Certifying Witnesses (Rather Than What They Witnessed)

[feinman]

This new thread is a spin-off from:

Historic UFO Encounters: Newspaper Articles
https://forums.forteana.org/index.php?threads/historic-ufo-encounters-newspaper-articles.65811/

This line of discussion relates to something that's often encountered in, and ends up being important for, accounts of Fortean phenomena or incidents - i.e., the quality and veracity of the witnesses themselves.

Many of the better-known Fortean debates boil down to whom one believes and / or whether an original witness is believable. This issue of certifying witnesses is therefore a key issue in exploring Forteana.

 

[Indrid Drood]

Miss T. Kiesling, a trained nurse, who, with her mother and family, reside near Ford's house, are also willing to make affidavits to seeing the same thing.

Interesting, this talk of making sworn legal statements regarding things seen in the sky. I wonder if there exist any published examples of this sort of language used in relation to having seen fairies?

 

[feinman]

Miss T. Kiesling, a trained nurse, who, with her mother and family, reside near Ford's house, are also willing to make affidavits to seeing the same thing.

Interesting, this talk of making sworn legal statements regarding things seen in the sky. I wonder if there exist any published examples of this sort of language used in relation to having seen fairies?

I did indeed spend some time looking for accounts of strange beings.. I found a few very old Bigfoot-type sightings, but nothing like fairies or humanoids other than the Mothman type of sightings in a few of those old articles.

 

[Frideswide]

Interesting, this talk of making sworn legal statements regarding things seen in the sky. I wonder if there exist any published examples of this sort of language used in relation to having seen fairies?

This is a fascinating idea. Anyone got any thoughts? On this, rather than in general

 

[EnolaGaia]

This issue of validating the witnesses as much as validating their reports is one that's fascinated me over the circa 60 years during which I've been reading about Forteana.

In some cases the report itself gets lost in the mix as people argue over who is believable and who isn't. I've come to treat the juncture at which discussion moves from the event to the witnesses as a dangerous one, because this shift of focus is often the point at which a particular subject skids off in the direction of la-la-land.

 

[EnolaGaia]

Miss T. Kiesling, a trained nurse, who, with her mother and family, reside near Ford's house, are also willing to make affidavits to seeing the same thing. ...

This sort of thing is most common in older Fortean accounts. These older stories occurred at a time when people were discreet and self-conscious about their reputations. Offering to submit a formal sworn affidavit was a culturally / socially effective way to profess one's truthfulness, because it essentially "meant something" in the sociocultural context of the time.

The effect of such an offer has been watered down, now that "reputation" has taken a back seat to "celebrity."

The most common modern equivalent would be witnesses proactively claiming they'd submit to a polygraph exam.

 

[EnolaGaia]

Another angle that's commonly encountered relates to third-party claims or statements attesting to a witness's or commentator's quality, qualifications, etc.

Consider how many times you've read a Fortean account and a witness has been described in terms such as (e.g.):

- "a sober and upstanding member of the community";
- "a good / moral / Christian fellow";
- "a well-known authority on subject X";
- "a famous professor / researcher on the subject of ...";
- etc., etc. ...

 

[Indrid Drood]

This is a fascinating idea. Anyone got any thoughts? On this, rather than in general

I recently had on loan via ILL Joe Cooper's The Case of the Cottingley Fairies, and I do remember the offer or actual making of affidavits coming up in the book. Someone here must have a copy at hand.

edit: It was this: