| | In the pine barrens of my home state of New Jersey there exists a creature (they say) that has haunted the area for at least a century. In fact a sighting in my own home town has been documented. And what is this "monster" that around a camp fire tales have been told to scare little kiddies roasting marshmallows?
THE JERSEY DEVIL!!!
There lived, in the year 1735, in the Township of Burlington, a woman. Her name was Leeds, and she was shrewdly suspected of a little amateur witchcraft. Be that as it may, it is well established, that, one stormy gusty night, when the wind was  howling in turret and tree, Mother Leeds gave birth to a son, whose father could have been no other than the Prince of Darkness. No sooner did he see the light than he assumed the form of a fiend, with horses head, wings of a bat, and a serpent tail. The first thought of the newborn Caliban (the deformed slave from Shakespeare Tempest) was to fall foul of his mother, whom he scratched and bepommelled soundly, and then flew through the window out into the village, where he played the mischief generally. Little children he devoured, maidens he abused, young men he mauled and battered; and it was many days before a holy man succeeded in repeating the enchantment of Prospero (again, from Tempest). At length, however, Leeds devil was laid--- but only for 100 years.
There have been many stories surrounding this creature. Remember the movie "The Blair Witch Project" ? It was based on The Jersey Devil. Of course, like all high tales and myths, there are alternative stories of this creature but they all have a commonality which gives some credence to these tales. Here are a few.
In 1735, a woman named Leeds, who had already had 12 children, gave birth to a 13th. During labor she proclaimed, May the Devil take this one!. The baby, upon being born, turned into a monster with the head of a collie, the wings of a bat and cloven feet. It promptly flew out the window and has been haunting the Pine Barrens ever since, mutilating animals, scaring the locals and bringing bad luck.
Mrs. Leeds had a baby that was so deformed, it tore her open when it was born. The deformed baby was kept out of sight by the family, because it was so hideous. The birth was the result of Mrs. Leeds promiscuous lifestyle and the townspeople all shunned her.
J.D. wasn't a creature but a kid with a mental disability that her parents left in the woods to fend for himself when he was young. So he ended up killing chickens and other animals which is why people thought there was an animal. And thats the story the whole real truthful story.
Another version has the woman with another name, but living in Leeds Point, NJ.
If you are interested in knowing more, here are a few links. One of them is the official site of "The Devil Hunters". And yes, they do go out hunting for the thing.
LINKS
-
-
-
Ok, now for the good stuff.........
Yummy, candy!
 
flippin sleepy
LINKS TO MY
poetry photography art
|
Flippin
