The Night of the Goblins

On August 21, 1955, the Sutton family in rural Kentucky was besieged by small, glowing creatures for hours. The family fired hundreds of rounds at beings that seemed impervious to bullets, fleeing only at midnight.

The Location

Sutton farmhouse:

• Near Kelly, Kentucky
• Rural, isolated
• Between Kelly and Hopkinsville
• No electricity
• Remote

The Evening

August 21, 1955:

• Billy Ray Taylor
• Saw object land
• In dried creek bed
• Behind farmhouse
• Told skeptical family

First Appearance

About 8:00 PM:

• Dog barked wildly
• Men investigated
• Small creature appeared
• At edge of clearing
• Armed themselves

The Creatures

Witnesses described:

• 3-4 feet tall
• Silvery, glowing
• Large ears pointed
• Big yellow eyes
• Long arms with claws

The Battle

For four hours:

• Creatures kept appearing
• At windows
• On roof
• Family kept shooting
• Bullets had no effect

Impervious

When shot:

• Creatures fell back
• Floated down
• Got back up
• Returned
• Couldn’t be stopped

The Family

Eleven people:

• Multiple Suttons
• Multiple Taylors
• Children present
• All terrified
• All witnessed

The Escape

Around midnight:

• Family piled in cars
• Fled to Hopkinsville
• Found police
• Told story
• Hysterical

Police Investigation

Officers arrived:

• Found shell casings
• Hundreds of rounds
• Damage to house
• Family genuine terror
• Filed reports

After Police Left

The creatures returned:

• Appeared again
• Until dawn
• Then stopped
• Never came back
• Single night

Skeptical Views

Some suggested:

• Great horned owls
• Alcohol-induced
• Hoax
• But evidence argues against
• Family traumatized

Significance

One of the most detailed and bizarre creature encounters, with multiple witnesses and evidence of genuine firefight.

Legacy

The Hopkinsville case remains a cornerstone of high-strangeness research, documented in Air Force files and studied for decades.