THE JERSEY DEVIL
By: Jessica Lin
WHAT IS THE JERSEY DEVIL
In Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia folklore, there is a creature known as the Jersey Devil, which was known to inhabit the Pine Barrens of South Jersey. There are many descriptions of what the Jersey Devil looks like, but it's mostly described looking like a biped with hooves. Another common description is that it looks like a kangaroo or wyvern-like creature with a goat or horse's head. It has leathery bat-like wings, horns, small arms with clawed hands, legs with cloven hooves, and a forked tail. This creature was first reported seen in 1735 and usually emits a high-pitched blood-curdling scream.
LEGEND OF THE JERSEY DEVIL
LEGEND
According to popular folklore, the Jersey Devil originated with a Pine Barrens resident named Jane Leeds, known as Mother Leeds. The legend states that Mother Leeds had 12 children and, after finding she was pregnant for the 13th time, cursed the child in frustration, crying that the child would be the devil. During 1735, Mother Leeds was in labor on a stormy night while her friends gathered around her. Born as a normal child, the thirteenth child changed to a creature with hooves, a goat's head, bat wings, and a forked tail. Growling and screaming, it beat everyone with its tail before flying up the chimney and heading into the pines. In some versions of the tale, Mother Leeds was supposedly a witch and the child's father was the devil himself. Some versions of the legend also state that there was subsequently an attempt by local clergymen to exorcise the creature from the Pine Barrens.
SIGHTINGS
Sightings of the Jersey Devil was very rare...until 1909, which was known as the Devil Craze of 1909. From January 16th through the 23rd, New Jersey newspapers published hundreds of claimed encounters with the Jersey Devil from all over the state. Reports even spanned as far as Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Reports claimed that the creature attacked a trolley car in Haddon Heights and a social club in Camden. Camden police are purported to have fired on the creature, but it was unaffected. People were in a panic and schools all along the Delaware River Valley were shut down. The Philadelphia Zoo even offered a $10,000 reward for the creature. While some refused to go to work, vigilantes went out to hunt the Devil. But then, it disappeared and life went back to normal. What caused everyone to go crazy that week? Was it mass hysteria? Did the Jersey Devil actually exist? Some believe that the culprit was a Sand Hill Crane – a giant bird with a nasty temperament. Whatever it was, history often forgets the week that the Jersey Devil was “real.”
