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,
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.
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.
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 dicks, 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. One theory is
that the Jersey Devil is a bird such as 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. Unforetunaely this
theory doesn't explain the killing of live stock nor does it
fit the description of the devil as having a horses head, bat wings and
tail etc.
Professor Bralhopf said that" the tracks were made by some prehistoric animal
form the Jurassic period". He believes the creature survived underground in a
cavern and he thought the Jersey Devil was a
Pterodactyl. 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 saw 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.
Henry Charlton Beck, Jersey Genesis (New Brunswick,NJ:Rutgers Univ. Press,
1963), p.242
James F Mcgloy and Ray Miller, The Jersey Devil (wallingford, PA:The Middle
Atlantic Press,1976), p.45
"Jersey Devil",The[camdem] Courier Post (Oct.30, 1975),p.2a.
Beck, Henry Charlton. Jersey Genesis. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University
Press, 1963.
Cilik, Yvonne, "Search is on for Hoax or Hoofprint", The[Camden}Courier Post
June 7, 1981, pp. 18-28.
"Jersey Devil", The [Camdem]Courier Post, October 30, 1975,p.2A.
McGloy, James F. And Ray Miller. The Jersey Devil: Wallingford, PA: The Middle
Atlantic Press, 1976.
McMahon, William. South Jersey Towns, New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University
Press, 1973.
Skinner, Charles. American Myths and Legends. Philadelphia, PA: J.B. Lippincott,
1963.
_____________________________________________________________________
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Team Xbow
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