drinking.  The Chief knew Lucky and his wife well and knew that the two were God fearing christians who would not make such a fantastic story up.  The Chief snapped into action and followed the frightened farmers back to the scene of the amazing story.

  After the initial investigation by the local coppers, which did not turn anything up but a bunch of bullett holes and broken windows, the Kentucky Era a local newspaper arrived on the scene to see what had happened and interviewed all those involved.  The next day the paper published the story detailing how a local farmer and his family and friends were viciously attacked by twelve to fifteen little somethings that appeared to not be of this world.  The Sutton Family would later tell investigators that they were not sure how many of the invaders were involved in the assault of the farm technically they really only saw three.

  Within days Air Force personnel and UFO investigators descended upon the Sutton farm and took a serious look around the farm to see if there was any physical evidence to back the story of an alien invasion up.  No bodies of the little men in question could be found which would back up the story that the creatures appeared to be unfazed by the weapons.  However one investigator did discover a scorched patch of grass that looked like it was in the shape of a saucer.  Another investigator had learned that a Highway Patrolman who was in the general vicinity of the Sutton farm claimed to have seen a strange light in the sky that appeared to travel in an upward trajectory.  Although the Air force had this corroborating eyewitness they deemed the case to be one of mistaken identity and claimed that the eyewitnesses had a little too much to drink.

  The event at the Sutton Farm near Kelly and Hopkinsville, Kentucky is considered, by investigators, to be a real case of a possible alien invasion.  Researchers feel that the Suttons and their guests are reliable witnesses who would be incapable of making such a wild story up and although despite the testimony of the Highway Patrolman and the saucer shaped burnt grass found in the woods the Air Force remains unconvinced.  They believe the event to be a hoax.  The Air Force further claims that what the Sutton’s and their guests saw that night were not aliens bent on world conquest but Chimps that had escaped from a circus although no circus was anywhere near the area in fact the closest circus was one hundred miles away in Tennessee.  But wait the explanations get better.  Skeptics state that what the Sutton clan and their guests saw that night was an aggressive flock of great horned owl attacking the farm.  The Sutton clan had lived in the area for generations and were well acquinted with the flora and fauna of the area this was no attack of the Great Horned Owl Variety.  Explanations be damned.

  On that night in August of 1955 the Sutton Family and their friends witnessed something extraodinary that scared the hell out of them and it was not escaped chimps nor was it an attack of Great Horned Owls.  However I do have a concern,  If the creature came out of the woods holding up a hand as a peaceful gesture, why shoot first and not even bother to ask questions?  Maybe the crapper on the saucer was busted or they were lost and needed directions to Area 51 or something, who knows.  As a warning though to all who travel through Kelly and Hopkinsville if you are on your way to a SciFi convention and you are dressed as your favorite martian do not wander onto any farms you may just get your ass blasted off.

                                                                                                            Rick E. Hale