H. G. Shaw and Camille Spooner's attempted-abduction story

Witness account

Shaw claimed that he and Spooner met three tall, slender beings while returning from a trip to gather material for a citrus-fair display. He described soft body covering, unfamiliar speech, and lights. In his story, the beings tried unsuccessfully to carry the men away, then entered a large pointed airship. Shaw speculated that they came from Mars to obtain a human specimen.

Public record

The account appeared promptly in a named newspaper and is reproduced at length in later historical research. Shaw and Spooner were real people, but verification of their identities and the citrus-fair errand does not verify the encounter. The original narrative depicts an unsuccessful attempt; neither man claims to have been transported aboard the craft.

Sources

• First claimed alien abduction, Guinness World Records
• The first alien abduction and the great Mystery Airship Flap of 1896; original account reproduced