Mason County 'Mothman' has his resurrection on TV

*The following are two articles about X-files that were printed in a local West Virginia newspaper. The first article segment makes brief mention of **the "Detour" episode** that featured a Mothman reference. The second full article is entirely dedicated to that episode and the Mothman. These articles appeared in The Herald Dispatch in 1997. It was the week after the (Nov23/1997) episode aired, meaning it could be either November 1997 or December 1997.*

## **'X-files' awaits your vote**

> Viewer's Choice Marathon gives a holiday choice
>
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**By CHARBONEE LA BELLE**

The Herald-Dispatch

There's still time.

And the truth is out there.

But if you missed last week's "X-Files" episode "Detour," which mentioned the Point Pleasant "Mothman" legend, you won't see it Thursday in a 12-hour marathon on F/X.

Whether you're an "X"-phile or a casual viewer, you can influence TV history by picking your favorite episode from past seasons.

But hurry, you only have until noon today. Cast your vote at http:// www. foxnetwork . com/

The Viewer's Choice Marathon, which airs from noon to midnight, gives TV viewers an alternative to football and parades. For Century Communications' customers, the channel for F/X is 41.

You can vote for episodes such as the pilot, when Agent Dana Scully, played by Gillian Anderson, was assigned to work with and dispel the wild paranormal theories of agent Fox Mulder, played by David Duchovny.

Please see **"X-Files"/2A** *[End of Article Segment]*

## **Mason County 'Mothman' has his resurrection on TV**

**By CHARBONEE LA BELLE**

The Herald-Dispatch

On Nov. 15, 1966, Mothman arrived, scaring two young Point Pleasant, W.Va., couples, according to John A. Keel in his book, "The Mothman Prophecies."

On Nov. 15, 1996, the 30-year anniversary of the first Mothman sighting is celebrated.

On Nov 23, 1997, "The X-Files" airs "Detour" and takes a local legend national. The Mothman is now many Moth men and kills farm animals.

In the show, transparent men with glowing red eyes try to halt development in a rural forest area of Florida. In the process of concluding that these men are Ponce de Leon and his conquistadors perfectly adapted to their surroundings after finding the Fountain of Youth, Agent Fox Mulder mentions the Point Pleasant legend as a similar case.

"Thirty years ago, something terrorized the town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, for over a year, killing farm animals and terrorizing the populace," Mulder said to agent Dana Scully.

"Witnesses described them as primitive looking men with piercing red eyes that came to be known as Moth Men. I've got an X-File on it dating back to 1952." Mulder said.

To which Scully, ever skeptical, replied, "Filed next to what? The cockroach that ate Cincinnati?"

And perhaps that was the Mothman's 15 minutes of fame. But "The X-Files" exposure the Mothman got will help rekindle interest, said Mark Phillips, owner of Marketing and Design Group in Point Pleasant.

So here's the basic Mothman legend, according to people who heard from people who heard from a friend who heard from their parents. ... Well, you get the idea.

Keel, in his book, quotes the first two terrorized couples as saying they were driving about 100 mph as the creature flapped its bat-like wings.

A site on the Internet, http:// www . tenthmuse . com talks about the creature having two huge red eyes 6 inches apart buried in its shoulders.

Phillips' Internet Site, http:// members . aol . com/ tells of the West Virginia Ordnance Works complex near where the Mothman was first seen.

Gallipolis, Ohio, resident B.J. Eichinger heard a different story. "Some teen-agers had pop or beer and threw a can up in the air," she said.

"It was thrown back down at them. And I heard somebody said that it was on the Silver Bridge the night it fell."

After the bridge collapsed Dec 15, 1967, and 46 people were killed, sightings abruptly ended.

Eichinger, an avid "X-Files" fan, said the show, like the legend, helps entertain people.

"I think it helps us escape from the reality we have to put up with every day."

Phillips said the legend doesn't have to be real to be entertaining.

"Whether or not he's true - he's a lot of fun," Phillips said.

[*The article features a drawing of the Mothman in front of a green background. The caption reads: "***This illustration by Thom Marsh of The Herald-Dispatch is but one example of what the 'Mothman' may have looked like**". *The artwork is a grey headless man-shaped form with broad wings and red eyes. The depiction has arms and a slight bug-like look which are details based more on the creature's name than the witnesses' description. This drawing and article is an incite into the public perception and understanding of the legend in 1997.*]