Jersey Devil - Val - Fourth Hour

The Jersey Devil believed by some as a mythical creature and by others, a real-live monster of flesh and blood. This supposed mythical creature of the New Jersey Pinelands has haunted its surrounding for the past 260 years. It has terrorized towns causing factories and schools to be closed down. Many people believe that the Jersey Devil is just a legend. Over 2,000 have witnesses this entity over this period. Evidence has shown that this animal or supernatural creature that consists of stories of its origin, the sightings of it, and finally, the theories on it. Though many people believe it to be true, I personally do not believe in this mythical creature.

According to the legend, there are many different versions of how the Jersey Devil came to be. One of the most popular legends says a Mrs. Shrouds of Leeds Point, NJ made a wish that if she ever had another child, she want it to be a devil. In giving birth to her next child, the child was born misshapen and deformed. Other versions proclaim it was the 13th child of Mrs. Leeds of Estelville, NJ. Hoping her child was a devil; she got her wish. The child was born with horns a tail, wings, and a horse-like head. As the creature revisited Mrs. Leeds everyday; she stood at her door told it to leave. After awhile, the creature got the hint and never returned.

By now sighting of the creature began to brew. Early Sunday morning, January 16, 1909; Thack Cozzens of Woodbury, NJ, saw a flying creature with glowing eyes down the street. Over in Bristol, P.A., John Mcowen heard and saw the strange creature on the banks of the canal. On early morning January 19, 1909, Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Evans woke to a sound of a large animal; describing it as: “about three and half feet high, with a face like a collie and a head like a horse. It had a long neck, wings about two feet long and back legs like those of a crane.”

Since 1909, the Jersey Devil has continued to be sighted by people all over New Jersey. The number of sighting that has been reported to the authorities has dwindled over the years.

Though I personally do not believe in this creature to be “alive” or “existing”, evidence ties all of the legends together whether the mothers name was Leeds or the birthplace, to the name “Leeds”. None of these theories can give a definitive to what the Jersey Devil was or is, but the sightings prove there might be something out there.

Reference List

The JERSEY DEVIL, April 5, 2009, http://www.theshadowlands.net/jd.htm
The Jersey Devil (Fact or Fiction), April 5, 2009, http://www.elktownship.com/myth.html
Figure 1 http://media.philly.com/images/jersey_devil_fringe300.jpg