One stormy New Jersey night in 1735, Mother Leeds was brought to her bed in childbirth. Rumours had spread across town that the mother of twelve was involved in witchcraft, and had sworn she would give birth to a devil.
One stormy New Jersey night in 1735, Mother Leeds was brought to her bed in childbirth. Rumours had spread across town that the mother of twelve was involved in witchcraft, and had sworn she would give birth to a devil.
At first, the newborn looked normal. But soon after, Mother Leeds’ 13th child changed to a demonic creature with a goat’s head, bat wings and a forked tail. After beating everyone up, it flew off into the pines.
Despite being wholly fictional, sightings of this beast known as the Jersey Devil have been recorded ever since. In 1820, Joseph Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon, claimed to have seen the Jersey Devil while hunting on his Bordentown estate. In 1909, the Philadelphia Zoo even posted a $10,000 reward for the creature.
