The Travis Walton Case
In 1975, Travis Walton was working with his logging crew in a forest, near the small town of Snowflake, Arizona. Shortly after beginning to drive home, the crew reported they saw a bright light from behind the upcoming hill. They drove closer and say they saw a large silvery disc hovering above a clearing and shining brightly. The boss, Mike Rogers slowed the truck to stop, and claimed that Walton leapt from the truck and walked toward the disc. He was nearly below the object, when the men in the truck reported that the disc began making noises similar to a very loud turbine. The disc then began to wobble from side to side, and Walton began to cautiously walk away from the object.
Jerome Clark, one of the witnesses, wrote that just after Walton moved away from the disc, the others saw a beam of blue-green light emanate from the disc and “strike Travis”. Clark went on to write that Travis "rose a foot into the air, his arms and legs outstretched, and shot back stiffly some 10 feet (3.0 m), all the while caught in the glow of the light. His right shoulder hit the earth, and his body sprawled limply over the ground.”
Rogers later said he was convinced Walton was dead, so he drove away very quickly over the rough road, afraid that the disc was chasing the truck. After about a quarter-mile, the truck skidded of the road and Rogers stopped. After some discussion, the crew claims they decided to go back to the site and find Walton. The disc was gone, and his co-workers said they searched for Walton for a half hour but found no sign of him.
By the next day, many officials and volunteers had scoured the area around the scene where Travis went missing. Police suspicions were growing that the UFO tale was a made-up to cover up an accident or homicide.
By November 10, all of Roger’s crew took polygraph examinations. The questions asked if any of the men caused harm to Travis, if they knew where Travis’ body was buried, and if they told the truth about seeing a UFO. Cy Gilson, an Arizona Department of Public Safety employee, concluded that all the men were truthful, and the exam results were conclusive. Following the polygraph tests, Sheriff Gillespie announced that he had to accept the UFO story.
The same day, just before midnight, Grant Neff, Travis’ brother in law, reported that he answered his home telephone in Taylor, Arizona, a few miles from Snowflake. The caller spoke in a weak voice: “This is Travis. I’m at a phone booth at the Heber gas station and need help. Come and get me.”
Travis reported that after approaching the UFO near the work site, the last thing he remembered was being struck by the beam of light. When he woke, he was on a reclined bed. A bright light shone above him, the air was heavy and wet. He was in pain and realized he was surrounded by three figures. The figures, he said, were not human. When he woke again, Travis says he was outside the gas station in Heber, Arizona.
The medical examination revealed that Travis was essentially in good health, but they did note three unusual features:
1. A small red spot at the crease of Travis’ right elbow that was consistent with hypodermic injection. Travis would later speculate that he’d gotten the mark in the course of his logging work.
2. Analysis of Travis’ urine revealed a lack of acetones, a chemical found naturally in the environment and in small amounts in the human body. This was unusual, given that if Travis had indeed been gone for five days with little or no food as he insisted (and his weight loss suggested), his body should have begun breaking down fats in order to survive, letting to very high levels of acetone in his urine. Critics would argue this inconsistency is evidence against Travis’ story.
3. More difficult to explain is the absence of bruises, which one might expect in the wake of Travis’ alleged beam-driven collision with the ground.
Travis told Sheriff Gillespie that he was willing to take a polygraph or undergo hypnosis to support his account. Travis and his sister Duane Walton drove to Scottsdale, Arizona where a meeting with APRO consultant James A. Harder had been arranged. Harder hypnotized Travis, hoping to uncover more details of the missing five days, but results revealed that his conscious recall and unconscious memory were the same.
Jerome Clark, one of the witnesses, wrote that just after Walton moved away from the disc, the others saw a beam of blue-green light emanate from the disc and “strike Travis”. Clark went on to write that Travis "rose a foot into the air, his arms and legs outstretched, and shot back stiffly some 10 feet (3.0 m), all the while caught in the glow of the light. His right shoulder hit the earth, and his body sprawled limply over the ground.”
Rogers later said he was convinced Walton was dead, so he drove away very quickly over the rough road, afraid that the disc was chasing the truck. After about a quarter-mile, the truck skidded of the road and Rogers stopped. After some discussion, the crew claims they decided to go back to the site and find Walton. The disc was gone, and his co-workers said they searched for Walton for a half hour but found no sign of him.
By the next day, many officials and volunteers had scoured the area around the scene where Travis went missing. Police suspicions were growing that the UFO tale was a made-up to cover up an accident or homicide.
By November 10, all of Roger’s crew took polygraph examinations. The questions asked if any of the men caused harm to Travis, if they knew where Travis’ body was buried, and if they told the truth about seeing a UFO. Cy Gilson, an Arizona Department of Public Safety employee, concluded that all the men were truthful, and the exam results were conclusive. Following the polygraph tests, Sheriff Gillespie announced that he had to accept the UFO story.
The same day, just before midnight, Grant Neff, Travis’ brother in law, reported that he answered his home telephone in Taylor, Arizona, a few miles from Snowflake. The caller spoke in a weak voice: “This is Travis. I’m at a phone booth at the Heber gas station and need help. Come and get me.”
Travis reported that after approaching the UFO near the work site, the last thing he remembered was being struck by the beam of light. When he woke, he was on a reclined bed. A bright light shone above him, the air was heavy and wet. He was in pain and realized he was surrounded by three figures. The figures, he said, were not human. When he woke again, Travis says he was outside the gas station in Heber, Arizona.
The medical examination revealed that Travis was essentially in good health, but they did note three unusual features:
1. A small red spot at the crease of Travis’ right elbow that was consistent with hypodermic injection. Travis would later speculate that he’d gotten the mark in the course of his logging work.
2. Analysis of Travis’ urine revealed a lack of acetones, a chemical found naturally in the environment and in small amounts in the human body. This was unusual, given that if Travis had indeed been gone for five days with little or no food as he insisted (and his weight loss suggested), his body should have begun breaking down fats in order to survive, letting to very high levels of acetone in his urine. Critics would argue this inconsistency is evidence against Travis’ story.
3. More difficult to explain is the absence of bruises, which one might expect in the wake of Travis’ alleged beam-driven collision with the ground.
Travis told Sheriff Gillespie that he was willing to take a polygraph or undergo hypnosis to support his account. Travis and his sister Duane Walton drove to Scottsdale, Arizona where a meeting with APRO consultant James A. Harder had been arranged. Harder hypnotized Travis, hoping to uncover more details of the missing five days, but results revealed that his conscious recall and unconscious memory were the same.
Homework.
1. Do you think the Walton Case has enough evidence to support the story or the entire affair is a hoax or another UFO tale? Explain your reasons.
2. Do you think polygraph tests or hypnotism are legitimate methods to conclude that men are telling the truth? Why or why not?
1. Do you think the Walton Case has enough evidence to support the story or the entire affair is a hoax or another UFO tale? Explain your reasons.
2. Do you think polygraph tests or hypnotism are legitimate methods to conclude that men are telling the truth? Why or why not?
Vocabulary (this is our vocabulary for both the Activity Beliefs Exercise and The Travis Walton Case).
UFO: an unidentified flying object.
UFO: an unidentified flying object.
proof: same as evidence; anything that shows definitely that something is true.
astrology: the study of the stars and their influence on people’s lives. Usually, an astrologer draws a horoscope.
gift: 1. a present: a birthday gift. 2. A natural ability: She has a gift for music.
liars: plural from liar, a person who lies.
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