PHILADELPHIA, AMERICA'S MOST HAUNTED CITY

Academy of Music

The Jersey Devil **=sound fx**

The Jersey Devil is a phenomenon that has been seen on numerous occassions in Philadelphia and its suburbs, the Jersey Devil's principle residence is thought to be the pine barrens not more than an 1/2 hour drive from Philadelphia, the pine barrens is undeveloped land that covers 1/3 of southern New Jersey.

The Devil has been described as having hooves, wings, the head of a dog, and the face of a ram. Sometimes it has glowing red eyes and a glowing body. It walks upright and is usually able to fly. It is about four feet tall. The Jersey Devil was mentioned in the stories of the Lenape Lenape indians.This entity has been seen by over 2,000 witnesses .

In the week of January 16-23, 1909 the devil would leave his tracks all over South Jersey and Philadelphia. He was seen by over 1,000 people. January 16, 1909.It was a cold and snowy night , Thack Cozzens of Woodbury, NJ, saw a flying creature with glowing eyes flying down the street.

In Bristol Pa., John McOwen heard and saw the strange creature on the banks of the Delaware canal.He stated that the sound it made was like a eerie scream.

Patrolman James Sackville of Bristol Pa. fired at the creature as it flew away screaming.

E.W. Minister, Postmaster of Bristol, Pa., also saw a bird-like creature with a ram's head that had a piercing scream.He also stated that it glowed like a firefly.

When daylight came, the residents of Bristol found hoof prints in the snow. Two local trappers said they had never seen tracks like those before.. On Monday, the Lowdens of Burlington, NJ, found hoof prints in their yard and around their trash, which was half eaten. Almost every yard in Burlington had these strange hoof prints in them. The prints went up trees, went from roof to roof, disappeared in the middle of the road, and stopped in the middle of open fields.

On the 19th the Jersey Devil made his longest appearance of the week. At 2:30 am, Mr. & Mrs. Nelson Evans of Gloucester city were awakened by a strange noise. They watched the devil from their window for 10 minutes. Mr. Evans described the creature they saw:

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..

Tuesday afternoon 2 professional hunters tracked the devil for 20 miles in Gloucester. The trail jumped 5 foot fences and went under 8 inch spaces. The hoof prints were found in more parts of South Jersey. A group of observers in Camden, NJ, saw the devil. It barked at them and then took off into the air. The next day, a Burlington police officer and the Reverend John Pursell of Pemberton saw the Jersey Devil. Rev. Pursell said, "Never saw anything like it before". Posses in Haddonfield found tracks that ended abruptly.

In Collingswood, NJ, a posse watched the devil fly off toward Moorestown. Near Moorestown, John Smith of Maple Shade saw the devil at the Mount Carmel Cemetery. George Snyder saw the devil right after Mr. Smith and their descriptions were identical. In Riverside, NJ, hoof prints were found on roof tops and also around a dead puppy.

On Thursday, the Jersey Devil was seen by the Black Hawk Social Club. He was also seen by a trolley full of people in Clementon as it circled above them. The witnesses descriptions matched others from the days before. In Trenton, Councilman E.P. Weeden heard the flapping of wings and then found hoof prints outside his door. The prints were also found at the arsenal in Trenton. As the day wore on the Trolleys in Trenton and New Brunswick had armed drivers to ward off attacks. The people in Pitman filled churches. Chickens had been missing all week throughout the Delaware Valley.

The West Collingswood Fire Department fired their hose at the devil. The devil retreated at first, but then charged and flew away at the last second.

Mrs. Sorbinski of Camden heard a commotion in her yard. She opened the door to see the Jersey Devil standing there with her dog in it's grip. She hit the devil with a broom until it let go of her dog and flew away.The dog had a chunk bitten from his body, She started screaming until her neighbors came over. Two police officers arrived at her house where over 100 people had gathered. The crowd heard a scream coming from Kaigan Hill. The mob ran toward the creature on the hill. The Police shot at it and the devil flew off into the night. The streets of Camden were empty after this.

On Friday, Camden police officer Louis Strehr saw the Jersey Devil drinking from a horses trough. The school in Mt. Ephraim was closed because no students came in. Mills and factories in Gloucester and Hainesport had to close because none of the employees came to work. Many New Jersey residents wouldn't leave their houses, even in daylight.

Officer Merchant of Blackwood drew a sketch of the creature he saw. His sketch coincided with the descriptions from earlier in the week. Jacob Henderson saw the devil in Salem and described it as having "wings and a tail" The devil was only seen once more in 1909 in February.

Since 1909, the Jersey Devil has continued to be sighted by people all over New Jersey and Pennsylvania and even as far as New York and Virginia.

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