The Jersey Devil

They say . . . in the Pinelands of southern New Jersey there is a monster that haunts-- it is known as the Leed’s Devil. This devil when seen resembles a dragon with a head like a horse, the body of a snake, a forked tail and wings like a bat.

This devil—the Jersey Devil—wrecks havoc upon farmer’s crops and livestock, it poisons water sources-- pools and creeks and when it is seen on the Jersey shore—it is considered a harbinger—for soon after ships wreck.

So beware of this monster with the flashing red eyes.

This well-known legend is rooted in New Jersey’s past. It began with a woman’s curse.

Deborah Smith emigrated from England in the 1700s to marry a man named Leeds. The couple settled in the New Jersey Pine Barrens in Galloway Township, Atlantic County.

Their life together was not a happy one. Mr. Leeds was a lazy drunk who rarely worked. Deborah put food on the table for their twelve children by sewing shirts.

When Deborah discovered that she was pregnant with her 13^th child it is said she snapped. She cursed her ner’er-do-well husband and invoked the power of the devil.

It is said she wished her thirteenth child “may be the devil.” So revenge could rain down on Mr. Leeds.

She got her wish for soon after this child was born it turned into the dragon like creature described above and flew off. The legend states that her family was truly cursed for the Leed’s Devil not only killed her husband but several of her other children.

One dipiction of the Jersey Devil

Some believe the origin of this legend is actually rooted in a superstition widely believed in the 1700s. People during this time believed in witchcraft and they felt a child born with a deformity—which might have been the case with the Leed’s 13^th child—was a sign God cursed the child.

Regardless, the belief in the creature known as the Jersey Devil has persisted ever since. For over 200 years, there have been numerous sightings of this flying devil.

In the 1870s a Long beach fisherman claimed he saw the Jersey Devil serenading a mermaid.

A famous sighting occurred in 1909 when a councilman, E.P. Weeden in Trenton claimed that he was awakened by the sound of flapping wings outside his bedroom window. He stated he found cloven hoof prints in the snow after this.

Soon, other residents stated they also saw similar hoof prints. Within a week thousands of residents in the area stepped forward to say they had seen the Devil. Local newspapers wrote several stories about these sightings.

It wasn’t long before sightings were also reported in Pennsylvania and Delaware.

In 1978, two teens ice-skating in Chatsworth near the Barrens claimed to smell an odor of “dead fish” and then they spotted two red eyes staring at them. They didn’t stay around to see the rest.

Many more witnesses have come forward to state they did not see the Jersey Devil but instead heard it “rampaging through the woods, or emitting blood curdling cries.”

In the 1960s, strange tracks were discovered near May’s Landing—rumors stated it must be the Jersey Devil. When loud shrieks were also heard in the area local Camden merchants offered a $10,000 reward for the capture of the creature. They stated they would build a zoo to display it.

This reward remains unclaimed.

Excerpts from Spooky Campfire Tales, by S.E. Schlosser and The New Jersey Historical Society.