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Not A Devil Of A Chance? Hmm
By Lord Rick
One of the most well known legends and lore in
the state of New Jersey and country is The Jersey Devil. One of the
earliest stories dates back to when the Lenape Indians went out to hunt
this creature and one by one each man disappeared. Did the hunted become
the hunter?
The only other legend that comes close to the
Jersey Devil in the amount of sightings and data is Sasquatch. But the
Jersey Devil is known for over 2000 sightings throughout NJ and even
Western Pennsylvania. When I put our expedition together I did it in a way
where some of the highest sightings took place. We even visited Leeds
Point supposedly one of the highest Jersey Devil sighting areas where the
Jersey Devil was born.
Their is alot of different versions of where its
Origin came from some say he was born in Estellville which we also visited
there others say Leeds Point. Nobody really knows some say the legend was
started to scare people out of the Pine Barrens because back in the day
moonshine trafficking was very common. You can read the following articles
below about the legends, sightings, lore etc of the Jersey Devil. I do not
think I could have written them better therefore I put a link to go with
each article since those that written the article probably take as much
pride as I do in finding this entity.
When I put this expedition together people
laughed at me they said hey nothing is in the Pine Barrens its just cold
and full of strange people. That is not true. Many ghost stories, strange
lights, bigfoot sightings and Jersey Devil sightings have taken place over
the years. What you must ask yourself is that why would so many people lie
Priest, George Washington's Men, Police Officers and even common man? With
every legend their has to be some sort of truth to it.
Maybe the Jersey Devil is an undiscovered
species, maybe its a ghost, maybe its just mistaken identity, or maybe it
really is a creature of the devil himself. Nobody knows I have heard alot
of stories about it being shot at, disappearing, chasing people, pulling
people in the Blue Hole another area we visited, screaming, eat small
animals such as killing live stock in some of the smaller towns and even
flying away. Alot of history shows us that the Jersey Devil sightings
closed down towns, villages, schools and even factories. I am not sure how
true this is cause as you can see in my history write ups of the ghost
towns of the Pine Barrens they were closed due to other related problems.
However that does not mean that this creature jumping roof to roof or
leaving hoof prints in the snow did not scare the locals enough to want to
get out of the Pine Barrens.
The Pine Barrens is 1.1 million acres trust me
anything could hide back in there. Alot of areas are inaccessible in the
Pine Barrens I know this I had to turn around as some roads were
graced by deep water. There is so many overgrown trails, lakes, streams,
woods, brush anything could be living back here. I am a believer that
there is more then one Jersey Devil since numerous ones have been sighted
in different areas around the same time. I believe its a smart creature or
rather curious I was lucky enough to come close to having an encounter
with it a few times during our expedition like when I went to my truck
alone something was making screams and breaking branches in the woods. But
when people usually see this thing it has red eyes which leads me to
believe it mainly is a nocturnal creature.
We also found tracks with giant claws that
skipped around in a very inaccessible area that trucks and cars cannot get
down certain times a year. The tracks had very thick claws and were hoof
like. There was no padding or human look to it. It was more round with a
couple giant claws. We also found a mutilation which the hind legs were separated
up to one mile apart of the same deer. Then further away we found the rest
of the deer's spine, front leg and fur. We never found the head though or
antlers. Near our camping area I went off to grab this hundred pound log
rolling it to the campsite. I was far away from camp alone and very far
off heard these screams in the woods. What was it I do not know we can
only theorize that these were signs that the Jersey Devil legend might
actually have some truth to it.
Even today the Jersey Devil is still being
sighted not as heavily of course as the 1909 mass sighting where thousands
seen it roaming through towns in the Pine Barrens. Some of the locals are
fairly quiet about it but I have read alot of stories from them of seeing
this creature standing outside there home, coming out of the woods, and
scaring them. Since the stories of this creatures size vary we have to
assume their is more then one. Some say it looks like a small dragon with
wings, others say it looks like a horse with a long neck that walks on two
legs, others say it looks like a prehistoric bird so it does vary based on
the persons own views. Their is some evidence of its existence like a
partial set of skeletal remains that was found in the Pine Barrens and was
never identified, strange prints that match no animal, then all the
mutilations left behind.
What I like about this legend is it keeps you on
your toes you never know day or night if your driving down a dirt road if
you might see this thing swoop down, cross the road, shriek around your
camp site, or if its watching and you cannot see it. I like the whole
mystery of it and I did not expect to see this thing my first trip but I
knew if I drove around about 100 miles down the Pine Barrens Dirt roads,
hiked, camped out, visited the various ghost towns we would find something
to bring back for our fans and we did.
I was pretty disappointed with Leed's Point
although there is a gated road which might have led us to the Shrouds
House where supposedly this creature was born my team was very tired and
upset at me for us spending the entire day in the woods. Unfortunately as
a cryptozoologist finding such a creature requires you to push your limits
camp out in the cold, get muddy, get the truck stuck on roads etc but I
made sure that I hiked or drove to almost every significant area the
Jersey Devil was seen at heavily or played a role in molding some sort of
history to the area such as the shutting down of a school house. It
makes me wonder if the Jersey Devil actually was a creature that was
trying to scare off the villagers to preserve its nesting ground.
At one time the Pine Barrens was a prehistoric
area full of many creatures which became extinct maybe that is what the NJ
Devil is perhaps one of these unknown creatures. If bigfoot can exist then
what about another undiscovered creature? I think the thrill of it for me
is the what if I came across it what would I do. I mean rumor has it
George Washington's men fired a cannon ball at the creature and today it
still walks. Maybe what we see is the devil himself!!
Below is about four articles everything from how
the legend became born to sightings to what it might be. Over the years
many people sighted the Jersey Devil around fires. Some say this is
a creature that is able to blow fire hence why so many structures burnt
down in the Pine Barrens. In Leeds Point their is a place called the
burning tree often related to the Jersey Devil. Then others have had
sightings of the Jersey Devil seen on beaches with a headless pirate and a
white stag others with a white lady. Then others have said the Jersey
Devil is like the mothman if you see it its an omen bad things are about
to happen. Everytime he has been sighted new wars have broke out the
revolutionary war the civil war etc.
This is perhaps the most mysterious creature
nobody knows if he was born as the 13th child, if its a demon, if its an
entity, a cross breed etc and perhaps those that do know will carry the
secret with them till the end. The Jersey Devil is a little devil with
alot of publicity!! This will always be my greatest investigations
sleeping out in the woods in the pine barrens just waiting to hear those
screams and try to crack a 300 year old mystery! I give to you my
fans the Jersey Devil!
By Lord Rick
The
JERSEY DEVIL
http://www.elktownship.com/myth.html
The Jersey Devil, the supposed mythical creature of the New Jersey
Pinelands, has haunted New Jersey and the surrounding areas for the past
260 years. This entity has been seen by over 2,000 witnesses over this
period. It has terrorized towns and caused factories and schools to close
down, yet many people believe that the Jersey Devil is a legend, a
mythical beast, that originated from the folklore of the New Jersey Pine
Barrens. Others disagree with this point of view. The following text will
show there is evidence to support the existence of an animal or
supernatural bring known as the Jersey Devil. The evidence consists of the
stories of the Jersey Devil's origin, the sightings of it, and finally,
the theories on it.
There are many different versions of the birth of the Jersey Devil. One of
the most popular legends says a Mrs. Shrouds of Leeds Point, NJ made a
wish that if she ever had another child, she want it to be a devil. Her
next child was born misshapen and deformed. She sheltered it in the house,
so the curious couldn't see him. On stormy night, the child flapped it's
arms, which turned into wings, and escaped out the chimney and was never
seen by the family again. A Mrs Bowen of Leeds point said, "The
Jersey Devil was born in the Shrouds house at Leeds Point." [1]
Another story that also placed the birth at Leeds Point said that a young
girl fell in love with a British soldier during the Revolutionary War. The
people of Leeds Point cursed her. When she gave birth, she had a devil.
Some people believe the birth of the devil was punishment for the
mistreatment of a minister by the Leeds folk.
Another story placed the birth in Estelville, NJ. Mrs. Leeds, of
Estelville, finding out she was pregnant with her 13th child,
shouted,"I hope it's a devil". She got her wish. The child wad
born with horns, a tail, wings, and a horse-like head. The creature
revisited Mrs. Leeds everyday. She stood at her door and told it to leave.
After awhile, the creature got the hint and never returned.
Burlington, NJ, also claims to be the birthplace of the Jersey Devil. In
1735, Mother Leeds was in labor on a stormy night. Gathered around her
were her friends. Mother Leeds was supposedly a witch and the child's
father was the devil himself. The child was born normal, but then changed
form. It changed from a normal baby to a creature with hooves, a horses
head, bat wings and a forked tail. It beat everyone present and flew up
the chimney. It circled the villages and headed toward the pines. In 1740
a clergy exercised the devil for 100 years and it wasn't seen again until
1890.
There are many other versions of the legend. The legends say it was the
6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, or 13th child, It was born normal or deformed, and
the mother confined it to the cellar or the attic. Although there are many
discrepancies in all of these stories, there are 3 pieces of evidence that
tie all of the legends of the Jersey Devil's origin together.
The first thing that ties the legends together is the name
"Leeds". Whether the mothers name was Leeds or the birth place
was Leeds Point, all of the stories include the name Leeds. Alfred Heston,
the Atlantic County Historian, believes that the devil could be a Leeds or
a Shrouds baby. He discovered that a Daniel Leeds opened land in Great Egg
Harbor, NJ, in 1699. His family lived in Leeds Point. He also discovered a
Samuel Shrouds, Sr. came to Little Egg Harbor, NJ, in 1735 and lived right
across the river from the house of Mother Leeds. The 3rd fact ties in the
Burlington story with the others stories. Professor Fred MacFadden of
Coppin State College, Baltimore, found that a "devil" was
mentioned in writings from Burlington as early as 1735. He also indicated
that the word Burlington was used to was the word used to names the area
from the city of Burlington to the Atlantic Ocean. This means that the
name that is now used for the birthplace such as Leeds point or Estelville,
could be the same place referred to in the Burlington Legend.
The origins provide some validity to the existence of the Jersey Devil,
but the sightings are the most substantial pieces of evidence. The
sightings have been divided up into 3 time periods, pre 1909, January
16-23, 1909, and post 1909.
From the pre 1909 era, few documented records of sightings still exist.
The ones that do confirm the existence of the devil.
In the early 19th century, Commodore Stephen Decatur, a naval hero, was
testing cannon balls on the firing range when he saw a strange creature
flying across the sky. He fired and hit the creature but it kept right on
flying across the field. Joseph Bonaparte, former king of Spain and
brother of Napoleon, saw the Jersey Devil in Bordentown, NJ, between 1816
and 1839 while he was hunting. In 1840-41 many sheep and chickens were
killed by a creature with a piercing scream and strange tracks. In
1859-94, the Jersey Devil was seen and numerous times and reportedly
carried off anything that moved in Haddonfield, Bridgeton, Smithville,
Long Branch, Brigantine, and Leeds Point. W.F. Mayer of New York noticed
while visiting the Pine Barrens, most of the locals would not venture out
after dark. The devil was sighted by George Saarosy, A prominent business
man, at the NJ/NY border. This was the last reported sighting before the
turn of the century.
In 1903, Charles Skinner, author of American Myths and Legends, claimed
that the legend of the devil had run it's course and that in the new
century, NJ would hear no more of the devil. New Jersey rested easy with
that thought for 6 years, until the week of January 16-23. 1909. During
this week, the devil would leave his tracks all over South Jersey and
Philadelphia. He was seen by over 1,00 people. This was his largest
appearance ever.
It all started early Sunday morning, January 16, 1909. Thack Cozzens of
Woodbury, NJ, saw a flying creature with glowing eyes flying down the
street. In Bristol, NJ, John McOwen heard and saw the strange creature on
the banks of the canal. Patrol James Sackville fired at the creature as it
flew away screaming. E.W. Minister, Postmaster of Bristol,NJ, also saw a
bird-like creature with a horses head that had a piercing scream. When
daylight came, the residents of Bristol found hoof prints in the snow. Two
local trappers said they had never seen tracks like those before.
On Monday, the Lowdens of Burlington, NJ, found hoof prints in their yard
and around their trash, which was half eaten. Almost every yard in
Burlington had these strange hoof prints in them. The prints went up
trees, went from roof to roof, disappeared in the middle of the road, and
stopped in the middle of open fields. The same tracks were also found in
Columbus, Hedding, Kinhora and Rancocas. A hunt was organized to follow
the tracks but the dogs wouldn't follow the trail.
On the 19th the Jersey Devil made his longest appearance of the week. At
2:30 am, Mr & Mrs. Nelson Evans of Gloucester were awakened by a
strange noise. They watched the devil from their window for 10 minutes.
Mr. Evans described the creature they saw:
It
was about three feet and half high, with a head like a collie dog and a
face like a horse. It had a long neck, wings about two feet long, and
its back legs were like those of a crane, and it had horse's hooves. It
walked on its back legs and held up two short front legs with paws on
them. It didn't use the front legs at all while we were watching. My
wife and I were scared, I tell you, but I managed to open the window and
say, 'Shoo', and it turned around barked at me, and flew away. [2]
Tuesday
afternoon 2 professional hunters tracked the devil for 20 miles in
Gloucester. The trail jumped 5 foot fences and went under 8 inch spaces.
The hoof prints were found in more parts of South Jersey. A group of
observers in Camden, NJ, saw the devil. It barked at them and then took
off into the air.
The next day, a Burlington police officer and the Reverend John Pursell of
Pemberton saw the Jersey Devil. Rev. Pursell said, "Never saw
anything like it before".3 Posses in Haddonfield found tracks that
ended abruptly. In Collingswood, NJ, a posse watched the devil fly off
toward Moorestown. Near Moorestown, John Smith of Maple Shade saw the
devil at the Mount Carmel Cemetery. George Snyder saw the devil right
after Mr. Smith and their descriptions were identical. In Riverside, NJ,
hoof prints were found on roof tops and also around a dead puppy.
On Thursday, the Jersey Devil was seen by the Black Hawk Social Club. He
was also seen by a trolley full of people in Clementon as it circled above
them. The witnesses descriptions matched others from the days before. In
Trenton, Councilman E.P. Weeden heard the flapping of wings and then found
hoof prints outside his door. The prints were also found at the arsenal in
Trenton. As the day wore on the Trolleys in Trenton and New Brunswick had
armed drivers to ward off attacks. The people in Pitman filled churches.
Chickens had been missing all week throughout the Delaware Valley, but
when the farmers checked their yards that day, they found their chickens
dead, with no marks on them. The West Collingswood Fire Department fired
their hose at the devil. The devil retreated at first, but then charged
and flew away at the last second.
Later that night, Mrs. Sorbinski of Camden heard a commotion in her yard.
She opened the door to see the Jersey Devil standing there with her dog in
it's grip. She hit the devil with a broom until it let go of her dog and
flew away. She started screaming until her neighbors came over. Two police
officers arrived at her house where over 100 people had gathered. The
crowd heard a scream coming from Kaigan Hill. The mob ran toward the
creature on the hill. The Policed shot at it and the devil flew off into
the night. The streets of Camden were empty after this.
On Friday, Camden police officer Louis Strehr saw the Jersey Devil saw the
devil drinking from a horses trough. The school in Mt Ephraim was closed
because no students came in. Mills and factories in Gloucester and
Hainesport had to close because none of the employees came to work. Many
New Jersey residents wouldn't leave their houses, even in daylight.
Officer Merchant of Blackwood drew a sketch of the creature he saw. His
sketch coincided with the descriptions from earlier in the week. Jacob
Henderson saw the devil in Salem and described it as having "wings
and a tail"4. The devil was only seen once more in 1909 in February.
Since 1909, the Jersey Devil has continued to be sighted by people all
over New Jersey. The number of sightings that have been reported to the
authorities has dwindled over the years. This could be attributed to the
fact that people don't want to be branded as crazy. Even though the number
of reported sightings has dropped, there's still a considerable amount of
sightings in the post 1909 era.
IN 1927, a cab driver on his way to Salem got a flat tire. He stopped to
fix the tire. As he was doing this, creature that stood upright and was
covered with hair, landed on the roof of his cab. The creature shook his
car violently. He fled the scene, leaving the tire and jack behind.
Phillip Smith, who was known as a sober and honest man, saw the devil
walking down the street in 1953. The characteristic screams of the Jersey
Devil were heard in the woods near Woodstown, NJ, in 1936.
Around 1961, 2 couples were parked in a car in the Pine Barrens. They
heard a loud screeching noise outside. Suddenly the roof of the car was
smashed in. They fled the scene, but returned later. Again they heard the
loud screech. They saw a creature flying along the trees, taking out huge
chinks of bark as it went along.
There have been other sightings since 1909, such as the Invasion of
Gibbsboro in 1951. The people there saw the devil over a 2 day period. In
1966, a farm was raided and 31 ducks, 3 geese, 4 cats, and 2 dogs were
killed. One of the dogs was a large german Shepard which had it's throat
ripped out. In 1981, a young couple spotted the devil at Atsion Lake in
Atlantic County.
In 1987, in Vineland an aggressive german Shepard was found torn apart and
the body gnawed upon. the body was located 25 feet from the chain which
had been hooked to him. Around the body were strange tracks that no one
could identify.
The sightings and prints are the most substantial evidence that exists.
Many of the theories on the Jersey Devil are based upon that evidence.
Some theories can be proven invalid, while others seem to provide support
for the Jersey Devil's existence.
One theory is that the Jersey Devil is a bird. Mrs. Cassidy of Clayton
thought it was an invasion of scrowfoot ducks. The scrowfoot duck is much
too small to be mistaken for the devil. Others believe the devil is really
a sand hill crane. The crane used to live in South Jersey until it was
pushed out by man. The sand hill crane weighs about 12 lbs., is 4 foot
high, and a wingspan of 80 inches. It avoids man but if confronted it will
fight. It has a loud scream whooping voice that can be heard at a
distance. This could account for the screams heard by witnesses. The crane
also eats potatoes and corn. This could account for the raids on crops.
This theory doesn't explain , however, the killing of live stock. It also
doesn't explain why people described the devil as having a horses head,
bat wings and tail, all of which the crane doesn't have.
Professor Bralhopf said that" the tracks were made by some
prehistoric animal form the Jurassic period"5. He believes the
creature survived underground in a cavern. An expert from the Smithsonian
Institute had a theory about ancient creatures surviving underground. He
said the Jersey Devil was a Pterodactyl. The Academy of Natural Sciences
could find no record of any creature, living or extinct, that resembles
the Jersey Devil.
Jack E. Boucher, author of Absagami Yesteryear, has a theory in which he
believes the devil was a deformed child. He thinks Mrs. Leeds had a
disfigured child and kept it locked away in the house. She grew sick and
couldn't feed the child anymore. It escaped out of hunger and raided local
farms for food. This doesn't take into account the incredible life span of
the devil. The child would have been 174 years old in 1909. It also
doesn't account for the sightings of the devil flying.
Only a small amount of the sightings and footprints could be hoaxes. The
Jersey Devil has been seen by reliable people such as police, government
officials, postmasters, businessman, and other people whose
"integrity is beyond question."6 As for the hoof prints, even if
some were hoaxes, There is still no way to explain most of the tracks,
especially the ones on roof tops and tracks that ended abruptly as if the
creature took wing.
The last theory is the most controversial one. Many people believe that
the Jersey Devil could be the very essence of evil, embodied. It is said
that the devil is an "uncanny harbinger of war"7. and appears
before any great conflict. The jersey devil was sighted before the start
of the Civil War. It was also seen right before the Spanish American War
and WW I. In 1939, before the start of WW II, Mount Holly citizens were
awakened by the noise of hooves on their roof tops. The Devil was seen on
December 7, 1941, right before Pearl Harbor was bombed. He was also seen
right before the vietnam War.
The Jersey Devil's habit of being a forerunner to wars could be because of
his possible demonic origins. In 1730, Ben Franklin reported a story about
a witchcraft trial near Mt Holly, NJ. One of the origin legends say that
Mother Leeds was a witch. The devil's birth could have been a result of a
witches curse.
Other facts support the supernatural theory are the reports of the death
of the devil. When Commodore Decatur fired a cannon ball at the devil, it
went through him and he was unaffected.
In 1909, a track walker on the electric railroad saw the devil fly into
the wires above the tracks. There was a violent explosion which melted the
track 20 feet in both directions. No body was found and the devil was seen
later in perfect health. In 1957, the Department of Conservation found a
strange corpse in a burned out area of the pines. It was a partial
skeleton, feathers, and hind legs of an unidentifiable creature. The devil
was thought to be dead, but reappeared when the people of New Jersey
thought that this time his death was real. Each time he is reported dead,
he returns. Sometimes this year. The Jersey Devil will be 260 years old.
It seems the devil is immortal, which a supernatural being would be.
Another thing that supports this theory is the incredible distances the
devil could fly in a short period of time. No animal could travel as fast
as the devil did in 1909 when he was sighted in South Jersey,
Philadelphia, and New York through out the week.
None of these theories can give a definitive answer to what the Jersey
Devil was or is, but the sightings prove there is something out there.
Whether the Jersey devil is a bird or a demon, is still left ot
speculation. The people of New Jersey have definitely seen something out
there lurking in the Pine Barrens.
By Dave Juliano (davejuliano@theshadowlands.net)
Feel free to copy this file but please leave it intact so I get credit for
my hard work. Thanks
Jersey Devil
Unknown
A
creature that has come to be known as the "Jersey Devil,"
terrorized the citizens of Pine Barrens, New Jersey for about 260 years,
but was this creature real or are these sightings merely imagination or
nothing more than a myth started by a superstitious people?
One of the most popular stories about the creature begins with a Mrs.
Janet Leeds of Estelville, New Jersey (other stories refer to her as Mrs.
Shrouds of Leeds Point, NJ). She was supposedly unhappy to learn that she
was pregnant. And why not? She already had twelve children. She swore to
her friends: "May the Devil take the next one." Some believe the
Devil heard her and answered the call. But was the baby boy born to Janet
a few months later a monster in the true sense?
The baby had been normal at birth, but his appearance grew more grotesque
each day. The child supposedly grew a twenty-foot long, snake-like body
with a horse's head, bat's wings, pig's feet, and a forked tail. Not only
that, but during a terrible storm, the child gave those who'd come to look
at him a good thrashing, before it fled up a chimney. Afterward, it
circled the surrounding villages, the citizens hearing it's screams,
before it took refuge in the Pines.
According to another story, the creature was born to a young girl from
Leeds Point who fell in love with a British soldier during the
Revolutionary War. The people of Leeds Point cursed her for the affair,
and as a result, she gave birth to the Devil. Others claim the Devil was
born to punish the citizens, because of their ill-treatment of a
minister.
Wherever the creature was born, the people lived in constant fear of the
monster whom they were certain was hiding in the vast oak and pine
forests. People started whispering tales of the creature carting off dogs,
cats, geese, and even children. Soon, even grown men became too afraid to
leave their homes at night.
No remains of the missing children were ever found, but animal remains
were found strewn along the forest.
The people were also certain that the monster dried the cows' milk and
killed the fish in the swamps with its foul breath.
In 1740, the citizens begged a minister to exorcise the Devil from Pine
Barrens. After he'd performed the task, the minister reported that the
exorcism was successful and claimed it would prevent the monster from
returning to the area for one hundred years--but it's believed that the
monster returned on at least two occasions.
In 1800, naval hero Commodore Stephen Decatur visited an iron works
facility in Barrens to test the cannonballs. One day, while he was at the
firing range, he saw a strange creature flying overhead. He took aim and
fired a canon at the creature. Witnesses claim that the canon ball left a
hole in the creature's body. Yet, the creature kept flying and it appeared
that it was not mortally wounded.
The people knew straight away that the Devil had returned.
The next Devil sighting took place in 1816, when Joseph Bonaparte, former
king of Spain and Napoleon's brother, rented a country home in Bordentown.
While hunting in Pine Barrens, Bonaparte spotted the elusive creature.
Things grew worse in 1840, 100 years after the first exorcism. As
predicted, the monster began a new rampage of stealing sheep, murdering
children, and terrifying the people. Its monstrous cackle could be
heard through the night.
Horrified, the people locked their homes tight and sat lanterns out at
night, hoping to ward off an attack. They swore that an appearance of the
creature was always a prelude to some horrible disaster.
During the week of January 16, 1909, thousands of people saw the Devil and
it's footprints. Schools and factories closed and citizens remained cooped
up in their homes, afraid to go outdoors.
The nightmare began on Sunday morning when Thack Cozzens of Woodbury saw
a creature with glowing eyes flying down the street. A short while
later, John Mcowen heard and saw the strange creature on the banks of the
canal in Bristol. Then James Sackville, a patrolman who was walking his
beat in Bristol, heard dogs howling. Suddenly a scream ripped through the
air, and Sackville turned long enough to see the creature in the street,
hopping about in bird-like fashion.
When Sackville drew his revolver and fired at the monster, it rose in the
air and vanished.
Another witness who saw the beast that day reported: "I awoke about
two o'clock in the morning...As I got up, I heard an eerie, almost
supernatural sound from the direction of the river...I looked out upon the
Delaware and saw it flying diagonally...it appeared to be a large crane,
but was emitting a glow like a fire-fly.
"Its head resembled that of a ram, with curled horns, and its long,
thick neck was thrust forward in flight. It had long, thin wings and short
legs, the front legs shorter than the hind...."
When daylight came, the residents of Bristol found hoof prints in the
snow. Local trappers swore that they had never seen such tracks before.
The Lowdens of Burlington, found hoof prints in their yard and around
their trash, which had been partially eaten. Almost every yard in
Burlington was marked with the strange hoof prints. The prints trailed up
trees, went from roof to roof, disappeared in the middle of the road and
in open fields. The tracks were also found in Columbus, Hedding, Kinhora,
and Rancocas.
The citizens organized a hunt to follow the tracks but the dogs wouldn't
follow the trail.
On Tuesday, January 19, Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Evans awoke, hearing strange
noises, and saw the creature dancing around on the rooftop of their shed.
Mr. Evans said: "It was about three feet and half high, with a head
like a collie dog and a face like a horse. It had a long neck, wings about
two feet long, and its back legs were like those of a crane, and it had
horse's hooves. It walked on its back legs and held up two short front
legs with paws on them. It didn't use the front legs at all while we were
watching. My wife and I were scared, I tell you, but I managed to open the
window and say, 'Shoo', and it turned around barked at me, and flew
away."
The sightings continued on Wednesday when a Burlington police officer and
the Reverend John Pursell of Pemberton saw the Jersey Devil. Pursell said:
"Never saw anything like it before."
The creature was spotted again by three posses in Haddonfield who found
tracks that ended abruptly. Another posse in Collingswood, saw the devil
fly off toward Moorestown. Near Moorestown, John Smith of Maple Shade, saw
the devil at the Mount Carmel Cemetery. George Snyder saw the devil right
after Mr. Smith, and their descriptions were identical."
On another afternoon, Mrs. J. H. White was hanging clothes in her
backyard, when she saw the creature huddled up in a corner of the yard.
She claimed that the creature was nearly six feet tall and that it spewed
flames as she approached. She fainted, and her husband found her and the
creature a short while later. He said the creature was still shooting
flames. Mr. White chased the creature over a fence and it disappeared in
the alley.
It wasn't long before William Wasso, an employee of the Clayton-Newfield
Railroad, spotted the beast about three hundred feet ahead of him on the
tracks. Wasso reported that the creature smacked the railroad track with
it's tail, causing a strange explosion that melted the track for twenty
feet in all directions. After the smoke cleared, there was no trace of the
devil. Everyone hoped it had died.
But it hadn't.
On Thursday, the Jersey Devil was seen by the Black Hawk Social Club and
by a trolley full of people in Clementon. The eyewitness descriptions were
nearly identical.
In Trenton, Councilman E.P. Weeden heard the flapping of wings and later
found hoof prints outside his door. The prints were also found at the
arsenal in Trenton. As the day wore on the Trolleys in Trenton and New
Brunswick had armed drivers to ward off attacks. The people in Pitman
filled churches. Chickens were missing and others were found dead with no
marks on them.
The West Collingswood Fire Department also encountered the creature and
fired their hose at it. The devil retreated but attempted to charge
before it flew away at the last second.
Later that evening, it attacked a dog in South Camden. Mary Sorbinski,
hearing her dog's wails, grabbed a broom and headed outside where she
struck the devil repeatedly. Eventually the Devil released her dog and
fled but not before it caused serious injuries. Mary carried the wounded
animal inside and called the police. A large crowd of spectators gathered
to console her.
When the creature's screams were heard in the vicinity of Kaighn Hill, the
officers leapt into action, firing their revolvers at the Devil, but again
it flew off and evaded capture.
The Devil tried to attack another dog on Friday, but the bulldog,
belonging to Mrs. D. W. Brown, attacked and drove the beast from the
backyard.
Still, the devil remained undefeated and Camden police officer Louis
Strehr saw the Devil drinking from a horses trough on the same day. The
school in Mt Ephraim was closed, because no students showed up. Mills and
factories in Gloucester and Hainesport also closed, because the employees
refused to come to work. Many people were afraid to leave their homes even
in the daylight.
All the while, the creature was making headline news in Philadelphia, and
the Philadelphia Zoo offered a $10,000 reward for the devil's capture,
claiming it would be of great educational significance if caught.
Yet, the Devil suddenly disappeared. No one reported a sighting for
eighteen years.
In 1927, however, a Salem cab driver had a terrifying experience when a
creature with long hair pounded the roof of his cab. He told police that
he'd had an encounter with the Jersey Devil. His encounter had taken place
when he'd stopped to fix a flat tire. The creature had landed on the roof
of his cab to shake it violently. Seeing the long-haired creature, the
cabbie fled, leaving the tire and jack behind.
In August, 1930, a group of berry pickers in Leeds Point and Mays Landing
claimed that they saw the devil. What's more, they claimed it ate
all their berries.
The creature was spotted again on November 22, 1951 by a group of children
who'd came to a party in Gibbstown. One of the boys said he'd seen the
creature out the window, blood dripping from its face. The party host
called the police, but the creature was gone by the time officers arrived.
The people hoped the Devil was dead when the Department of Conservation
found a partial skeleton, surrounded by feathers, in a burned out
area of the pines. The species of the corpse has never been
identified.
If it was the devil, however, it arose from ashes to soar again.
In 1960, blood curdling screams were heard by several people in Mays
Landing every night. Police could find nothing to account for the screams
and tried to quiet hysteria by nailing posters to trees that said the
Jersey Devil was a hoax. People poured into the area, nevertheless, to get
a look at the devil, and circus owner, Harry Hunt, offered a $100,000
reward for the beast's capture, dead or alive.
In 1961, two couples were parked in the Pine Barrens when they heard a
screeching noise outside. Suddenly the roof of the car was smashed in.
They fled the scene but returned later. Again they heard the horrifying
screech. They looked up to see a frightening creature flying along the
trees, taking out huge chunks of bark.
The Devil struck again in 1966, raiding a farm and killing thirty-one
chicks, three geese, four cats and two dogs. One of the dogs, a large
German Shepherd, had it's throat ripped out.
The creature made another hit on the area between 1975-1976 with numerous
reports that people had heard the creature's unearthly screams at night.
And in 1987, it might have attacked again when an aggressive German
Shepherd was found ripped to shreds and gnawed. It's body was found
twenty-five feet from its chain and around the body were strange tracks
that no one could identify.
Today, however, there are few reported sightings of Jersey Devil. Whether
this is due to a decrease in incidents or because people are afraid to
report them out of fear of being thought mad is unknown.
Were these incidents real or merely the result of hysteria or fancy?
Could the Devil have been a deformed child born to a backwoods
woman? Perhaps it was deformed and she hid it out of shame,
inspiring outrageous stories? Or maybe the people made the sightings up
out of boredom. Neither of these possibilities would account for the
sightings by government officials and police officers. And there have been
over 2,000 documented sightings of this beast.
There's also evidence that a Mrs. Leeds did live in the area at the time
of the creature's birth, and the Jersey Devil sightings are intimately
tied to the name "Leeds." Alfred Heston, Atlantic County
Historian, believes that the Devil was a Leeds or a Shrouds baby, for two
good reasons: he discovered that a Daniel Leeds opened land in Great
Egg Harbor, New Jersey, in 1699, and that the Leeds family lived in Leeds
Point; he also discovered that a Samuel Shrouds, Sr. arrived in Little Egg
Harbor, New Jersey, in 1735 and lived right across the river from the
house of Mother Leeds.
Still most of the people who live in the "Piney's" today believe
that the Jersy Devil is merely a myth, and there are many theories to
account for the existence of the devil.
One theory is that the Jersey Devil is merely a bird, possibly the
scrowfoot dick, but many believe that the bird is much too small to be
mistaken for the devil.
Others believe the creature is a sand hill crane, many of which used to
live in South Jersey until they were pushed out of their habitat by man.
The sand hill crane weighs about twelve pounds and is about four feet tall
with a wingspan of approximately eighty inches. Though it tries to avoid
humans, it will fight if confronted. And like the Devil, it has a loud
whooping voice that can be heard at a distance and may be mistaken for a
scream. The crane eats potatoes and corn, which could account for the
raids on crops, however, since the crane doesn't eat meat, this theory
doesn't explain the attacks on livestock and the sand hill crane certainly
doesn't have a horse's head, bat wings, or tail.
Interestingly, after studying the tracks, some experts believe the
creature is a pterodactyl, a winged creature from the Jurassic period. An
expert from the Smithsonian Institute believes that the ancient creatures
might have survived underground in caves. The Academy of Natural Sciences,
however, could find no record of a creature, living or extinct, that
resembles the Jersey Devil.
Some people believe that the Devil was merely a deformed child that was
locked up. When Mother Leeds grew ill and could no longer feed it, it fled
and raided farms in search of food. However, it's unlikely that a deformed
child could have lived for more than 260 years. And how could a deformed
child fly?
Most of the sightings could not be hoaxes, because there were too many
tracks over a long areas to make a hoax feasible. In addition, the Devil
was seen by police and government officials numerous times.
So could the Devil be an actual demon, an embodiment of evil? Many people
believe this is true. The Devil was said to be an "uncanny harbinger
of war" and appeared before many great conflicts, and this could be
because of possible demonic origins. The Jersey Devil was seen before the
start of the Civil War; and it was seen before the Spanish American War
and World War I. In 1939, before World World II, Mount Holly citizens were
awakened by the noise of hooves on their roof tops. And the devil was seen
on December 7, 1941, before Pearl Harbor was bombed and again before the
Vietnam War.
There are also many other facts that support a supernatural theory.
When Commodore Decatur fired a cannon ball at the beast, it was unaffected
though the ball went through it, and there's also the situation involving
the rail road track where the creature set off a strange explosion and
disappeared.
Also, the creature flew incredible distances in a short amount of time. No
animal could travel as fast as the devil did in 1909, leaving tracks all
over the place when the devil was sighted in South Jersey, Philadelphia,
and New York in the span of one week.
None of these theories can give a definitive answer about what
the Jersey Devil was or is, or tell us whether the Jersey devil is a bird,
demon, or ancient creature thought to be extinct, but whatever it is,
there's definitely something lurking in the Pine Barrens..and it may be
waiting to strike again.
THE
JERSEY DEVIL
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/2809/jerseydevil.htm
There are many versions of the story of The Jersey Devil.
This
version is the most popular one.
The year was 1735. Mother Leeds was
expecting her thirteenth child. Burdened by too many children, Mother
Leeds wishes that her thirteenth child be a spawn of the devil. Some local
women help deliver the baby one stormy night. Mother Leeds gives birth to
a beautiful, healthy baby boy. Suddenly, the baby starts to change before
the women's eyes. The baby grows wings, hooves, and a tail and turns into
a hideous animal. The beast lets out a blood curdling screech and escapes
through the window.
In the nineteenth century there were a
handful of Jersey Devil sightings. Commodore Steven Decatur, a Naval
Commander, was testing cannons at The Hanover Iron Works. When he spotted
The Jersey Devil, he fired a cannonball at it. The cannonball left a huge
hole in the creature. The Jersey Devil was unfazed and just flew away.
Also in the early 1800's, Joseph Bonaparte, son of Napoleon, spotted The
Jersey Devil near his Bordentown estate while hunting. During 1840-1841,
there were numerous reports of raids on sheep and chickens. Strange tracks
were discovered at the scene of these raids and there were reports of a
piercing scream. In 1899, there were raids in Vincentown and Barrsville.
Again, many sheep and chicken disappeared.
The legend of The Jersey Devil was limited
to the Pine Barrens and was relatively unknown throughout the rest of the
state. All that changed one very eventful week in January 1909. During the
week of January 16-23, there were over one thousand reported sightings of
The Jersey Devil and/or its tracks in over thirty towns from Cape May to
Trenton. It all started on Sunday, January 16 when Thack Cozzens of
Woodbury saw a flying creature with glowing eyes flying down the street.
In Bristol, John McCowen heard and saw the creature on the banks of a
canal. Police Officer James Sackville, fired at it and it flew away with a
piercing scream. The Postmaster of Bristol, E.W. Minister, also saw it and
described it as a "bird-like creature with a horse's head".
Again, there was a report of a piercing scream. When the sun came out, the
residents of Bristol discovered strange footprints in the snow.
On Monday, January 17th, The Lowdens of
Burlington found some hoof prints in their yard. Many other residents of
Burlington also found strange tracks. The tracks were on rooftops and were
in the middle of fields. There were also strange tracks found in Columbus,
Hedding, Kinhora, and Rancocas. Mr. and Mrs. Nelson of Gloucester City
watched the Jersey Devil from the window inside their home. For ten
minutes they watched the Jersey Devil prance around the roof of their
shed. Mr. Nelson was quoted in the newspaper. "It was three and a
half feet high, with a head of a collie and a face like a horse. It had a
long neck, wings about two feet long, and its back legs were like those of
a crane and it had horse's hooves. It walked on its back legs and held up
two short legs with paws on them. It didn't use the front legs at all
while we were watching. My wife and I were scared, I tell you, but I
managed to open the window and say "Shoo" and it turned around
barked at me and flew away."
On Tuesday, January 18th, two hunters
tracked the devil for 20 miles in Gloucester County. A group of people saw
it in Camden and it barked at them and flew away.
On Wednesday, January 19th, a Burlington City
police officer saw it. Three posses in Haddonfield tracked it. In
Collingswood, a group of people saw it fly away. John Smith of Maple Shade
saw it at the Mount Carmel cemetery. George Snyder also saw it and
described it exactly as John Smith had done. In Riverside, hoof prints
were found on rooftops and also around a dead puppy.
On Thursday, January 20th, a trolley full of
people in Clementon saw the Jersey Devil. In Trenton, a councilman, E.P.
Weeden, heard wings flapping outside his door. When he went outside, he
saw hoof prints outside his door. Strange prints were also discovered at
the arsenal in Trenton. The West Collingswood Fire Department turned their
hose on the Jersey Devil. It charged at them and then flew away. In
Camden, Mrs. Sorbinski discovered the Jersey Devil attacking her dog. She
chased the devil away with a broom. The devil charged at her and then flew
over a fence. Mrs. Sorbinski examined her dog and noticed that the devil
tore a huge chunk of flesh from the dog. Her screams drew a crowd,
including the police. The crowd heard screams coming from Kaigan Hill. The
police followed the screams and found the Jersey Devil. They shot at it
and it flew away.
By Friday, January 21st, terror swept
through all of South Jersey. People refused to leave their homes. Schools
and factories closed. A Camden police officer saw the devil drinking from
a horse's trough. By the end of the week, things had settled down. There
were a few more sightings of the Jersey Devil. The following February,
there were some more reported sightings.
In 1927, a cab driver was driving alone to
Salem. His taxi got a flat. While changing the flat tire, the cab driver
saw the Jersey Devil land on the top of the cab and shake the car. The
terrified cab driver fled the scene.
In 1951, the Jersey Devil frightened a
10-year-old boy. A posse tried to hunt the creature but was unsuccessful.
Witnesses described the creature as a bloody faced hairy man over 7 feet
tall. (Sounds more like Bigfoot to me.)
In 1961, two couples were parked in a car in
the Pine Barrens. They heard loud screaming and the roof of the car was
smashed in. They fled the scene. When they returned later, they heard
screaming. They looked up and saw the Jersey Devil flying through the
trees.
In 1981, a young couple spotted the creature
at Atsion Lake.
The last known sighting of the Jersey Devil
was in Vineland in 1987. A German Shepherd was found devoured and
mutilated. There were strange footprints near the carcass that no one
could identify.
It is believed that the birthplace of the
Jersey Devil is the Shroud's house in Leeds Point. People who try to find
it have a hard time because only the foundation and some rubble are left.
There are many theories related to the
Jersey Devil. Many people believe that the Jersey Devil is just folklore
and that the events of January 1909 were caused by mass hysteria. Some
people believe that Mother Leeds gave birth to a deformed child and the
women who assisted her in childbirth started false rumors about the baby.
Some people believe that the Jersey Devil is of supernatural origin and
that it is a harbinger of wars or other disasters. Some scientists think
that the Jersey Devil is actually a family of pterodactyls that have
survived since prehistoric times living in an underground cave. Whatever
the origin, it seems that the legend of the Jersey Devil is here to stay.
The Legend of the Jersey Devil
Researched and written by Laura K. Leuter at http://njdevilhunters.com/legend.html
Photo:Above: Cow carcass found on telephone
wire in Winslow N.J. in 1960's. Source: Leuts'
Page
Click and drag photo to resize.
Within the past centuries, the image of New Jersey has changed
drastically. Being one of the original 13 colonies, New Jersey has been
through the development of the United States from the very beginning. New
Jersey's role has changed as well- it went from farmland to industry, from
small towns to cities. Its location is ideal, since it is not only on the
coast of the Atlantic but it is centered between cities such as New York
City and Philadelphia. New Jersey is now the most densely populated state
in the nation.There is only one thing overlooked by an outsider- despite
its over seven million residents, New Jersey still has a large amount of
land that is not developed. North Jersey's cities are contradicted by
South Jersey's wilderness- in particular, a large stretch of forest known
as the Pine Barrens.
If you know anything about the Pine Barrens, you might know about its most
infamous resident. And even if you had no idea about the Pine Barrens, did
you ever wonder why New Jersey's hockey team is called the New Jersey
Devils? Deep in the heart of South Jersey lies a huge span of dark,
desolate woods. These trees give off an eerie feeling- as if you are
constantly being watched. The plants are so dense it is often times hard
to follow a path, and you never know what kind of wildlife is concealed in
the brush. You have no idea where they are, but they know exactly where
you are... Herein lurks the Jersey Devil.
The legend of the Jersey Devil has existed for over 265 years, since
before the birth of our country. It has terrorized, puzzled, and intrigued
New Jersey's population since the 1700's. It is a mystery that has been
passed down from generation to generation and still remains unsolved. Two
centuries after the legend's origin, we still only have myths, theories,
and horrifying recounts of sightings.
So what is the legend? The story begins in 1735 when a Mrs. Leeds of
Smithville was pregnant. This was to be her thirteenth child, and Mrs.
Leeds was feeling old before her time. As her labor began one stormy
night, she cursed the unborn baby during a fit of painful contractions,
saying, "Let this child be a devil!" Mrs. Leeds soon forgot her
curse when a beautiful baby boy was placed in her arms by the midwife.
Suddenly the baby's body started to mutate, and Mrs. Leeds watched in
horror as the baby's face elongated to resemble a bat or horse, and long,
dark wings sprouted from his shoulderblades. His legs grew long and thin
and his pudgy feet hardened and formed into hoof-like extremities. Fear
gripped all in the room as long claws grew from the baby's fingertips and
his blue eyes yellowed. The creature before them now showed no resemblance
to the baby it had been just moments before its transformation. The beast
let out an ear piercing scream and then turned, burst through the roof of
the cabin and flew off into the night.
That is the most common and widely accepted version of the legend, however
there are several variations to the story. Let's start with the name
Leeds. There are two names of the Jersey Devil's mother- Mrs. Leeds and
Mrs. Shourds. Carrie Bowen, a local of Leeds Point, once asserted that the
name was Shourds, and the actual house that the creature was born in was
the Shourds house. According to Atlantic County historian Alfred Heston,
both names are possible.
Heston's research showed that both a Daniel Leeds and a Samuel Shourds
lived in Leeds Point around the time of the legend. Heston also discovered
that Shourds had lived directly across the river from the Leeds house.
This fact adds to another variation- perhaps the Jersey Devil had been an
illegitimate child who was cursed by the townspeople before birth.
The father of the Jersey Devil has always been a disputable topic. Some do
not believe that either Mr. Leeds or Mr Shourds were the actual father. In
fact, they do not believe the Jersey Devil has a human father; they
believe the creature to be a product of Satan himself, mixed with human
flesh to give it a body.
Another variation of the story of the Jersey Devil's creator is that it
was the direct result of a curse from a gypsy. This variation states that
Mrs. Leeds/Shourds had denied food to a starving gypsy, who then placed a
curse on the pregnant woman. Still another variation says that Mrs. Leeds/Shourds
could have been involved in witchcraft (there are even reports of a witch
trial held around this time period in Mt. Holly, NJ). It is also believed
that the Jersey Devil's mother could have been cursed by locals because
she fell in love with a British soldier, and because of the time period
(before revolutionary war) was shunned.
There are also several variations on the events of the Jersey Devil's
birth. Some say that the creature was born as a devil and never resembled
a human. Other variations also say that before the Jersey Devil flew off
into the Pine Barrens, it killed and ate all people present in the cabin.
It has also been said that (assuming it did not kill all in the room) the
Jersey Devil would return to its home for years and sit perched on a
fence. After a while, Mrs. Leeds/Shourds, not knowing what to do with her
deformed child, "shooed" it away, and it never returned.
The other variations of the legend involve the date and location of the
birth. Instead of 1735, it has been dated as 1778, 1850, 1855, 1857, 1859,
1873, and 1880 (setting it later in time would disqualify several
sightings so 1735 is most widely accepted). The birthplace also differs.
Besides the commonly accepted Leeds Point, it has been placed in
Estellville, Pleasantville, and Burlington. Leeds Point has remained the
most popular birthplace due to the fact that it has a physical supposed
birth house out in the middle of the woods. (We've seen it, it's
incredible!)
It is believed that the Jersey Devil may have had a name. Smith J. Leeds
is the supposed name of the baby that became the beast. While on an
excursion to Leeds Point, I found a gravesite with the name of Smith J.
Leeds, belonging to someone who had died within two years of birth. The
rumor of the name has never been proven.
Regardless of which legend is believed, all versions have a common result-
a winged creature set free to roam the Pine Barrens for the rest of its
lifetime. Immediately, the creature decided to do what every baby does,
regardless of its species- it decided to explore its surroundings and make
itself known.
The Jersey Devil began to roam New Jersey boldly as soon as it was born.
Immediately, the Pine Barrens were explored and the residents were
terrified. They could not believe their eyes as an unknown winged serpent
appeared all around the Pine Barrens, seemingly unaffected by human
presence.
The first five years after its birth were so horrific that in 1740 a bold
clergyman decided to exorcise the Jersey Devil, banning it from the
humans. The people of the Pine Barrens received instant relief as the
sightings suddenly ceased.The legend lived on, and was passed down from
each generation with a warning that the exorcism would only last for 100
years, and that those who live in the Pine Barrens in the 1840’s should
be prepared for the creature’s return.
During the exorcism period, only two sightings were recorded. These two
sightings do not contradict the exorcism - it was humans who encountered
the beast in the woods, not the beast who found them. In both cases, no
harm befell any humans or their possessions.
Both sightings came from highly reputed figures during that time period.
The first, which occurred sometime between 1800 and 1820, involved naval
hero Commodore Stephan Decatur. Decatur was visiting Hanover Iron Works,
where he was testing cannonballs to ensure high quality. One day, while
out in the Pine Barrens, Decatur noticed a strange creature flying
overhead. He immediately fired a cannonball through the beast, and was
shocked when the creature continued flying, completely unaffected by the
gigantic hole the cannonball had created through its wing.The second
sighting was made by the former King of Spain and brother of Napoleon,
Joseph Bonaparte. Joseph Bonaparte resided in Bordentown and believed to
have seen the Jersey Devil while hunting between 1816 and 1839.
In both cases, the Jersey Devil did not seek out any human contact. It was
merely observed while existing peacefully in the Pine Barrens. The people
of New Jersey experienced no strange losses of livestock, and all seemed
peaceful and calm during the Jersey Devil’s exorcism. This would all
change.In 1840, the Jersey Devil reappeared with a vengeance, right on
schedule. The Jersey Devil’s first act was a raid on livestock, and as a
result many people lost a large amount of sheep and chickens. 1841 was a
continuation of this raid, but this time the Jersey Devil left more
evidence - during its livestock theft it screamed chillingly and left
unidentifiable tracks. All attempts to locate this creature were
unsuccessful.
The return of the Jersey Devil brought panic along, and the residents of
the Pine Barrens were once again gripped with fear, just as their
ancestors had been 100 years before. In 1858, W.F. Mayer of New York was
visiting Hanover Iron Works (the sight where Decatur had seen the
creature) and noticed how odd the Pine Barrens residents acted. They
seemed constantly nervous and uneasy. When Mayer commented on a storm, one
resident mentioned something about seeing a Devil, and was hushed by other
residents, fearing that the Devil could be listening. Mayer also noticed
that no resident of the Pine Barrens would ever dare to venture outside
after dark.
In 1859 the Jersey Devil was seen in Haddonfield, and then remained unseen
until the winter of 1873 - 1874, where it was seen periodically in
Bridgeton and Long Branch. The creature continued to raid livestock and
was believed to "carry off anything that moved". In 1894 the
Jersey Devil made appearances throughout New Jersey, visiting Smithville,
Long Beach Island, Brigantine Beach, Leeds Point, and Haddonfield.
In 1899 the Jersey Devil raided Vincentown and Burrsville, and then
decided to expand its horizons and head for New York. The creature made
its first out-of-state appearance in Spring Valley, New York, where a
resident was repeatedly losing sheep and hearing "ungodly"
screams. At one point, the resident spotted the thief, and described it as
a "flying serpent". This resident’s report would be the first
Jersey Devil sighting ever to be published in the newspapers.
The creature remained in New York for a brief period, where it was sighted
at Hyenga Lake (rumors had it that a strange creature that could fly,
swim, and run became a frequent visitor). Eventually, the Jersey Devil
decided to return to its home state, but not without leaving strange
tracks in New York’s marshes.
By the turn of the century, the Jersey Devil’s existence became a common
belief in New Jersey and its bordering states. The people believed that an
eerie, supernatural creature lived in the Pine Barrens. The people also
believed that the sightings and tales would soon die out, and that the
legend of the Jersey Devil had run its course. Soon they would realize
that they were sadly mistaken.
The 1900's started off with a major bang for the Jersey Devil legend. In
1909, the largest batch of Jersey Devil sightings ever recorded occurred,
in which the Jersey Devil was seen by over 100 people in the time span of
a single week. This week, January 16th through January 23rd, has been
justly named Phenomenal Week. During this time, a wide range of people
throughout the Delaware Valley spotted the winged beast. Some sightings
were seen by large groups of people at once; other sightings were made by
residents who were awakened in the middle of the night to strange noises
in the darkness.
The huge amount of sightings caused New Jersey to enter State of Emergency
precautions, with all residents instructed to be in their homes before
dark and to secure all animals at night. Newspapers were filled with
detailed sighting accounts, although many articles seemed mocking in tone.
The people of the area were terrified - especially those living deep in
the heart of the Pine Barrens. (For a detailed account of Phenomenal Week,
go to the sightings
page).
The Jersey Devil became New Jersey's Official Demon in the 1930's,
recognizing the history of the legend and its importance in New Jersey
history. This creature is also the namesake of the state's hockey team,
the New Jersey Devils.
During the early 1900's, however, the legend was scarred by the marks of
scam artists attempting to make money off of the people's fear. One man in
particular went to extremes to create a very elaborate hoax. This man
obtained a wild kangaroo, painted stripes on its fur, attached
"wings" to its shoulderblades, and kept the creature in a dimly
lit cage, charging all curious visitors a fee to take a peek at what he
claimed to be the Jersey Devil. When the visitors approached the cage, a
man sitting behind the kangaroo (armed with a long stick with a nail in
one end) would smack at the creature, causing it to lunge forward and
shriek in pain - frightening all who saw. Eventually, the man came clean
on his hoax, and since then the Jersey Devil has not been taken as
seriously as it had been before.
At one point, the charred remains of a strange creature were found
somewhere in the Pine Barrens. These remains were unidentifiable by the
Department of Wildlife and Conservation - they had no record of any such
creature on file. Some believed these remains were those of the Jersey
Devil, and thought the legend was finally put to an end. But once again,
the Jersey Devil returned.
In 1951 - 1952, the Jersey Devil came back to New Jersey for the Gibbstown
- Paulsboro invasion. This invasion, though on a smaller scale than
Phenomenal Week, caused quite a stir in the area and sent many people into
a panicked state. Posses were formed, who attempted to track the creature.
Yet still no dog would follow its trail; instead they wimpered and turned
away. Because the legend was no longer taken seriously, mass hysteria was
blamed for the cause of the uprise.
Around this same time, newspapers started refusing any sightings accounts,
believing that they were just attempts at gaining recognition and
attention. The Jersey Devil legend was beginning to die. Sightings still
continued to trickle in, and have remained steady throughout many years.
Sightings as recent as this year have been reported...
Bibliography
The Jersey Devil
James F. McCloy and Ray Miller, Jr.
Phantom of the Pines
James F. McCloy and Ray Miller, Jr.
American Myths and Legends
Charles Skinner
Jersey Genesis
Henry Charlton Beck
The Tracker
Tom Brown, Jr. and William Jon Watkins
Mother Leeds' Thirteenth Child
NJN Video
Brigid's Charge
Cynthia Lamb
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