Crux

History

Thomas R. Adams published Crux from P.O. Box 1094, Paris, Texas 75460, beginning in 1985. The publication existed as a companion to his longer-running Stigmata newsletter, which had been investigating animal mutilations since 1978 under the banner of "Project Stigma." Where Stigmata focused exclusively on cattle mutilation reports, Crux carried the broader Fortean material that did not fit that narrower brief: UFO occupant encounters, cryptozoology, anomalous precipitation, historical oddities, and sharp critical commentary on investigative standards in ufology.

The first issue of Crux (1985) carried articles on the Gallup, New Mexico incident, propulsion proposals, an open letter to UFO investigators regarding the books of Salvador Freixedo, what Adams called "Lite UFOlogy" (his term for uncritical popular sensationalism), "Zooddities," and an account of "Dr. Deb's Close Encounter in 1586." The tone was eclectic, rigorous, and impatient with sloppiness.

Stigmata back issues were available at $3.00 each (US/Canada/Mexico) or $4.00 elsewhere, with bulk discounts for multiple purchases. The available numbers (13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 20, and 21, covering 1981 to 1984) suggest irregular publication with some issues either not produced or sold out. Adams had been tracking animal mutilation cases since the mid-1970s wave and maintained one of the most detailed private case files on the subject.

Adams's editorial voice was distinctive: sardonic, well-read, willing to entertain genuinely strange claims while simultaneously mocking credulous investigators. The "Lite UFOlogy" column in particular served as a running critique of the field's tendency toward uncritical acceptance of sensational claims.