Marius Dewilde and the beings on the tracks
The account
A railroad crossing keeper saw a dark object on the tracks and two small figures that paralyzed him with a beam of light.
What investigators found
Authorities interviewed the witness and examined the railway, but the account rests on a single person and was never confirmed.
The story
On the night of September 10, 1954, Marius Dewilde, who lived beside a railroad crossing in Quarouble, near Valenciennes in northern France, went outside when he heard his dog barking. He said he saw a dark mass on the tracks and two small figures in outfits that resembled diving suits. When he tried to approach, he was struck by a powerful light and was unable to move while the object rose and disappeared.
The case was investigated by police and became one of the symbols of the great French wave that fall. Supporters cite marks that supposedly appeared on the railroad ties. Skeptics note that there was no other direct witness, that the press of the time was already full of flying saucer reports, and that the origin of the marks was never proven.