Jersey Devil: Real Or Myth?

Imagine yourself camping in the Pine Barrens. You hear a noise and then see a strange creature lurking in the shadows. Could it be the Jersey Devil? The Legend of the Jersey Devil began in 1735, it was supposedly the thirteenth child of Mrs. Leeds. When she found out she was pregnant with her thirteenth child, she cursed it and said it better be a devil. When it was born, the midwife died of shock and the Devil ate its twelve sibilants, sparing its mother and flew out the chimney (Juliano 1). Another version of the story is that Mrs. Leeds cursed the child after giving birth to it, she then locked it in the attic for years. It then transformed into the beast it is today and escaped into the woods (Russell 1). The Jersey Devil is only a myth to some and a horrific reality to others. Thousands of people have seen the Devil and been harassed by it throughout the years. There are many similarities in these sightings. Many of the witnesses say it has a long neck, a tail, wings, and hooves. There has also been vicious attacks on animals. Several accounts have reported mutilated pets and livestock. The legend of the Jersey Devil may be true because of the sightings, descriptions, and attacks.

Thousands of people have seen the Jersey Devil, many of which are respectable and honest citizens. Even famous and powerful people have seen him. Commodore Stephen Decatur, an early nineteenth-century American naval hero, was test firing cannonballs. He shot the Devil through it's chest. It seemed unharmed by the gaping hole in it's chest and flew away (McCloy, Miller 31). Even royalty has seen the Devil. Joseph Bonaparte, former King of Spain and brother of Napoleon, reportedly saw the Devil while hunting on his estate. A cab driver was reportedly fixing a flat tire on a road near the pine barrens at night. As he finished, a bipedal creature with wings grabbed the flat tire and flew away. The cab driver sped away in fear. The next day, he returned to investigate, the tire was found 100 yards in the woods (Perticaro 3). January 1909 was the most widespread period of sightings ever recorded. Thousands of people claimed to have seen the Devil during the week of January 16 – 23.