JOHN KEEL NOT AN AUTHORITY ON ANYTHING

Mairiporã I’ve had several requests for Jaye Paro’s article on Mount Misery, so I’m posting it here, since it’s probably hard to find now. It appeared in the July 1969 issue of Beyond magazine (see here for notes on her other articles). I previously posted the picture of Ms. Paro, and the shot of the strange creature, which to me looks like one of her friends in a costume. Here’s the rest, a lively collection of UFO sightings, forteana, and folklore from Long Island. I included the vintage ads, for fans of vintage ads.

Next in the file is a letter to Park and Mabel McDaniel, the parents of Linda Scarberry, one of the original Mothman witnesses. John warns them that he’s been receiving reports of a Keel double. He also mentions a visit to Lester Holly, a UFO buff in Ravenswood.

John also includes a clipping from the N.Y. Daily News, about the abduction of a young girl, which he marks as a “Probable MIB Case.” I apologize for the vintage photocopy, which has faded badly.

It’s a new year, and John writes Mary Hyre a letter about his reactions to the Silver Bridge collapse. He’s puzzled by phone disruptions in Point Pleasant, and curious about reports of a man in a plaid coat. Gray Barker, not surprisingly, denies any knowledge of “Jack Brown.” John hasn’t had much work, and is considering, reluctantly, writing something for the National Enquirer.

After the bridge collapse, a few days after Christmas, John reports on another Man In Black in West Virginia, “Jack Brown,” who may be familiar to readers of The Mothman Prophecies. One detail that didn’t make into the book: the unusual Mr. Brown seems more interested in John Keel and Mary Hyre than in UFOs. (John, by the way, did not have a romantic relationship with Mary Hyre). I don’t know why he had to cover for his activities over the holidays. He had a complicated life!