THE PROJECT STIGMA REPORT ON THE CONTINUING
INVESTIGATION INTO THE OCCURRENCE OF ANIMAL MUTILATIONS
THE NEXT STIGMATA
STIGMATA No. 8 will be published, although it may not appear until several
months into 1980. It could, however, appear much sooner, pending develop¬
ments. To receive STIGMATA No. 8, send $1.00 to:
In lieu of another STIGMATA this year, we will issue a one-or-two-page
supplemental newsletter. We'll pass along the latest news from the in¬
vestigative front and we’ll update our readers on our plans to publish a
special report on the helicopter/mutilation connection.
To receive this supplemental newsletter, send a stamped (15£), self-ad¬
dressed no. 10 ( 95 ") envelope to Project Stigma - P.O. Box 1094 -
Paris, Texas 75460.
”20-20''’S MUTILATION REPORT - OUT OF SIGHT
For those who have been wondering whatever became of ABC-TV's muti¬
lation report that was to have appeared on ”20-20": After the "20-20"
crew spent three months and untold thousands of dollars gathering infor¬
mation, the project has been cancelled (most seasoned mutilation inves¬
tigators were not surprised at this development). The reason: One ABC
source says "lack of funds"; another disagrees, saying money was not
the problem, that the reason for cancellation lies elsewhere. It can on¬
ly be hoped that "20-20" will reconsider or at least divulge the results
of their investigation. Do we detect anyone holding their breath??
73
MUTES & RESPONSIBILITIES
In May of 1979, the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration provi¬
ded a grant of over $40, 000 for the establishment of an animal mutila¬
tion investigation under the auspices of the District Attorney's office in
Santa Fe, New Mexico. Kenneth M. Rommel assumed the role of director
of the inquiry in May, upon his retirement as an agent for the Federal
Bureau of Investigation. It may be of interest here to briefly examine the
events leading up to the establishment of this mutilation probe. Many read¬
ers are aware of this information, but many are not.
Mutilations began in earnest in New Mexico in 1975 and they have been re¬
ported in every subsequent year. There was a notable drop-off in activity
following the first quarter of 1977. However, in May, September and De¬
cember of that year, mutilations occurred in Costilla County, Colorado,
just north of Taos County, New Mexico. Relatively little was to be heard
regarding mutilations in New Mexico until April of 1978, when a renewed
onslaught began in Rio Arriba County {see STIGMATA #4 & #5). Mutila¬
tions were then reported in Rio Arriba County (and a few nearby counties)
in each of the remaining months of 1978 (possible exception: August. If
any occurred then, we are unaware of them).
The authorities seemed powerless to do anything about the mutilations.
Someone other than the mutilators had to make a move. Republican Har¬
rison Schmitt, who had stepped from the moon {Apollo 17) to the United
States Senate (from New Mexico), took a stride into the mutilation arena
(some might term: it the abyss). Whether as a result of constituent pres¬
sure or his own interest and concern - or a combination of both - Sen.
Schmitt, on December 21, 1978, sent a letter to then-U. S. Attorney Gen¬
eral Griffin Bell in which he voiced his concern at "what appears to be
a continued pattern of an organized interstate criminal activity". Schmitt
requested that the Justice Department get involved. When Bell replied on
January 10, 1979, he wrote that he had asked Philip Heymann (head of the
Criminal Division of the Justice Department) to look into the matter. Bell
added, "I must say that the materials sent me indicate the existence of
one of the strangest phenomenons (sic ) in my memory".
Eventually it was decided that a conference should be held in an attempt
to get investigators and their information together. As reported in STIG¬
MATA #6, the meeting was held in Albuquerque on April 20, 1979. Some
74
3
suspicious observers have suggested that the conference might have been ar¬
ranged to get the scattered investigators together - not so much to promote
dialogue and understanding among them as to find out how much they
really know, as part of a continuing effort to monitor, not so much the
mutilations, but the investigation itself and the investigators themselves.
Other (paranoid - or reasonably justified?) observers have proposed that
the conference was designed to embarrass the sincere and legitimate mu¬
tilation investigators by sprinkling the meeting with bizarre, dubiously -
relevant presentations and information. This would make it easier for
the media and the public to reject the whole matter by "throwing the baby
out with the bath water". Then again, the possibility also exists that most
or all of the motives behind the conference were earnest, sincere and
"up front".
As for what the participants themselves got out of the conference, the
results varied. If you were Mark Acuff (see comments elsewhere in this
issue) you experienced slack-jawed astonishment at what seemed to be a
circus of preposterousness. If you were Tommy Blann (see "Letters")
the affair was not dull. If you were a court reporter transcribing the
proceedings, you pondered whether the speaker just said something about
NORAD or someone named "Noel Red". If you were a county lawman,
you might have huffed and puffed over the presence of "hippies", the
press and assorted wackos - or you might have entered into dialogue in
an attempt to find out all you could about the puzzling mutilations situa¬
tion. All of this was done - and more.
Senator Schmitt, in his opening remarks, echoed the concern he had ex¬
pressed to Griffin Bell and added, " Strange as it may seem, it is not an
obvious federal crime to have a systematic destruction of property in sev¬
eral states by similar or the same process". Schmitt announced that the
federal government does have investigative jurisdiction over crimes (in¬
cluding violations of state laws) that occur on federal lands. United States
Attorney R. E. Thompson of Albuquerque, the co-host for the conference,
then introduced local FBI agent Sam Jones, who had been "assigned day-
to-day responsibility for this investigation on behalf of the Department of
Justice". Indeed, it began to look as though the FBI was publically and ad¬
mittedly getting involved.
A succession of scheduled and non-scheduled speakers then gave generally
brief presentations of varying content and viewpoint. If space permits, we
will examine some of these offerings in this or future issues of STIGMATA.
75
Forrest Putman, head of the FBI's Albuquerque office, co
Senator Schmitt’s opening remarks about federal jurisdicti
claimed that the FBI only had jurisdiction on federal India ;
on BLM or national forest lands - but that they could also
with other agencies "where we had a similar-type m.o.
plied that he and Philip Heymann of the Justice Department
that federal lands other than Indian lands could be include
al investigative jurisdiction. Putman stood his ground, and
it was something to be looked into.
mmented on
on. Putman
n lands - not
cooperate
Schmitt re-
had agreed
d under feder-
Schmitt said
fel
Sa
The conference ended with the FBI having indicated (or
in the situation. It was promised that various pertinent a,
conferring over the extent and structure of the anticipated
As it turned out, the FBI decided against launching an in
own. After all the furor, it seemed that no federal inves
undertaken at any level. Instead the ball was passed to
Attorney Eloy Martinez, who had been attempting to Launc
his iauspices since long before the April 20th conference,
mel becomes the A-number-one mutilation investigator in
trict of New Mexico. But what about the first district in
district in Colorado - or any other area where mutilationls
Things may become a little more coordinated in New Mes:
mutilation-plagued areas are left to fend for themselves,
has no formal jurisdiction in other states, he apparently
municate with other areas and to set up a centralized inf<|>
tory.
on
Other attempts have been made, through U. S. Senators s
Church and James McClure of Idaho and (then-senator) FI.
Colorado, to elicit investigative response from the federal
We do not necessarily subscribe to the notion that the feq
is composed of nothing more than paper-pushing dullards
morons. It is likely that there are intelligent people in
ches or agencies who know a great deal about what is go:
mutilations. They may have a grasp of the situation that
than that which we possess in the hinterlands. We do not
are or on what levels they are stationed, but they do not
their cards on the table. It may be that they are covering
tors (be they human, non-human, officially-sanctioned or
Jacques Vallee and others suggest: they may know just en
gned) interest
jjjencies would be
investigation,
[liestigation of its
legation would be
nta Fe District
h a probe under
Thus, Ken Rom-
the first dis-
iTexas or the 3rd
have occurred?
ico but the other
Although Rommel
intends to com-
rmation deposi-
i|ich as Frank
oyd Haskell of
government,
eral government
and maladroit
e or more bran-
ng on regarding
is much keener
know who they
choose to put
for the mutila-
whatever) or, as
ough to know (to
76
5
their horror)that they really know nothing - but they could never give
that impression, of course, since a cardinal rule in the intelligence
community is to always appear to know everything.
As 1979 began, a series of horse mutilations occurred in Eddy County,
New Mexico, followed by cattle mutes in Taos and Torrance Counties,
There had been speculation to the effect that, due to the publicity accor¬
ded the mutilation conference, no mutilations would occur in New Mexi¬
co - at least not in the spring and perhaps none during the remainder of
1979. Not a chance. Following the conference, mutilated carcasses turn¬
ed up in the Lindrith-Regina area of Rio Arriba County and at the Santa
Clara Pueblo in northern Santa Fe County, near Los Alamos.
In mid-June Kenneth Rommel announced that, although there had been no
opportunity to use it, an informal task force of investigators were more
or less on standby to engage in field investigations and analyses (about a
month later, Rommel admitted that he had been out to look at several
"dead animals"). Rommel said that offers of assistance came from the
State Police, State Medical Examiner, State Department of Agriculture,
New Mexico Fish and Game Department and even FBI agent Sam Jones
(who "will accompany the group as an observer of mutilations that do
not occur on Indian lands"). The implication here, of course, is that the
FBI would indeed involve themselves in investigations into mutilations on
Indian lands.
Recent mutilations have occurred, not only on the Santa Clara Pueblo
lands, but on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. We
find no indication of FBI investigations in these cases. Around the time
of the Pine Ridge mutilations (details elsewhere in this issue), news re¬
ports emanated from the Red Lakes Indian Reservation in northern Min¬
nesota - not about mutilations but human conflicts resulting in homicides,
and the FBI was investigating, only serving to emphasize that the FBI has
jurisdiction in such areas. Many observers seem to feel that, where the
mutilations are concerned, FBI or federal jurisdiction would be justified
by (1) the occurrence of mutilations on Indian lands and (2) the unavoid¬
able suggestion of the same or similar culprits and techniques being u-
tilized in an interstate operation. The FBI or some other federal agency
may not be compelled to investigate but could do so if desired; appar¬
ently no such desire exists.
77
6
In 1975, while Colorado was experiencing a siege of mutilations that has
not been matched before or since, then-U. S. Senator Floyd Haskell res¬
ponded to the furor by requesting, as Senator Schmitt did, FBI and Jus¬
tice Department intervention. Project Stigma obtained from the FBI, under
the Freedom of Information Act, excerpts from their files pertaining to
Haskell’s request and the situation in general in Colorado in 1975. On
August 29 of that year, Haskell sent a letter to Theodore P. Rosack,
then head of Denver’s FBI office, in which he asked that the FBI enter
the case, citing the occurrence of mutilations in 21 states which "strong¬
ly suggests the very real possibility that the crossing of state lines is in¬
volved and this alone, I feel, should justify the participation of the FBI
in this case". Then-FBI Director Clarence M. Kelley replied:
The information set forth in your letter regarding the muti¬
lation of cattle in Colorado and several other western states
and the reported use of an (sic) un identified helicopter by
those individuals responsible has been carefully reviewed. I
regret to inform you that these actions do not constitute a
violation of Federal law coming within the FBI's investiga¬
tive jurisdiction.
On September 24th the DENVER POST reported that the FBI declined to
enter the probe because (to quote an unnamed spokesperson), "There is
no evidence of interstate movements". To put it charitably, there was no
truth in that statement. Though the evidence was and is largely circum¬
stantial, it is compelling; some might say overwhelming. Most people
seem to have a general impression that the FBI has jurisdiction over any
interstate crime. Without having knowledge of the specific statutes invol¬
ved, we must admit that this may not be the case. There are unsubstan¬
tiated allegations of FBI investigations into mutilations in such places as
South Texas, Lincoln County, Missouri and the Flathead Indian Reserva¬
tion in northwestern Montana. The FBI was interested enough in 1975 to
at least gather information about the mutilations, above and beyond sim¬
ply accumulating news clippings. We have been informed of at least two
investigative forays made by FBI agents in Colorado in 1975. Palmer
Hoyt, the legendary newspaperman and "Emperor of the Rocky Mountain
Empire”, who died in Denver in June of 1979, told a Project Stigma in¬
vestigator in late 1975 that he had seen a copy of an FBI report which
included personal correspondence that the Project Stigma investigator had
written to another party. We do not know if this resulted from mail tam-
78
7
pering or if the recipient of the correspondence provided the copies. As
for Palmer Hoyt himself: this courageous and objective journalist had de¬
veloped an intense and abiding interest in the mutilations, following his
retirement as editor and publisher of the DENVER POST. It was his o-
pinion that the FBI and/or the CIA (and/or some other agency or agencies)
were - and still are - protecting the mutilators. Either that is the case,
or the people in our federal government are simply innately obtuse and
monumentally unresponsive. We have already indicated that it is unlikely
that all federal employees fit that mold.
At some time - perhaps soon - a state - it may be Colorado or New
Mexico or Arkansas or elsewhere - will experience a serious and con¬
certed wave of animal mutilations. Pressures will be brought to bear on
public officials and maybe a senator will look to Washington, D.C. for
aid and solace for his electorate. The governor might call the unchecked
mutilations an "outrage"; someone in Washington might even deem it "one
of the strangest" things in their memory; but if any firm federal investi¬
gative action is taken, we shall be surely amazed.
State and county and local investigators - both "official" and "civilian" -
must pool their efforts, enter into dialogue with each other and exchange
information, without expecting aid from beyond the state level. The "of¬
ficials" and "civilians" can help each other, and must if any progress is
to be made. This is not a conventional law enforcement problem which
can be completely solved using only conventional techniques, so lawmen
must reach out beyond their counties, beyond their agencies, beyond the
methods they are used to. At the same time, the civilian investigators
must strive to profit from the knowledge and experience of law enforce¬
ment people - because some conventional law enforcement methods can be
enormously useful in this probe. So - cooperation is the charge; objecti¬
vity, detachment and healthy skepticism are among the tools to be utili¬
zed; knowledge - but more than that - understanding - is our goal.
There is something of value to be learned from this experience. It may
be that each of us as individuals must learn it or know it within oursel¬
ves. And, who knows - we may all be acting out our roles in a crisply-
orchestrated scenario that may have little or nothing to do with the dis¬
membering of livestock, just as UFOs may have little to do with lights
flitting across the sky. Where the mutilations are concerned, there ex¬
ists an imposing barrier to our knowledge and understanding. Barriers
are made to be broken.
79
ARKANSAS
1979 MUTILATIONS
In 1979, more carcasses of potentially-mutilated animals
have been strewn across the landscape of Arkansas than a-
cross the terrain of any other state. Possible mutilations
have been reported in no less than 15 Arkansas! counties:
Conway, Cleburne, Franklin, Crawford, Lonoke, Jackson, Lit¬
tle River, Prairie, Faulkner, White, Newton, Marion, Stone,
Van Buren and Washington. These incidents included a 10-
day-old pig seemingly-classically mutilated in Marion Coun¬
ty, at least 5 horse-slashing incidents in Stone County
(likely not classic mutilations) and at least 3 helicopter/
mute cases. There is not complete unanimity among Arkansans
concerning the authenticity of their mutilations. State Po¬
lice Sgt. Doug Fogley, specifically assigned to investigate
mutilations, told Project Stigma that he doubts that any
classic mutilations have occurred in Arkansas in 1979. He
does feel, however, that authentic cases occurred in 1978,
especially in Benton County.
As far as the 1979 events are concerned, we ha
go on at this point beyond the fact that most
cases, as reported in the press, sound "classic'
these accounts come such comments as:
♦"...surgical, perhaps super-surgical precisio;
July mutilation in Little River County)
♦"Veterinarian Gary White said the missing pa
fessionally removed with what appeared to be
rts were pro-
surgical ins¬
truments". (THE SPECTATOR; Ozark, Arkansas, 6/7/79)
*"...surgical precision." (Crawford County Sheriff Trellon
Ball)
Surgically". (Franklin County Sheriff Bob Pritchard)
♦"The best we can tell, this is the same qual
the northwest part of the state. This may not
people, but it's the same kind of job as in Be
(State Police Investigator J.R. Howard, regard
ve little to
of the recent
From
n". (Re: a
xty work as in
be the same
nton County",
ing a Cle-
8 o
burne County mutilation.)
9
♦"There*s no way anybody just like us could do this with a
knife. It might have been a cult or something. But they
used something like a surgical knife and knew how to do
it". (Mrs. Bobby King, Crawford County)
An Arkansas source questioned by Project Stigma feels that
publicity following the Albuquerque conference (an ARKANSAS
GAZETTE article and a 4-part TV news report by a Little
Rock station) prompted hoaxers and sleazo-warpo's to per¬
petrate pseudo-mutes throughout much of Arkansas. Indeed,
although many cases appeared "classic" on the surface, ot-.
hers were reported as "sloppy", cruel and decidedly and
contrastingly unprofessional.
The mutilation furor in Arkansas led to a meeting in Lit¬
tle Rock on August 14th. Attending were humane society mem¬
bers (who have asked Gov. Clinton to appoint an investiga-
* .tive task force) and representatives of various state agen¬
cies, including State Policeman Doug Fogley — plus Kenneth
Rommel, head of the mute probe in New Mexico's First Judi¬
cial District. Rommel told the assemblage that "profession¬
als" should investigate the Arkansas mutilations in the
manner used to investigate homicides. He declined to dis¬
cuss the specifics of any case with reporters. Fogley asked
for news media cooperation, fearing that sensational head¬
lines about mutes could bring "every kook out of the wood¬
work".
Between August 11 and the time of the Little Rock meeting
on the 14th, at least nine potential cow mutilations were
reported in Faulkner and Conway Counties, immediately north
and NW of Little Rock. A silver helicopter was spotted in
Faulkner County on the 10th and a blue unmarked chopper was
seen near a Conway County mute site on the 12th. It was
suggested that the former was a military craft en route to
a nearby Titan II missile silo, but there has been no fur-*
ther word on whether that was substantiated (many will re¬
call the reports of unmarked helicopters over missile silos
during the mutilation outbreak in Montana in 1975 and 1976.
8i
10
They were never identified.). On August 13 th, two Conway
County veterinarians, Drs. Norman Gray (President of the
Arkansas Veterinary Medical Association) and 1’om Brown,
held a press conference in which they stated <:heir opinion
that the mutes in Conway County and elsewhere in Arkansas
were the work of natural scavengers, primarily buzzards.
They felt that the reason for the abundance o:: recent muti¬
lation reports was simply that such reports were “fashiona¬
ble right now". The Arkansas mutilation controversy is a
long way from running its course, and we'll be watching de¬
velopments there closely.
Sources i Lucius Farish, supplier of invaluable aid and in¬
formation through his "U.F.O. Newsclipping Service"; Route
1 - Box 220; Plumerville, Arkansas 72127; Sgii. Doug Fog-
ley; William D. Leet; Conway Co. Deputy Sheriff Ray Coff¬
man. The following Arkansas newspaper article:: are only
partially representative of the extensive coverage of the
1979 mutilations: THE SPECTATOR (Ozark), 6/7/79; LOG CABIN
DEMOCRAT (Conway), 7A9/79, 8/13/79, 8/14/79, 8/15/79; PE¬
TIT JEAN COUNTRY HEADLIGHT (Morrilton), 8/1/75, 8/15/79;
THE GRAPHIC (Clarksville), 6A3/79; BAXTER BUILLETIN (Mt.
Home), June(undated); LITTLE RIVER NEWS (Ashdown), 8/2/79;
VAN BUREN COUNTY DEMOCRAT (Clinton), 8/2/79; SEARCY DAILY
CITIZEN, 6/8/79; MORRILTON DEMOCRAT, 8A/79; iARKANSAS DE¬
MOCRAT (Little Rock), 6/1/79, 6/3/79, 6/4A9, 7/28A9,
8/2/79; ARKANSAS GAZETTE (Little Rock), 6/1 A?, 6 / 2 / 19 ,
6/8/79, 6/28/79, 8/11/79, 8/15/79.
TEXAS
Bexar County - A young bull was killed and mu
of San Antonio on July 15th. The genitals and
tact - except that the tail had been cleanly
eyes were gone, and there was a puncture wound
ular vein. Cowboys in a line shack 25 yds. awa
thing that night. Bull owner Roy Martinez and
have seen cultists meeting and dancing around
nearby river bottoms. Remember the film, "Rac£
Filmed in the same area, ironically eno
Sources : Robert E. Morgan(MUFON); Bill Shieldi
bHated south
anus were in-
<fcut off. Both
in the jug-
y heard no¬
li is family
bonfires in
With The De-
i|igh.
(KENS-TV)
82
COLORADO
11
Huerfano County - On March 26, 1979, Sergio Abila discov¬
ered that a cow of his had been mutilated near Red Wing,
Abila’s wife, Dora, told Animal Mutilation Probe Director
David Perkins that the udder had been removed "as if by
a cookie cutter”. There was no blood. The cow had given
birth to a male calf three days before. The live calf was
found near the mother, but none of the other 150 head were
in the area.
Source i David Perkins
Then, in mid-May, the end of the world came for "Fool’s
Gold", a 1300-lb. prize rodeo bull owned by Mr. and Mrs.
John King, who live at the opposite (east) end of Huerfano
County from Red Wing. "Fool’s Gold" had been fighting with
other bulls, so he was moved to a remote pasture on May
10th. A ranch hand discovered the mutilated carcass on
Sat., May 19th. Mr. King estimated that the animal had been
dead for 5 to 7 days when found. There were no tracks nor
any signs that predators had touched the carcass. AMP Di¬
rector David Perkins, who lives in western Huerfano County,
investigated. At the time of his report to us, he had not
been able to travel to the very remote pasture where the
carcass lay (due to rainy weather). From viewing photos of
the animal and from interviews conducted with sheriff’s in¬
vestigators and with Mrs. King (Mr. King was on the rodeo
circuit), Perkins reports that the condition of the carcass
included the following details:
(1) The rectum had been "cored" with a perfectly round cut,
with no blood in evidence.
(2) One testicle had been removed (on the right). A grape¬
fruit-size hole in the groin was evident.
(3) There was a burned circle (approx, l^s" in dia.) on the
upper thigh of the right hind leg.
(4) The left ear had been removed with an incision that ex-
83
tended into the head.
(5) Small flakes of splattered blood were on the bull's
neck and chest - no other blood was on the ground or a-
round the cuts.
(6) The carcass attracted no predators - including flies.
(7) The left eye was intact? the right eye appeared either
"popped” or missing.
(8) Sheriff Harold Martinez said he noted a small amount
of blood coming from a comer of the mouth and he assumed
that the tongue was probably missing, though the mouth was
not opened for examination.
This was the third mutilation in John King's herd, the o-
ther two coming during the siege of 1975. They've had prob¬
lems with missing cattle, as well. In the fall of 1973, 50
head disappeared from a ranch they leased in Wyoming. Ano¬
ther 50 head turned up missing from the Colorado ranch in
the fall of 1975. Then, in the spring of 1978, "Mr. Charlie",
another prize rodeo bull, vanished from his pasture. Rust¬
lers? Perhaps, though the Kings have no evidence.
On May 24, 1979, an AMP investigative team drove to the
King Ranch to interview Mrs. King. Near the ranch entrance
they observed a dark green or black helicopter (with no mar¬
kings that could be discerned through field glasses) which
flew from the south and passed over the King house, flying
northeast. The craft was flying at roughly 1500 feet and,
as it passed within mile to 1 mile of the AMP team, they
could hear no sound from the chopper. Mrs. King, at the
house, did not hear or see the craft as it passed directly
overhead.
David Perkins reports that two more suspected mutilations
have occurred: a bull 15 miles NW of Walsenburg, found on
June 25th? and a cow and a calf found near Gardner on the
29th. Sources : David Perkins, Louis Girodo, Mrs. Alice
RichmondjPDEBLO (CO) CHIEFTAIN, 5/21/79, 5/23/79.
84
13
El Paso County - Information here comes from a type of
source that is often overlooked: livestock removal ser¬
vices that pick up dead animals for butchering or render¬
ing. Drexel Lawson, who runs such a service in Colorado
Springs, reports seeing "dozens" of mutilated carcasses,
but few are reported to authorities. At least half a dozen
cases have occurred in El Paso County since May 1, 1979,
according to Animal Mutilation Probe investigator David
Perkins. Lawson told Perkins that he had picked up 20 mu¬
tilated carcasses in the last two years - in El Paso and
Lincoln Counties.
On the morning of Friday, May 25th, Wendel Hertel, who
ranches west of Calhan, Colo., observed two or more heli¬
copters hovering over remote rangeland. That afternoon he
checked his cattle and found that all were well. Early on
the morning of the 26th, he found the mutilated carcass of
his $1,000 Geldzieh cow (a rare crossbreed of German and
English strains). The udder had been cleanly removed. There
were no tracks or anything else on the undisturbed ground,
and there was reportedly no blood nor body fluids in the
carcass. During a several-week period in late spring, there
were numerous accounts of dark helicopters flying around
ranches in El Paso County.
Other livestock removal services have reportedly picked up
mutilated carcasses. For instance, in the Roswell, New Mexi¬
co area, several mutes were picked up but, to our know¬
ledge, these were officially unreported or at least unpub¬
licized.
Sources: David Perkins, Dorothy Aldridge, Howard Burgess;
COLORADO SPRINGS SUN, 6/5/79.
OKLAHOMA
Washington County - The mutilated carcass of a cow was dis¬
covered on the Oscar King ranch near Dewey on July 9, 1979.
Both eyes were missing and the udder had been removed "in
an almost perfect circle". No blood was in evidence.
Source ; TULSA WORLD, 7AV79, from Ed Vieth,Jr. via Steve
Hicks.
85
of those ap-
foal was re-
14
NEW MEXICO
Eddy County - Four expensive horses - all mares and all in
foal - died under odd circumstances in an area south of
Carlsbad, New Mexico. It has been estimated that three of
them died on Friday, January 19, 1979, and two
peared to have been classically mutilated. The
moved from one of the mares. The deputy in charge of the in¬
vestigation, John C. Neill, visited the scene cm Monday, the
22nd, along with Sheriff Tom Granger. That night the owner
of the ranch, Clarence McDonald, kept watch over the area
until midnight. The next morning - Tuesday, the: 23rd - a
fourth horse was found dead and mutilated. One of the other
three mares - which was found dead but not mutilated on Mon¬
day — was found mutilated on Tuesday. Carlsbad veterinarian
M. C. Reynolds revealed that, in his opinion, the horses
died of "acute toxic hepatitis" (An experienced mutilation
investigator has pointed out that severe liver deterioration
has been noted in other mutilated carcasses, the suggestion
being that this could have occurred in the Eddy County hor¬
ses and was mistaken for hepatitis). Beyond thsit, Dr. Rey¬
nolds did not offer an explanation for the mutilation of
the horses.
A confidential source informs us that at least
tilation occurred in Eddy County around the fi^r.
year. Also, there have been sightings of unide:
copters in the areas of the mutilations. Then,
"makeshift altar" - containing deer and dog sku
glass and cheap jewelry - was found along a str<
north of Carlsbad. Then, in June 1979, the Art*!
PRESS reported that Sheriff Granger's office
ting the discovery of three mutilated goats ancji
hens in the general area of the January horse
one other mu¬
st of the
ratified heli-
in May, a
11s, rocks,
eet two miles
sia, NM DAILY
s investiga-
a dozen dead
ilnut ilation s.
In August 1979, Project Stigma interviewed John
is currently ranching and is no longer associal
Eddy County Sheriff's Office. Mr. Neill is a d:L
and frustrated ex-mutilation investigator. Though he was un-*
Neill, who
ted with the
sgruntled
86
15
aware of the goat and hen deaths in June, he expressed no
confidence in the outcome of any future investigations in
Eddy County. At the invitation of U.S. Senator Harrison
Schmitt, Neill attended the Albuquerque mutilation confer¬
ence in April, to his dismay and disappointments "I've ne¬
ver been made a part of or exposed to such idiocy in my
lifel-The whole reason for (the conference), and you can
quote me on this, was to get a damn grant for a couple of
ol* boys that needed a job and got themselves a fifty-
thousand -dollar grant. Nobody asked to see the photographs
that I had with me in my briefcase. They didn't ask to see
the mare that I've had veterinarians look at. Photographs
(of the mare) had been taken consecutively for 130-140
days and the mare hadn't decomposed - they didn't ask to
see anything.“ Regarding the January mutilations, Neill
says, "It was something that defies my imagination".
Sources ; Carlsbad,NM, CURRENT ARGUS (Jan. 23,24,25, 1979);
Artesia, NM, DAILY PRESS (Jan. 24, 25, 29, 1979 and June
19, 1979)
Torrance County - The first 1979 mute here involved a
still-warm freshly-mutilated 6-month-old 3teer found on
the morning of Monday, January 29th. The penis had been re¬
moved and the intestines were removed through a hole in the
scrotum. The ears were "beveled out...with precision" (see
Huerfano Co.,Colo. - the mutilation of "Fools' Gold") Cir¬
cular hairless patches were found on both sides of the ani¬
mal; the hair appeared "rubbed off" rather than pulled out,
and there were small lacerations within the patches. The
jugular vein had been punctured in two places, the neck was
broken (leading to the oft-repeated speculation in New Mexi¬
co that mutilated carcasses are dropped '/from the air), and
there was no blood in the heart and little elsewhere in the
body. In May, State Patrolman Gabe Valdez announced that
two common drugs had been identified in samples taken from
the carcass: Chloropromazine (a "widely-distributed" tran¬
quillizer) and a common blood-clotting agent. Valdez told
the Santa Fe NEW MEXICAN: "We know this stuff is made here,
and it isn't from outer space. Whoever is doing it is high¬
ly sophisticated, and they have a lot of resources. They're
well-organized". The second Torrance County mutilation was
87
16
that of a five-year-old cow around the first of April.
Sheriff Bobby Chavez reported clamp marks on the hind legs
and he suggested the animal may have been deftly dropped
in the corner of the corral where it was found. Also in¬
side the corral, 25 feet away, were tripod tracks or mark¬
ings.
Sources : Unsigned report, dated 1/31/09, to Senator Harri¬
son Schmitt and aide John Ryan, obtained from the FBI un¬
der a Freedom of Information Act request; TORRANCE COUNTY
CITIZEN (Estancia.NM), 2A/79; THE NEW MEXICAN (Santa Fe),
5/2/79.
Taos County - On January 12, a 5-year-old heifer was dis¬
covered near Ranchitos - less that a quarter-mile from the
site of a controversial UFO sighting and residue-dropping
in July of 1978. One eye, the tongue, anus and reproductive
organs were removed. It used to be thought that most or all
mutilations occurred in warm or moderate weather, but this
carcass was found frozen in the grip of a Taos winter. State
Policeman Gabe Valdez stated that the animal had been "def¬
initely tranquillized" and then the blood was pumped out
and the parts removed.
Source ; THE TAOS (NM) NEWS, 1A8/79
Guadelupe County - (Adjoining Torrance Co. on the east) -
A cow, which was expected to give birth in three weeks,
was found dead, with the udder neatly sliced off, near
Dilia. It was also revealed that a similar mutilation had
occurred in the nearby Dahlia area in the fall of 1978. A-
round the time of the Dilia mutilation - and 2% miles away -
barbed wire fences around several tracks of grazing land
were "cut and torn down".
Sources I SANTA ROSA (NM) NEWS, 5/3/79; Richard Caudell
R io Arriba County - Animal Mutilations Probe Director Da¬
vid Perkins investigated two reported mutes in the Regina
area (southern R.A. County, though Regina is just across
the line in Sandoval County) and he learned that perhaps
12 others had occurred nearby in the last year or so. The
two mutilations were uncovered by campers Bob Moench and
Frank Murphy. They took photos which Perkins later des¬
cribed as appearing "classic". One of the animals was ap-
88
17
parently killed on April y 20, the date of the Albuquerque
mutilation conference. Then, on Tuesday, July 3, rancher
Charlie Schmitz found one of his cows mutilated north of
Regina. The anus, udder and genitals were missing.
Sources ; RIO GRANDE SUN (Espanola, NM), 7/12/79? David
Perkins.
Santa Fe County - At the Santa Clara Pueblo, near Los Ala¬
mos, AMP Director David Perkins visited the office of the
Tribal Police on Friday, May 11th. He inspected their log¬
book which cited numerous reports of "unidentified aircraft"
in Nov. and Dec*, 1978* That night, a mutilation occurred
on Santa Clara land and, though tribal authorities tried
to keep the matter quiet, Gail Olson of the RIO GRANDE SUN
was tipped off about it- Even then. Tribal Police Chief Ro¬
ger Naranjo said the cow in question died giving birth, and
he asked that no one come out to look at it. But, investi¬
gators did "boldly go" to the site on May 13 and again on
the 14th* The rectum and genitals were neatly excised from
the pregnant cow and a one—inch hole had been cut in the
side of the still-attached udder. The calf was visible in¬
side the mother. The cow lay on its left side, with its
face in a running creek (see photo, this issue). The car¬
cass was scratched and branches of a tree just above the
site were broken. Hair from the cow's tail marked a trail
from the tree to the creek.
David Perkins reports that a light meter belonging to a
photographer would not work at the site, but functioned
perfectly a mile away. The brakes went out on the inves¬
tigators' car as they drove from the scene* At that time,
an unmarked, twin-engined airplane circled low over the
departing car three times. Additionally, Perkins uncovered
a report of a large UFO seen in Santa Clara Canyon by two
tribal policemen in early April, 1979.
Sources : David Perkins; RIO GRANDE SUN (Espanola, NM),
5/17/79; "Mute Wave In New Mexico" by Tom Clark in BOULDER
MONTHLY - July 1979.
LATE NEWS: A controversial mutilation was reported in July
near Truchas, in SE Rio Arriba Co. (Credit: Neil Bookman).
■ I 3 9—HI—BSSS— ■—■— jS —a —3 S — B — 1 - - 1 - - —|B— mt ■
89
18
KANSAS
Atchison County - The new year heralded a mini-wave of mu¬
tilations here, with three cases in January (1 cow, 2
sows) and one in March (calf). According to the ATCHISON
GLOBE (3/15/79), "Officers said they are convinced that
the mutilations are the work of humans and not done by an¬
imals". The Atchison County Sheriff's Office has not been
responsive to Project Stigma requests for further details.
Source : Steve Hicks.
Harper County - In February an 850-lb. heifer was found
dead northeast of Harper. One eye and hind portions were
cut out. A large amount of blood was found in a nearby
creek, and tracks from a four-wheel-drive vehicle were no¬
ted at the scene. Butchering for meat? Quite possibly. A
very similar case transpired near White -City in Morris Co.
in March.
Sources i Steve Hicks; Larry Teager; Harper, Kansas, ADVO¬
CATE, 2/22/79; Anthony, Kansas, REPUBLICAN, 2/28/79; Her-
ington, Kansas TIMES, 3/22/79.
Clark Countv - Since May 14, 1978, three mutilated cows
were found in this county adjoining Oklahoma. The second
occurred in June 1978 and the latest in April 1979. Sheriff
Loftis Messer is convinced he has identified the culprits:
cats. He's not sure what kind but if it's a bobcat, it's
"a large one". All of this resulted from plaster casts of
tracks found at the latest site, plus hair from the cow
found in one of the tracks and the print of a cat's paw on
a piece of the cow's hide. Messer admitted that he did not
believe that the cats actually killed the cows, but that
"they apparently died from other causes and the cat happen¬
ed to be in the neighborhood at the time". In the three mu¬
tilations, the "teats and ovaries" of the cows were "clean¬
ly and neatly removed", with no blood in evidence. As in
many mute cases, water was nearby. In each incident, the
victimized cow was either about to drink from a tank or a
pond - or had just done so. The sheriff thinks the cows
sought water to relieve a disorder of the stomach or simi¬
lar area, with this ailment having most likely been the
90
19
actual cause of death.
Sources : Steve Hicks; CLARK COUNTY CLIPPER (Ashland, Kan¬
sas), 4/26/79) and Ron Morrison, editor of the CLIPPER.
NEBRASKA
Madison Countv - Norfolk-area fanner Harry Miller heard a
"commotion" in his pasture around 5i30 AM on Saturday, Ju¬
ly 14, 1979. Miller investigated to find his cows scatter¬
ed and badly frightened and upset. He found that a 3-month-
old heifer had been killed; one ear was cut off and the in¬
testines were "neatly cut out" and left laying at the site.
Source : Carol Werkmeister of the Study on Animal Mutila¬
tions (SAM) - Route 2, Box 67 - Madison, Nebraska 68748;
NORFOLK (Nebraska) DAILY NEWS, 7/17/79.
Pierce County - On Tuesday, July 17th, two mutilated cal¬
ves - each missing genitals, one ear, both eyes and an oval
patch of hide from the hip - were discovered near Osmond.
Sheriff Bill House said, "...this is probably related to the
one in Madison County. These animals have the same identi¬
cal marks and clean cuts. It has to be a bunch of weirdos".
Sources ; Carol Werkmeister; NORFOLK DAILY NEWS, 7/19/79.
SOUTH DAKOTA
Shannon Countv -.Investigators at a Project Stigma/Animal
Mutilation Probe conference in mid-April pondered the rela¬
tive lack of mute reports from the Western Dakotas andNW
Nebraska. On that weekend, a mutilation was discovered on
the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in SW South Dakota. The
first mute on the reservation had actually occurred in mid-
March, near Kyle. A cow was found with the udder and geni¬
tals removed and a few days later an identical case occur¬
red in the same area (tongue also gone on this one). A hel¬
icopter had been heard but not seen and a series of skid¬
like tracks were found in the snow near one mute site. The
third mute, then, occurred on that mid-April weekend near
the town of Pine Ridge. Sources i Lucius Farish (U.F.O. News-
clipping Service); Tribal Police Captain Robert Ecoffey.
9i
REVIEWS
UFO TERMS - by Robert Stevenson Somerville - published by
UFO Schools, Inc.; P.0, Box 21; Warren, Michigan 48090 -
$8.00 (includes postage, handling).-—--
In this volume, where the language of ufology is concerned,
no stone is left un-termed. Somerville scattershoots throu¬
gh virtually every facet of UFO research. He includes mat¬
erial on mutilations and Project Stigma, while cautioning
that not everyone is convinced that mutilations occur, much
less that they are linked to UFOs. The author objectively
presents arguments for and against the reality of mutes and
the UFO connection. The author directs his book to those
"who do not have the time or inclination to follow the many
developments in Ufology, but would like to obtain a basic
understanding of the subject". Somerville's research has
been extensive and intensive. UFO TERMS breaks no new spec¬
ulative ground, but it will prove useful to the armchair
browser as well as to the serious researcher desiring to
"bone up" on basic ufological concepts. The encyclopedia ar¬
ray of data reminds one of the richness, complexity and con¬
fusion inherent in our groping for understanding of the UFO
phenomenon and all its tangential aspects. There is a lot of
information in the book of potential interest to mutilation
researchers - though not necessarily identified as such. UFO
TERMS is especially recommended for the beginner; but there
is no reason why veteran researchers should not plan to in¬
clude it in their library.
MESSENGERS OF DECEPTION - by Jacques Vallee - $6.95 plus
$1.00 handling from: And/Or Book Conspiracy; P.0. Box 2246;
Berkeley, California 94702.-—-----
MESSENGERS OF DECEPTION is concerned with what Dr. Vallee
feels may be the nature of the UFO phenomenon and he deems
it likely that the "classic" animal mutilations are indeed
linked with the total UFO-picture, a picture fraught with,
deception, fabrication and manipulation. We can sympathize.
In STIGMATA #2, we expressed the opinion that the mutilators
"are accomplished and adroit enough at what they are doing
that they possess a high capability for deception; that they
can make us believe just about anything about them". Vallee
92
21
suggests that the “manipulators" may be strictly human. We
have already detected some confusion among readers of MOD
over whether Vallee intends to suggest that these humans
have created and originated the phenomenon itself or have
merely been manipulating the belief in and the reaction to'
ward UFOs. Vallee seems to be thinking the latter when he
writes; "It is not the phenomenon itself, but the belief it
has created, which is manipulated by human groups with
their own objectives". He really doesn't tell us what the
ultimate source of UFOs may be, stating, "...we still need
to discover the source (of UFOs)...". In fact, Vallee seems
to suggest the existence of deception on the part of both
the UFO-intelligence itself and the humans who are manipu¬
lating the beliefs when he writes:
I think UFOs are perpetrating a deception by presen-
opting their so-called "occupants" as being messengers
from outer space, and I suspect there are groups of
people on earth exploiting this deception.
An exquisite double-barreled deception to jolt the most
jaded of paranoids.
Vallee proposes that the UFO phenomenon acts upon humanity
as a "control system". Beyond that, what could be the rea¬
son for this scenario of deception, not on the part of the
phenomenon itself but on the part of the proposed human
manipulators? We can speculate on the possibilities, which
include both benevolent and malevolent intentions.
First, by promoting the idea of extraterrestrial (or even
"ultraterrestrial" or other-dimensional) visitors and/or in¬
tervention, the "hu-mind" (mankind's collective unconscious)
is presented with a sublime chord-striking mystery which
tantalizes and titilates but remains forever beyond our firm
grasp. But in reaching for an understanding of the phenom¬
enon we are continually stimulating our sense of wonder and
our desire for empathy with something beyond ourselves. It
may be that the "manipulators" realize that the existence
of and our awareness of such mysteries is beneficial or e-
ven necessary for the health and stability of mankind and
93
the hu-mind in this age of unprecedented stres
ty. On the other hand, the motives of the mani
could be quite different. Perhaps the ever-pre
tion of non-terrestrial intervention suggests
really do not have to "save" ourselves; we do
come up with any solutions of our own to insur
val of our species on this planet. The ufonaut.
or whatever will be here to save us - they may
hope. This fine-tuning of our vulnerability am
bility could lead to our undoing by paving the
tyrannical force which will provide us with on
assume domination. The manipulation could be
Vallee seems to suspect the latter. He especia
that the proliferation of UFO and contactee-o:
may be designed to allow creeping irrationalitt;
roads on our culture, politics and social-psyc
Allen Hynek reviewed HOD for SECOND LOOK (Wash
May 1979). Hynek, who collaborated with Vallee
OF REALITY (Vallee is critical of Hynek in MOD
is returned, with Hynek suggesting that Vallee:
manipulatee), suggests that Vallee may be ovex'
the role and impact of UFO and contactee-orie
and that Vallee emphasizes the beliefs in UFOs:
ring many crucial aspects of the phenomenon i
In light of all the above, Vallee is convinced,
tilations play a crucial role, though he's un<
ther the UFO/mutilation link has been deceitfii
to throw investigators off track or whether tty
"are in fact the 'next step' in the unfolding
directly related to the UFOs". He devotes two
the mutes. No two chapters in the world could
encompass this phenomenon which has been slam
our midst, but Vallee touches upon some of th4
nent aspects of the mute mystery. However, he
tion the Bigfoot-hairo id-ape-like-creature eles
according to Ed Sanders' speculation, could fi.
into Vallee*s scenario). And, regarding the si.*
unmarked helicopters over and near mutilation
lee graciously admits that "the helicopter the:
be completely disproved" (an unfortunately su;
derstatement). The sheriffs' reports pictured
s and anxie-
ijpulators
sent expecta-
to us that we
not need to
e the survi-
or skymen
be our only
d suscepti-
way for a
r "needs" and
gfood or bad;
lly feels
rfiented cults
y to make in-
:he. Dr. J.
ington, D.C.;
on THE EDGE
and the favor
may be the
-emphasizing
tyted cults,
while igno-
ti.se If .
that the mu-
certain who¬
lly simulated
e mutilations
of a process
chapters to
ever hope to
-fdunked into
more perti-
doesn't men-
ment (which,
t very well
ghtings of
sites, Val-
ory cannot
$}erficial un-
on page 175
94
23
of MESSENGERS OF DECEPTION, by the way, are from the files
of Project Stigma.
Vallee is cautious throughout MOD, hedging his bets with a
liberal use of such terms as "suppose" or "it may be" or
"what if..so it would be hard to say exactly where he
stands. Actually, we find little fault with this approach.
If Vallee were to state “it is" so-and-so or "I am convin¬
ced that..." or even "I believe...", this would imply be¬
lief on his part and he realizes that belief is unnecess¬
ary, undesirable and unsupportable. He is speculating, al¬
though that is not always clearly stated. Perhaps at this
point he doesn't know what to believe, anyway. He may have
come to realize that he cannot truly believe anything. May¬
be that is precisely where he should be - and maybe that's
where the rest of us should be. The sky's the limit or, as
John Keel (whose role and impact in ufology is as momentus,
if not more so, than Vallee*s) would say, "Everything's up
for grabs". Jacques Vallee possesses one of the keenest
minds to have looked into UFOs indepth. All of his books
are crucial, seminal and, like MESSENGERS OF DECEPTION,
highly recommended.
THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE
We are, as always, very interested in seeking out details
regarding the occurrence of what appear to be classic mu¬
tilations in countries other than the U.S. For instance,
we have learned of an outbreak of mutilations in May in
Panama. In the Canary Islands (Spanish possessions, off the
NW coast of Africa) a series of mysterious animal deaths
have occurred. At least some of these resulted in the remo¬
val of blood and hearts from dogs and goats.
Then, a series of cattle mutilations occurred in Alberta,
Canada (including an attack on a $45,000 Simmental bull).
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is concerned and is in¬
vest iga ting. More details will be forthcoming, hopefully.
Sources ; Danny Liska, Fernando Cerda Guardia, Neal Mednick.
95
Above: Animal
Mutilation
Probe Director
David Perkins
examines muti¬
lated carcass;
Santa Clara
Pueblo, New
Mexico; May,
1979.
Below: Clark
County, Kansas;
April, 1979.
Sheriff Loftis
Messer believes
mutilation to
be the result of
a cat attack*
Credit : Above:
David Perkins*
Below: Ron Mor¬
rison, CLARK
COUNTY CLIPPER.
96
THE EDITOR FROM OUTER SPACE 25
Mark Acuff of THE NEW MEXICO INDEPENDENT of Albuquerque must
surely be recently-arrived from some other-worldly realm. Otherwise,
it would be hard to imagine how anyone so ill-informed could be a jour¬
nalist. In early May, he authored an editorial on the April mutilation
conference, sponsored by Senator Harrison Schmitt. Acuff variously des¬
cribes the gathering as a "sideshow”, "hysterical event", "exquisite far¬
ce" and "the strangest collection of weirdos ever assembled in New Mex¬
ico". The shaken editor was aghast that the conference "was actually cal¬
led and chaired by a United States senator" and that "most of the people
there took it quite seriously". Project Stigma's Tom Adams got up to an¬
nounce the availability of a paper that he and Gary Massey were present¬
ing regarding the appearance of unidentified helicopters at or near mutila¬
tion sites. The preliminary report represented only a few of the 200-plus
helicopter/mute cases in our files, most of which will be included in an
upcoming special report. The mounting evidence for this copter/mute con¬
nection is overwhelming. Yet, rather than addressing himself to the data,
Acuff whines that, "The notion that thousands of such (copter/mute) inci¬
dents have been undertaken by unmarked helicopters is several levels be¬
yond preposterous".
Some relatively bizarre material was presented at the conference. Else¬
where in this issue, we mentioned the speculation that it may have been
intended that way, to perhaps provoke reactions precisely like that of A-
c uf f's.
We have never claimed that the helicopters band their occupants are doing
the mutilations, only that they have been present at the scene of hundreds
of mutilations (not "thousands") for purposes and reasons not yet under¬
stood. To question the existence of the helicopter/mute link or to doubt
the very occurrence of classic mutilations is, for a journalist, to be in¬
comprehensibly out of touch with "reality". We must note that being
"opinionated" and informed do not necessarily go hand-in-hand.
At the same time, we are reminded of Elbert Hubbard's definition of the
function of an editor: to separate the wheat from the chaff, and to see
that the chaff gets published.
STIGMATA * Copyright 1979 by Thomas R. Adams* Permission is
granted to quote and extract freely if proper credit is given.
97
26
LETTERS
Dear Subscribers:
Being a participant at the conference on the topic of live¬
stock mutilations on April 20, 1979 in Albuquerque, New
Mexico, I felt that there was a lot of apprehension among
individual investigators and law enforcement officials a-
bout getting up and giving their presentation, especially
those that were more knowledgable about the subject. There
was also concern among both these groups of individuals a-
bout the Federal Bureau of Investigation's involvement. It
was common knowledge among both of these groups that the
FBI involvement was not sincere in its approach to the sub¬
ject.
First of all, anyone that has done any in-depth research
into the mutilations knows that the Federal Bureau of In¬
vestigation was involved in this subject matter back in
1975. Federal agents were all over the country checking
into the mutilations from various angles, some agents were
even joining cult groups as members to check their acti¬
vities, others were looking into the narcotic traffic for
clues. A special effort was made to channel all the infor¬
mation from various law enforcement agencies to these a-
gents. Wien the FBI entered the picture again at the con¬
ference, pretending that this was the first time that they
were getting involved, it was obvious to those that had
prior knowledge about their involvement to begin with. The
main question behind this activity is still to be answered.
But the emphasis was on the data that had been gathered by
independent investigators to be channeled into a computer.
After the conference, the FBI supposedly backed out and
stated they had no jurisdiction in the matter. But a cer¬
tain "retiring" FBI agent, Ken Rommel, was to head the "of¬
ficial" investigation into the mutilations in the State of
New Mexico. It has come to my attention that Ken Rommel
does not want independent investigators involved with this
project. He feels that they should not be allowed certain
information that is to be gathered.
98
LETTERS (Continued)
27
Furthermore, after my presentation at the conference, Carl
Whiteside, Deputy Director of the Colorado Bureau of In¬
vestigation, called me to the side as I was<.walking out
and told me, in a threatening voice, that I had no right
to make the statements that I did at the conference con¬
cerning the way the CBI had handled law enforcement rep¬
orts and samples submitted to Fort Collins, I, in turn,
told him that I was only making true statements that can
be backed up by journalists and law enforcement officials
which I had been in contact with.
Not too many are familiar with the fact that Carl White-
side was the "focal point" starting back in early 1975 for
mutilation material from law enforcement officials across
the nation, not just in Colorado. He has also gathered a
tremendous amount of material on the unmarked choppers
sighted in these areas of mutilations.
There are numerous things that have happened in this muti¬
lation phenomenon (some of which are beyond present scien¬
tific explanation) that has not reached the public, but I
feel that "Stigmata" is doing an excellent job in trying
to get some of it before the public, especially when the
funding is coming out of their own back pocket. I suggest
that those that are seriously interested in this phenome¬
non help in any way the workthat Tom and his staff are do¬
ing.
Please be advised that some of the more blatant statements
coming from some UFO organizations is because they do not
have enough data about these mutilations. Suggest reading
Vallee's book, MESSENGERS OF DECEPTION.
Sincerely,
Tommy Roy Blann; 1002 Edmonds Ln.,#152; Lewisville ,TX 75067
(continued)
99
LETTERS (Continued)
28
I would like to tell Bill Damm, Sheriff of Custer County,
Miles City, Montana that if he would have looked closely
at the animals that died on his ranch as he was growing
up, as all farmers and ranchers I know do, and have always
done, he might know the difference between what predators
do and a cut with a sharp instrument. I have helped with
butchering many animals in my lifetime and know what a
knife cut looks like. Whenever we lost an animal we ins¬
pected it closely to find cause of death and hopefully to
prevent it happening again. This is true today as well as
35 years ago. I have photos of a calf we lost this spring
and know a coyote or dog did the damage. Edges of the wou¬
nd are rough with some stringing of flesh, though smoother
than some people think, and there was a big puddle of
blood in the deep wound. The flesh is bright red as oppos¬
ed to mutilation victim's flesh, even when found soon af¬
ter death and mutilation.
We have seen many cases of predator mutilation and not
once have we seen the eyes, genitals, udder or ears touch¬
ed. Whole shoulders have been eaten out overnight, feast¬
ing has been through the belly hide to the intestines or
liver and other organs and in the hind quarter deep into
the meat of the thigh. I will admit we may have different
predators than other areas of the country and that I can
believe a vulture or other bird may go for the eyes but
some of the statements I find hard to swallow.
Sincerely,
Carol Werkmeister (Study on Animal Mutilations)
Route 2 - Box 67; Madison, Nebraska 68748
MICRO-REVIEW- THE NIGHT MUTILATORS by Gene Duplantier.
(Available from Saucerian Press;Box 2228;Clarksburg,WV 26301)
TNM contains glaring errors of omission & commission: a care¬
lessly-concocted effort to make a fast buck,seemingly. Not
recommended, except to diehard memoribilia collectors.
lOO
STIGMATA SUPPLEMENT NUMBER ONE - JANUARY 1980
PUBLISHED BY PROJECT STIGMA - P.O, BOX 1094 - PARIS, TEXAS 75460 USA
I. STIGMATA will be a quarterly publication
in 1980, beginning with the next issue. No,
8 (Spring 1980)*
2* Price increase : STIGMATA No, 8 will be
priced at $1. 00 each, as announced, but the
next three 1980 issues will cost $1* 50 each.
A one-year subscription to the four 1980
issues (#8, 9, 10 & 11) is now $5.00.
Those who have already paid their dollar
for No. 8 may subscribe to issues 9, 10 &
11 for $4*00.
Back issues of editions 4, 5, 6 & 7 are
still available @ $1.00 each.
Order from Project Stigma at the address
listed above. We ask that foreign subscribers
remit in U. 3, funds or International Money
Order*
3. HELICOPTER REPORT: We regret the de¬
lay in the publication of this report, which
we announced several months ago. The re¬
port is still in preparation and will appear
in the first half of 1980, It will consist pri¬
marily of a catalog of unidentified helicopter
accounts in the vicinity of mutilation events,
A decision had to be made whether to com¬
plete preparation of the helicopter report
right away or to proceed with the publica¬
tion of STIGMATA Nb. 8, and we have opt¬
ed for the latter. The final word on the pub¬
lication of this mystery helicopter report
will appear in No. 8 - honest. Apparently
these choppers are yet to be "grounded 11 :
Two cattle mutilations occurred in Western
Nebraska this year and an unmarked heli¬
copter was seen in the area of both sites.
4. LETTERS FROM READERS are of great
Interest to us. We hope to publish several
In the next and subsequent editions, but we
would like to see more of your comments
and opinions. If you write to us be sure to
specify whether your letter or parts there¬
of is for publication and whether you want
OCCURRENCES, RUMOURS AND THINGS-
IN-THE-WORKS: Many readers are aware
that, since the publication of STIGMATA
No, 7* most of the interest in the muti¬
lation phenomenon has been emanating
from* and directed toward* the Canadian
provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan,
where at least 30 livestock mutilations
have been reported. With few exceptions,
the classic mutilations have been a phen¬
omenon of the 1970*8 and of the continen¬
tal United States. Now, with the decade
on the wane, an interesting new perspec¬
tive has been added with the advent of
the Alberta (and Sask.) mute wave. We
will inevitably be intrigued by whatever
developments await us in the Eighties.--
.—Things have been relatively
quiet in the U. S. as the outbreak devel¬
oped in Canada, There was a considera¬
ble mute onslaught in Arkansas this year
(see STIGMATA No. 7) but they nave ap¬
parently ceased in that state for the mo¬
ment. Otherwise, there have been scatter¬
ed reports in late 1979 from Nebraska,
Kansas, Colorado and, most recently* in
Iowa and Illinois. We'll update these in
STIGMATA No. 8,. ------Did muti*
lations occur in the 1380's, in 1910 and
in 19117? We have very few details at pre¬
sent but we hope to learn more and rep A
ort on them in the near future.------
---Among items that are rumored to be
in the works, however tentatively: an an¬
thology of commentary on the mutilation
phenomenon; a bibliography of published
materials;, a fund for research and Inves¬
tigation; an in-depth documentary by a
Colorado TV station, a program which
may or may not be circulated to other TV
stations around the country.--—--
We wish we had a dollar (no, make that
an ounce of gold) for every writer we've
heard of within the past few years who
promised (or threatened) to turn out a
serious book on mutilations.---.
Project Stigma ripped off by OMN17? De¬
tails later._-
