Jersey Devil or UFO?

This picture is of a hanging cow carcass. It was taken in Winslow, NJ in the 1960s. Residents there believed the Jersey Devil dragged it up there. However, around this same time in several other states - including Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, and others - there was a rash of cattle mutilations. Many ranchers said they saw "black helicopters" and UFOs around those areas during the times at which these mutilations occurred.

Many researchers chalk-up the Jersey Devil to legend but there is a lot of evidence regarding spacecraft - many privately-owned, possibly piloted by races unknown

© The Weirding, 2014

Devil Darts Across Devon - AGAIN!

I am proud of our ongoing "Devil's Footprints" series, because I have exhausted many resources researching it. This particular account apparently occurred in Spring of this year (about 6-7 months ago) yet slipped under my radar ¹ . But I forewarn you, it's a bit specious; I include it for completeness.

Residents of Devon woke up to find a single row of 5" cloven tracks approximately 11-17" apart across the snow-covered town. While experts from the Center for Fortean Zoology investigated the tracks as a phenomenon, they were not impressed; representatives from the Center suggested the tracks may have been made by a deer.

The OddBlog gives these cryptozoologists our full support and we did not examine the tracks ourselves, but pictures accompanying the article appear to show a single track, which would mean they would have had to be made by a one-legged (maybe two-legged) deer! But I will add that nothing in this report suggests the tracks went up walls, through walls, or over houses; when similar tracks appeared in Devon in 1855, this was one of the most striking aspects of the event.

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1 : I was in the process of moving.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

The Leeds Devil, Pt. 1

This bit of American folklore is often confused (in my estimation) with what is indisputably (again, in my estimation) an eyewitness account of an actual, paranormal event. In fact, I was not even aware of the connection between the Leeds Devil and the Jersey Devil until researching the folklore of the former. From what I can tell, the tales are only interchangeable amongst the New Jersey citizenry; everyone else seems to consider the Leeds Devil and the Jersey Devil not only as two separate accounts, but in completely different lights.

First, let us dispense with the folklore of the Leeds Devil. Since there are numerous variations on the story, I will pass along the account most often traded, as it is disputably the oldest of the bunch (published):

Mother Leeds of Burlington was a sober Quaker highly suspected of practicing witchcraft. In 1735, she bore a child during a terrible storm ¹. As the women of the time crowded around whenever there was a death, marriage, or birth, they were all present, and before their very eyes, the shape and demeanor of the child did change: it grew long and brown with a snake-like body, a horse's head, cloven-hoofed feet, bat's wings, and a long, leathery, forked tail. It increased in strength and size until it was the bulk of a full-grown man, whereupon it emitted savage screams and "fell on the assemblage," beating them all - even its own mother - severely with its wings and tail before escaping through the chimney.

That night, several children disappeared - eaten by the dragon. While it seldom did much harm afterward, it was glimpsed in the woods of the Pine Barrens many times. Wherever milk soured, cows dried-up, or corn was seared, the Leeds Devil was said to have been. On still nights, farmers could follow its trail by the howling of dogs, hoots of owls, and squawks of birds - but few did.

At this point, the account gets a little blurry, connecting the Leeds Devil to the shoreline, where it portended shipwrecks (and was sometimes "seen in the company of the spectres that haunt the shore: the golden-haired woman in white, the black-muzzled pirate, and the robber, whose head being cut-off at Barnegat by Captain Kidd, stumps about the sands without it, guarding a treasure buried nearby." - American Myths & Legends, Charles M. Skinner). It was blamed for the deaths of the fish in the ponds and creeks in the cedar swamps - as it wanted a "change of diet" and breathed upon them - as they whitened and decayed and floated in such numbers as to threaten illness to all the neighborhood ².

The legend of the Leeds Devil then comes full-circle when, in 1740, a pious and exemplary clergyman is secured - one who "had dominion over many of the fiends that plagued New Jersey" (including applejack, "which some declared to be a worse fiend than any other") - who banned the Leeds Devil for 100 years. And for a century, the area was unmolested by the creature.

The Leeds Devil was all but forgotten by 1840 when, as if on cue, it once again began stealing sheep and clutching at children after twilight. Sightings were rare and spotty, but it was reported in Vincetown and Burrville in 1899, which was its last, great raid - at least at the time this account was published. The Leeds Devil's lifespan was thought to have run its course and the fiend was seen no more again forever...

...unless you link it to the strange events which occurred in the very region in January, 1909. While this seems plausible, given this regional folklore, it becomes more difficult, once we include the events of 1885 in Devonshire, England. And I feel this necessary, given that these events actually occurred - whereas the Leeds Devil legend is almost certainly just that. Like all verifiable legends, it has many variations, little to no solid evidence backing it, and is completely far-fetched in nature...

Except that there is some evidence backing it. And the same could be said of the strange events occurring in 1885 and again in 1909, were it not for the photographs and multitude of eyewitnesses.

Note also the inclusion of other New Jersey legends. This co-mingling is somewhat unusual and must be noted when considering the intersection of the folklore concerning the Leeds Devil and the very real account of the Jersey Devil, which occurred in 1909. After all, the lore of the Leeds Devil was already present in the region, and the last "great raid" attributed it was a mere decade before, so - faced with such an inexplicable event - it was quickly associated. The legend told here, from the source cited, was published in 1903. Kind of early for the author's insistence on the finality of the Leeds Devil, but this is a folklorist's tale, which demands an end.

In the second part of this study, we will delve into the lore surrounding the Leeds Devil - independent of the events which occurred in and around the area in 1909.
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¹ Leeds' impregnation alone is considered "proof" of her witchcraft in this published account - why, I cannot say, except to note that she is referred to as "Mother" Leeds, which denotes an advanced age. This particular account - passed-on in several books, at least - does not mention a husband or father, which may also be the reason.

² This suggests an historical event, possibly due to a massive turnover - the mixing of upper and lower layers of a freshwater body, which occurs in the fall and can kill fish, especially bottomfeeders, such as catfish - though this does not explain the deaths of the livery in the creeks, unless they are slow-moving. Disease is also a possibility - and, given the account, more probable - but as I have personally seen the effects of a turnover, and the condition of the fish as described is similar, I included it.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Does Cain Still Walk the Earth?

Now, this one is a bit far-out and I freely admit that. However, I also posit that this is only a theory and not even a completely serious one, at that. Serious to the point that it's a possibility, but not to the point that I am convinced it explains or "solves" anything. I am just putting this out there because it has occurred to me often enough that I wanted to share it and also because I'd love to hear what anyone else has to say about it:

When discussing the Devil's Footprints phenomena, I had mistakenly thought there were only a couple (maybe three) recorded instances. I knew of the Jersey Devil and the night in England some years prior. However, research has turned-up at least one other, credible report and several other accounts. While some of the others are not exactly in keeping with the general theme of the story, they are still close enough that they are included in the Devil's Footprints lore; we are going to except those for this immediate discussion, though we will include them in future posts for completeness.

We are not excluding them because they present information which could prove contrary to what I am about to suggest, but more specifically because, as I noted, they contain information which lay outside the other, accepted and very credible, reports. Not to mention the fact that I am not too impressed with some of them and question their veracity.

In Genesis, Cain rose up and slew his brother, Abel. While this is after the Original Sin, it is before God sent down the Ten Commandments and much has been discussed of this story. In particular is the discussion of why God chose to punish Cain as He did.

In Genesis 4, verse 10-@14, God sentenced Cain to walk the Earth forever, then clearly marked him so none would kill him.

Again, no one really knows why God did this, though theories abound (my favorite -- and one I was not aware existed outside my own, twisted mind until recently -- is that God felt He shared some of the blame, as Cain could not have known that smiting his brother would lead to his death: According to the Bible, no one had died before this), but it has been alluded to time and again in legend, literature, and lore regarding immortal Evil, such as vampirism.

In the cases of the Devil's Footprints, the reports say that while a few people witnessed something, all witnesses saw tracks resembling a single, horseshoed hoofprint in straight lines.

Yes, it may be "outrageous," but hear me out: what if Cain did exist? What if Cain cannot die, as said in the Bible, but could be injured? What if Cain lost one leg somewhere throughout the last, oh, 5000+ years or so? Living the way he must have to, he wouldn't bother learning to sew or cobble, but he may have hammered a horseshoe onto his feet (now foot, just the one) -- it eliminates the need for footwear and is suitable for all climates.

But, let us go further and separate the Biblical from the idea: 

What if there is a unique creature -- meaning to say, the only one of its kind -- that is simply immortal? It can lose limbs, but can neither die nor reproduce. Would it be intelligent enough to shoe its own extremity or even see the need for it? Is it completely unreasonable to think that, at some point, someone could have captured or imprisoned the beast and shoed it? Maybe in hopes of enslaving it as a beast of burden or a paid attraction. Maybe it actually lost its leg during this theoretical capture?

Granted, this may seem like a "silly" theory or discussion, but things like this are part of what interest me in the paranormal: It makes you think about stuff, no matter how "silly" it all seems. And, there's no way to outright dismiss such a general concept, as the entire phenomena remains Unexplained.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Does the Devil Travel by Night?

In the case of the Jersey Devil, a single line of hoofprints stretched across 30 towns in 1909. They went up the sides of walls, over rooftops - whatever happened, it left a lot of evidence and has never been explained to this day.

And it wasn't the first time.

On the evening of February 7-8, 1885, snow fell across Devonshire, England. The next morning, townsfolk were surprised to find "a vast number of foot-tracks" that some believed to be "the marks of Satan himself." The single line of hooved tracks stretched through the towns of Topsham, Lympstone, Exmouth, Teignmouth, and Dawlish and the account was "descanted on from the pulpit."

Just as in the case of the Jersey Devil some 24 years later, the tracks were found "in all kinds of inaccessible places," including rooftops and the tops of narrow walls, enclosed gardens and courtyards, and open fields. It caused a sensation "among all classes," and though the Times of London never carried another article on the matter, Unexplained author, Jerome Clark, uncovered more information in letters to the editor of Illustrated London News.

The tracks covered 100 zigzagged miles and were in the general shape of a horseshoe. Each track was exactly 8 ¹/₂" apart. The "evidence" was never investigated, certainly no photos exist, and no documentation has come to light suggesting anyone witnessed the creature.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

The Jersey Devil

This is one of my favorites:

The New Jersey Devil -- or "Jersey Devil," as it is often called -- is said to have appeared at different times, and in different areas around the world, throughout history.  But, much like The Mothman, it actually only appeared in New Jersey once, in 1909 -- and left a lot of evidence to prove it.

One of the best, true cryptozoologic cases in the Folklore canon, the Jersey Devil was sighted by over 100 witnesses across 30 towns in the winter of 1909.  It left tracks through the snow -- tracks that went across the fields and streets with the same apparent ease as they went up walls and across rooftops -- and, though reports differ, most claim that it left only one, solid line of what were indisputably hoofprints.  This suggests the beast had only one leg and hopped to propel itself.

The eyewitness accounts varied wildly, but the composite drawing that was eventually accepted shows a creature with a horse’s head and body (however frail), with cloven hooves, and bat-like wings.  Some say it breathed fire, though others insist it hissed, but the steam from its mouth most likely came from the cold and was just steam.

Among the witnesses were a minister and a policeman who shot at it.  All of these sightings -- over 100 witnesses in 30 different cities -- occurred in and around the New England states on January 20th-22^nd, 1909.

Though legends persist and pop-culture has made much of it, The Jersey Devil has never been seen nor heard from again.  Several photographs of the tracks The Jersey Devil is claimed to have left behind exist, though they have long since been bought and are no longer in circulation.  They may or may not be protected by copyright laws and so are not reprinted here.  While no known photographs of the creature have ever surfaced, the most popular composite sketch of it is available anywhere online.

Some claim the New Jersey Devil story was an elaborate insurance scam but no one can be certain.