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