This isn’t about the New Jersey Devils, the hockey team. This is about THE Jersey Devil. Mrs. Leeds’ 13th child and the scourge of the Pine Barrens. If you have never heard of the Jersey Devil, let me give you a brief lesson.
There are many possible origins of the Jersey Devil legend. The earliest legends date back to Native American folklore. The Lenni Lenape tribes called the area around Pine Barrens “Popuessing”, meaning “place of the dragon”. Swedish explorers later named it “Drake Kill”, “drake” being a word for dragon, and “kill” meaning channel or arm of the sea (river, stream, etc.) in Dutch. The common accepted origin of the story, as far as New Jerseyans are concerned, started with Mother Leeds and is as follows:
“It was said that Mother Leeds had 12 children and, after finding she was pregnant for the 13th time, stated that this one would be the Devil. In 1735, Mother Leeds was in labor on a stormy night. Gathered around her were her friends. Mother Leeds was supposedly a witch and the child’s father was the Devil himself. The child was born normal, but then changed form. It changed from a normal baby to a creature with hooves, a goat’s head, bat wings and a forked tail. It growled and screamed, then killed the midwife before flying up the chimney. It circled the villages and headed toward the pines. In 1740 a clergy exorcised the demon for 100 years and it wasn’t seen again until 1890.”
“Mother Leeds” has been identified by some as Deborah Leeds. This identification may have gained credence from the fact that Deborah Leeds’ husband, Japhet Leeds, named twelve children in the will he wrote in 1736, which is compatible with the legend of the Jersey Devil being the thirteenth child born by Mother Leeds. Deborah and Japhet Leeds also lived in the Leeds Point section of what is now Atlantic County, New Jersey, which is the area commonly said to be the location of the Jersey Devil story.
Pretty wild, huh? What do you think? Is the Jersey Devil fact or fiction?
Let me tell you a personal story and then I will ask you again…. When I was a Boy Scout back in the 70’s we used to take an annual trip to Buck Town, a hunting cabin deep in the Pine Barrens. It was a trip we looked forward to each year and one that we allowed the Webloes to attend. The cabin had two (2) triple bunk beds in each room, a kitchen and living room with fireplace. Saturday night the adults would cook a spaghetti dinner while we sat in the living room playing cards or telling stories. One of the highlights of the trip was the annual Snipe Hunt. If you have never been on a Snipe Hunt I can only say that you don’t know what you are missing. You should call a friend who has participated in a hunt and ask him to organize one for you. We also took hikes in the woods that we quite fun; with one exception. It was my second or third trip to Buck Town and we went on a hike after it got dark. We were all together walking along one of the service roads.
We weren’t making much noise, just listening to the sounds of the woods and taking in the fresh air. All of a sudden the quiet was broken by a blood curdling scream coming from the woods! We all looked around and noticed that someone was missing; the scoutmaster’s son was gone and so was one of our leaders! They were bringing up the rear of the group and now they were gone without a trace! The screaming was followed by the sound of something running through the woods and more screaming but this time it sounded like two people. After what seemed like an eternity the sounds faded and then were gone. We hadn’t moved an inch since we first heard the screams. When we were finally able to do something the scoutmaster said we should all go back to the cabin and wait for his son and the assistant leader to return. It was maybe 15 minutes later that they did return; but they looked awful. Their clothes were torn and they were covered in dirt. They had wandered off the trail just a bit to look at something that caught their eye. It just so happens that it was the Jersey Devil and they had caught his eye, too! The devil took a swipe and ripped someone’s pants and then they took off for their lives with him in hot pursuit. We don’t know how they got away but I never forgot what happened and I doubt anyone else has either.
So, what do you think now? Is the Jersey Devil fact or fiction?
You can read more about the Jersey Devil by following these links:
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