Urban Legends
Jersey Devil's
Legend of Jersey Devil - horse-headed flying monster from Pine Barrens
Headed like a horse with a pair of large wings, the Jersey Devil has been carrying terror and fear for over 250 years. Although his identity is still mysterious, there are many aspects of the legend of this monster that makes skeptics forced to admit the element of truth in it, such sightings of this creature were reported by more than 1,000 people in 30 cities in 1909.
The Jersey Devil, sometimes called the Leeds Devil, is a legendary creature that inhabits the Pine Barrens region of Southern New Jersey. This creature has a head like a horned horse and has a pair of wings that enable it to fly.
The origin of the Jersey Devil legend
The Jersey Devil legend begins with an American folk tale told through word of mouth. Although the story about it is very diverse, but the most common story says that the Jersey Devil comes from a family surnamed Leeds.
Mrs Leeds has many children. When she was pregnant with her 12th child, she felt so tired that she swore that if she had another child, let the child become a demon.
In 1735, Miss Leeds conceived her 13th child.
One night, as a storm and heavy rain poured down on the earth, Mrs Leeds suffered a maternity illness and was preparing to give birth. His friends and relatives gathered around him.
Legend has it that when the baby was born, everything seemed normal at first. But then the baby soon changed shape into a strange creature with a horned horse-shaped head with two bat-like wings and a long tail that tip like a fork.
As soon as he changed shape, the creature growled and screamed out. Then he killed the midwife who helped him with his birth and flew out through the chimney. He flew around the village for a while before disappearing in the Pine Barrens area.
Although the story of the Jersey Devil sounds like a fairy tale, Mrs Leeds who became the central figure in this legend actually exists. Her name is Deborah Leeds and her husband is Japhet Leeds.
This is supported by the historical fact that Japhet Leeds wrote the names of his 12 children in his will in 1736 which is in accordance with the Jersey Devil legend. They also live in New Jersey, home to the Jersey Devil.
However, the events of turning their 13th child into a Jersey Devil cannot be confirmed.
The Jersey Devil
Since disappearing on the night of his birth, the Jersey Devil has been nowhere to be seen for several decades. Then, in 1778, he reappeared. Commodore Stephen Decatur was visiting the Pine Barens to test the range of cannon fire.
Unexpectedly, he witnessed a pale creature flying above his head.
Using cannon fire, Decatur managed to shoot through the creature's wing membrane layers. But the creature continued to fly like it was not bothered by the aftermath of the shot.
Joseph Bonaparte, the former king of Spain and brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, saw the Jersey Devil while hunting in Bordentown, New Jersey, around 1820.
In 1840, farm animals were found dead mysteriously in New Jersey and the Jersey Devil is considered the perpetrator of the murder. The ranchers reported hearing strange screams on the night of the murder. Similar reports of cattle killings were also reported in 1841.
In the 19th century, the Jersey Devil was only seen occasionally and had not received considerable attention. But entered the 20th century, precisely in 1909, The Jersey Devil made headlines and filled the pages of major local media outlets in America when more than 1,000 people in 30 cities reported sightings of the creature during the period January 16-23, 1909.
These sightings made the Jersey Devil name known throughout the United States.
On January 19, Nelson Evans and his wife in Gloucester witnessed the creature from their window. Nelson describes the creature as follows :
"It was about 1 meter tall with a head like a Collie dog and its face resembled a horse. Its neck is long and its wingspan is about 60 centimeters long. Its hind legs resemble those of a stork and the creature also has a horse-like mane. He walked on two hind legs. It also has two short front legs with claws. My wife and I are so scared. But we finally bravely opened the window and shouted 'Huss, huss'. The creature turned around, barked and flew."
On January 20, residents watched the Jersey Devil fly over the city of Moorestown.
On January 21, the creature attacked a car in Haddon Heights, Clayton. Then several other witnesses saw the creature hit the train, but did not die.
Reports of sightings continued from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to West Collingswood.
In West Collingswood, two passersby reported seeing the Jersey Devil perched on the roof of a house. Then, the summoned firefighters immediately attacked him by spraying water. The creature then dodged by flying and landing on the highway. Firefighters continued spraying water until the creature flew away and disappeared into the night.
In Bristol, a police officer named James Sackville spotted the monster while on patrol at night. James was walking in a fairly dark hallway when the creature jumped into the street and let out a strange screaming sound. Then, he shot his revolver towards the creature. However, it seemed like the bullet did not hit him as the creature immediately expanded its wings and flew away.
That same week, Mrs. Mary Sorbinski heard her pet dog barking from the front yard of her Camden home. Then, he rushed out and saw the Jersey Devil was gripping the dog in his hand.
Seeing that, Mrs.Sorbinski tried to save the dog by shouting and hitting the creature with a broom. His efforts are successful, his dog is released and the creature flies. Mrs.Sorbinski brought in her seriously injured dog and called the police immediately.
About 100 more people who heard Mrs.Sorbinski's screams immediately came and crowded in front of his house. Then, they suddenly heard a strange scream coming from Kaigan Hill. By then, the police had arrived. As they headed to the hill together, they watched the creature fly away.
On January 22, the Jersey Devil has succeeded in creating the greatest terror in New Jersey by leaving its residents gripped with fear. Schools, offices, factories and other centers of activity were closed because people did not dare to leave their homes.
Because of this extraordinary sighting week, even skeptics have had to admit that there is something out there that has terrified the entire state. After all, the apparitions of the creature were not only reported by the common people, but also by officials, police members and other dignitaries.
During this period, the Philadelphia zoo even offered a reward of 10,000 dollars for anyone who could capture this creature.
After the terror of 1909, the Jersey Devil disappeared somewhere.
He reappeared in 1927. At that time, a taxi driver who was on his way to Salem suffered a tire rupture. He stopped to change his tires. While he was changing the tyres, he was struck by the sound of flapping wings and he saw a strange creature standing upright and furiously landing on the roof of his cab. The creature wiggled his car violently and then flew back. The taxi driver believed he had seen the Jersey Devil.
In 1951, a 10-year-old boy in Gibbstown, New Jersey, claimed to have seen a strange monster similar to the Jersey Devil screaming near the DuPont Clubhouse. This monster made the boy faint from fear.
The most recent sighting reports occurred in mid-December 1993. A forest policeman named John Irwin was driving along the Mullica River in New Jersey when he was struck by a two-legged, hairy creature that jumped in front of his car. His head resembled a deer with horns and his eyes were bright red. The creature looked at Irwin for a while and then ran into the forest.
A similar incident occurred in 1995 when Sue Dupre, who was driving near a lake in New Jersey, was struck by an animal jumping across the road. The animal has a head like an armadillo.
Although it is possible that Irwin and Dupre saw a deer, they both believe they have encountered the Jersey Devil.