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... events-century American naval hero, traveled to Hanover Iron Works in the Pines to test new cannonballs. While testing, Decatur observed a bizarre creature flapping its wings across the range. With precision, he sighted and then fired a cannonball directly through the Jersey devil. All present were stunned that the gaping hole did not appear to affect the devil in the least (web).
While hunting in Bordentown, Joseph Bonaparte, former King of Spain and brother of Napoleon, claimed to see the devil in the woods. It is said that the infamous Captain Kidd buried some treasure along Barnegat Bay and in customary pirate fashion he beheaded one of his band, so that the spirit of the former henchman would forever guard the prize. After years of loneliness, the headless pirate apparently struck up a friendship with the New Jersey Devil, and the two could be seen late at night traversing the sands of the Atlantic Shore. Others say they saw the devil with a pirate whose head was still intact (John Shabe, web). Many believed that the devil would disappear and not return in the twentieth century. Not only had the New Jersey Devil not disappeared with the start of the twentieth century, but his influence was to become even greater.
Of the two hundred and forty years of this creature's existence, nothing approaches the magnitude of his appearances in at least thirty different towns in the third week of January, 1909 (James F. McCloy, Ray Miller, Jr. , 37 - 38). He emerged from his natural lair in the Pine Barrens and wandered throughout the Delaware Valley, sometimes intriguing and sometimes terrorizing the residents. This week is now known as Phenomenal Week. During the week of January 16 - 23, thousands of people saw the devil, or his footprints. Their descriptions of the monster on his travels varied and most were not the same.
As he swept through the area during this unprecedented week, schools and factories closed, people stayed indoors, and newspapers speculated on the events. Most people did not see the devil during this week, they just heard an unusual noise or saw strange footprints. These footprints were not made from any normal animals. They stretched from five story high roof tops and crawled under fences. No-one could explain what caused the prints.
Police officers fired numerous rounds at strange winged creatures, but did no damage to the creature. The tri-state area was trembling with fear due to this creature. One man decided to take advantage of this current crisis. This man was Norman Jefferies, who owned a dying museum in Philadelphia (James F. McCloy, Ray Miller, Jr. , 78 - 79). When the hysteria built up, that was Jefferies' golden opportunity to cash in on the hoax.
He went up state New York to rent a large kangaroo from a friend. He painted green stripes on it and gave it a pair of bronze wings, then covered it with rabbit fur. He stuck the animal in a cage and stated it was Leeds Devil. Next he stuck gnawed bones on the floor and charged people admission to see the devil for a brief moment. He admitted the hoax a couple of years later (NJN Video, Mother Leeds 13 th Child). Numerous others admitted that they placed footprints in peoples yards during this week, but could not explain the other thousand or so footprints that led into desolate forests.
The New Jersey Devil has taken a wide variety of forms, shapes, and sizes. Different descriptions are frequent. However, over the years one can see the same elements occurring again and again. His size varies from eighteen inches to twenty feet. He has the body of a kangaroo, the head of a dog, the face of a horse, the wings of a bat, the feet of a pig, and a forked tail (John Shabe, web). He makes a piercing screech that sounds like a little girl being attacked.
He has been seen running alongside cars on Route 206, where cars can reach speeds of up to 65 mph. Some say he attacks humans, while others say that he is a symbol of peace and only appears when ever a great tragedy is about to happen, such as Pearl Harbor and World War 1. Whatever people say about him, the fact remains that no-one is quite sure if he really exists. Since the Jersey Devil was first seen, scientist have been developing a theory on his existence. One scientist, Jack E. Boucher, suggest that the Jersey Devil was actually a deformed human being, not a devil.
In the deep Pines, whenever a retarded child was born, he wore the label of "another Jersey Devil. " This could explain the series of incidents extending through history far beyond the time span of one mortal (James F. McCloy, Ray Miller, Jr. , 110). Another logical explanation tells that the Jersey Devil is a Sand Hill Crane. This bird weighs about twelve pounds, and is about four feet long, with a huge wingspan of eighty inches. Once common in New Jersey, this bird dislikes man and is now found only in remote areas.
If this bird encounters a man, he has the capability of driving his beak through someone's skull (James F. McCloy, Ray Miller, Jr. , 112 - 113). In the twentieth century, the Pine Barrens have been increasingly encroached upon by super highways, the huge Fort Dix complex, housing developments, and Atlantic City International Airport. The population of southern and central New Jersey has been rapidly increasing and extends to the edge of the Pine Barrens. Due to all of these reasons, sightings of the New Jersey Devil have been decreasing since 1909. Many believe that they New Jersey Devil died in a huge fire during 1957.
At the edge of a lonely cranberry bog, foresters of the New Jersey Department of Conservation found scattered about, a partial skeleton, claws, feathers, bone particles, and the hind legs of some unidentifiable entity (James F. McCloy, Ray Miller, Jr. , 96 - 97). Many believed that this was the end of the New Jersey Devil. Ever since then, no sightings have been made, only noises have been heard. Was this the end of the New Jersey Devil, or was it the remains of some strange animal? Over the years, many have accepted the New Jersey devil's existence as fact.
Others have doubted this creature's existence and called it a mere myth, and sometimes made those who believed in it objects of ridicule. But anyone who dares walk the lonely sand trails of the Pine Barrens, or the mist covered marshes, will find their eyes growing ever more alert, and feel just a suggestion of fear taking control of them. It is hard to remain a skeptic after 2, 000 witnesses declared they saw the New Jersey Devil in the New Jersey wilderness. An eerie presence is out ther Bibliography:
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