Hello once again my lovelies, I’m so sorry about the delay in posts. There are so many things I wish to write about I have difficulty choosing. Well, your wait is over, today we talk about the Jersey Devil.

It was in a place called Pine Barrens, South Jersey when a woman called Jane Leeds (in some sources it says her name was Deborah) was pregnant with her 13^th child. Upon learning this she apparently cursed the child out of frustration saying that it would be the Devil. On a stormy night in 1735 (what other type of weather would it be?) Mother Leeds, as she was known gave birth to her baby. In some cases, it is said the baby was born normal and then changed, in others it is said it was born a monster. In both instances in its monstrous form, it beat everyone with its tail and escaped via the chimney. This led to some people to believe that Mother Leeds was a witch, and the father of her 13^th child was the Devil himself.

The Jersey Devil is described as a flying biped with hooves. Variations include it being a kangaroo or wyvern type creature, with a goat or horses head and leathery like wings. It has horns, small arms with clawed hands and a forked tail. It is said to move quickly and emits a high pitched “blood curdling scream”.  

For more than 250 years the Jersey Devil is said to have been prowling through the marshes of Southern New Jersey. There have been countless accounts of the Jersey Devil raiding chicken coops, destroying crops, and killing animals. Cows have been known to stop giving milk, it has been known to blow the tops off of trees and make streams boil. Some believe that the Devil shows itself every 7 years. Many people have seen or felt its presence in at least 50 towns where it travels from its lair in the Pinelands. Groups of people were constantly formed to capture it, but with no luck and at one point $100, 000 was offered for the capture of it dead or alive. Reports of the Devil’s death have also been inconclusive, and its existence could not be explained by the scientific community. (or any other community I guess?)

Sightings

There have been many sightings over the last 250 and here we will briefly cover some of them.

In 1778 Commodore Stephen Decatur, sighted a flying creature and fired a cannonball directly at it, the cannonball had no effect.

In 1820, Joseph Bonaparte (Napoleon’s older brother) Claimed to have seen the Jersey Devil whilst hunting on his Bordentown estate.

In 1840 the Jersey Devil was blamed for several livestock killings; Similar attacks were reported in 1841 accompanied by tracks and screams.

December 1925 in Greenwich a local farmer shot an unidentified animal and photographed the corpse. He showed 100 people and none of them could identify it.

July 27^th, 1937, an unknown creature with red eyes was seen by residents of Downingtown, it was compared to the Jersey Devil.

1951 a group of boys in Gibbstown, New Jersey, claimed to see a monster matching the description of the Jersey Devil. Claims of a corpse matching the Jersey Devil arose in 1957.

In 1960 people reported tracks and noises near Mays Landing and claimed them to be that of the Devil.

The Panic of 1909

On Saturday the 16^th of January 1909, The Jersey Devil was spotted flying over Woodbury, New Jersey. This was presumed to be an isolated incident even if it did cause some panic. The following day there were more sightings in Bristol accompanied by strange tracks that matched the creature’s description.

More tracks were found in Burlington on Monday the 18^th, where the tale was first inspired. People began to wonder if the Jersey Devil was more than mere folklore after so many sightings. Thousands of citizens started taking precautions after becoming concerned for their safety.

On Tuesday the 19^th at 2.30am, a man named Nelson Evans and his wife spotted the creature outside their window. They described the creature as being 3 ½ feet tall, with a strange horse like head, an abnormally long neck and wings that were at least 2 feet in length. It walked on its back hooves and whilst walking held up its front paws. The couple were able to shoo it away, but they were terrified. Later that day 2 hunters from Gloucester came and followed tracks that were left by the creature for 20 miles. They said it was able to jump over fences and squeeze into gaps around 8 inches wide. This was identical to what had been reported in other towns.

The next day residents of Haddonfield and Collingwood formed hunting parties. A few of the parties spotted the creature flying towards Moorestown but they were unable to catch it.

On Thursday the 21^st the Jersey Devil attacked a trolley car in Haddon Heights, Pine Barrens, where it was eventually chased off. This however was not it’s last appearance. Many poultry farmers claimed that something had killed al of their chickens, others claimed to have seen it crash into electrical lines to then continue flying as if nothing had happened. Later that day a telegraph worker, just outside of Atlantic City shot the creature. It was able to escape into the nearby woods, according to the worker it was limping.

Not to be deterred the Jersey Devil continued its reign of terror on the Pine Barrens. It was spotted in several areas in New Jersey. People tried defending themselves by throwing objects at it as it passed but according to reports none were able to cause it any harm. Later that day a woman in Camden spotted the Jersey Devil trying to eat her dog. It tore a chunk off her dog’s face before she was able to chase it away. This would be one of the most important events to be recorded as it was the first time it was directly seen to attack a live animal.

This event caused the most panic in the Pine Barrens area. Armed guards were posted on trolleys to ensure the safety of civilians. More hunting groups were created in the hopes that the creature would be caught or killed. People sought refuge in their own homes until the attacks were stopped. Many businesses and schools were closed out of fear. Logger and lumberjacks who worked in the Pine Barrens refused to work until they were assured that the beast had been caught.

Friday the 22^nd was the last day of the sightings, the people of Pine Barrens were now completely convinced of the existence of the Jersey Devil. Although there are still sightings today. Nothing compares to the terror and panic of the winter of 1909.

So have you had an encounter with the Jersey Devil or know someone who has? I would love to hear about it. Why not share your story in the comments below? Or in the Facebook community page?

If the book of face isn’t your thing you can find me on twitter too!

Also if you haven’t checked them out yet here are my older blogs on Mother Shipton and The Mandela Effect. Please comment, like and remember sharing is caring 🙂

As always take care my lovelies

Curious Chris xxx