January 1878, on a Tuesday; possibly 22 January; surviving reprint dated 25 January / T011
John Martin's object compared in apparent size to a saucer
Texas; the Dallas Herald attribution makes the commonly repeated Denison location uncertain
Witness account
A newspaper account says farmer John Martin watched a dark object approach through the northern sky while hunting on a Tuesday morning. It initially looked orange-sized, later appeared overhead about the apparent size of a large saucer, and receded into the southern sky. Martin compared its appearance to a balloon. The surviving reprint identifies him as living six miles north of 'this city.'
Public record
The complete 25 January 1878 front page survives at the University of North Texas and was inspected directly. Its Dallas Herald credit complicates treating 'this city' as Denison. The text says north, not south; describes north-to-south movement; and uses the saucer comparison for apparent size rather than clearly asserting a disc-shaped craft.