Dallas civil trial attorney Stratton Horres is offering $1,000 for the return of a gravestone stolen from Aurora Cemetery that legend states marked the final resting place of an extraterrestrial.

According to local legend, an airship sailing over Aurora, Texas, on the morning of April 17th, 1897, met an untimely end when it collided with a windmill. The Dallas Morning News reported at the time that only the airship's pilot was aboard, and although his remains were "badly disfigured," it was clear that "he was not an inhabitant of this world." T.J. Weems, the United States signal service officer in Aurora, gave his opinion that the pilot was a native of Mars, and a funeral for the unfortunate extraterrestrial was held the following day, reported the newspaper.

Horres told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that while he doesn't necessarily believe the legend, he enjoys reading about and researching stories about unidentified flying objects. He hopes that his offer of a financial reward might result in some evidence being brought forward.

"It's a legend that persists after 120 years. It's pretty remarkable," Horres said. "I'm skeptical but would love to find some evidence that something has happened that we could not explain."

Horres also posted to social media site LinkedIn to explain his interest.