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The Jersey Devil, according to legend, is said to haunt the pine barrens of New Jersey. Many legends have been told about this creature's origins. One centers around Mrs. Leeds, a woman who was accused of being a witch. She had twelve children and found out she was pregnant with the lucky thirteenth, and cursed the child as it was born. The child was born with large batlike wings, hooved feet, and a doglike head with a horselike face. It shot from the room and up the fireplace to haunt the pinelands for centuries.
Many eyewitnesses throughout the years have come forward with stories of the Devil attacking small animals, farm animals, and people. Accounts are attributed to the brother of Napoleon Bonaparte as he was hunting. Another concerns a naval commodore, who was testing cannons. As he saw the Devil fly into view, he fired a cannonball into the side of the Devil, who flew off, unfazed by the blast. Here is a first hand account form Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Evans who claimed to watch it for 10 minets at 2:30 am as it stood infront of one of their windows.
"It was about three feet and half high, with a head like a collie dog and
a face like a horse. It had a long neck, wings about two feet long, and
its back legs were like those of a crane, and it had horse's hooves.
It walked on its back legs and held up two short front legs with paws
on them. It didn't use the front legs at all while we were watching.
My wife and I were scared, I tell you, but I managed to open the
window and say, 'Shoo', and it turned around barked at me, and flew away."
In the late 20th century, some sought to link Jersey Devil reports with Bigfoot reports. The initial descriptions, with bat wings, and kangaroo-shape, do not match the traditional reports of hairy bipeds.
The legend of the devil has spawned several books and coverage in television documentaries.
There has also been a place called "The Blue hole" also known as "The Jersey Devils bathtub" located in the pinelands of Winslow, New Jersey. It's said that it's "bottomless" and a ledgend relating to that is said that at one point a group of sicentists decided to take a huge weight and droped it into the water with a rope tied to it and as the weight droped it ran out of rope to they brought in some more and it happend agian so it followed agian and again. But this is untrue as people have gone down and brought back up sand from the bottom so it is thought that it is quick sand at the bottom.
It has been unaccessable for about 40 years after a big storm wiped out the bridge leading to it, so the way to get to it is by hike or any other form of tansportation. It seems that the Jersey Devil was said to inhabit it so that Small children wouldnt go into the watter, but people have said to spot it around there also. People have also said when they went in they were "grabed" by the devil himself. The stange thing about it is that it seems to avrage 58-60 degrees f. year round, even in the summer.
Popular Culture
- The New Jersey Devils are a professional hockey team
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