- www.LandoftheDevil.com -

Remains Found-

Every since people knew of the Jersey Devil they wished it dead. Perhaps that can be attributed to mans primal urge to conquer those around who may pose a threat. In folklore and in movies men fight and kill dragons or anything they do not fully understand. And as long as anyone can remember, such has been the case with the Jersey Devil. Residents have feared and hated the creature since its supposed birth in the 1730's at Leeds Point; around the same time we begin to have record of people seeing it. Families really did move away and people genuinely feared this creature. Even today people fear it, and for good reason. That's because many residents have either seen the Jersey Devil, or know someone who genuinely claims to have done so.

On several occassions when fear of the Jersey Devil has peaked, armed search parties were formed who partolled the forest; day in and day out for certain lengths of time. These stories are nothing new. They'd follow tracks through back yards and over roofs, across fields and deep into the Pine Barrens. There is no record of a search party actually slaying the creature, though some have sighted it in the pine barrens. As you can read about in the Eluder of Death area, there have been numerous times when the creature has been injured. In chronological order here are all cases which have surfaced where people have found what was thought the be the corpse of the Jersey Devil.

1) In 1917, a strange creature is killed and put on display. At the time it is said to be the Jersey devil. Years later, the hoaxer confessed.

2) In Greenwich Township during december of 1925, there is an article in the Bridgeton paper of an older man having slaughtered the Jersey Devil. Another article from a few days later states that a taxidermist from Atlantic City paid twenty dollars for the carcass and that a bounty this large would not have been paid for an ordinary animal. Another version of this same story says that the man was actually a farmer who killed the creature after it ate his chickens.

3) Also during the year of 1925, another story goes to say that the body of the Jersey Devil was simply found in a tree near Swedesboro. No other information is given.

4) The most popular account of the creature's death came about in the year 1957. No matter the version, this story always states that a "charred carcass of an unidentifiable animal" was found by either a forest service crew, or a park ranger. Depending on the version, the location was either near Chatsworth (another hotspot) or by the Hampton Furnace. There were large bones, small feathers, and claws amungst the debrees. Supposedly the carcass was quite large in size, but the personel were able to lift it mostly onto a large tree stump and photograph it. People in south-jersey remember seeing this photograph, although no-one can find it. (There are 2 leads on this. If it's found, it will be posted on the site.)

5) Sometime around 1980 a set of large bones were found along the southern coast of New Jersey, however nobody seems to remember exactly where they were found, by who, or what happened to them.

Disclaimer: This page only lists stories where an actual body was found. For all accounts of the creatures supposed death, see the Eluder of Death oddity page.

__________

Always in search of answers and connections, we have written to the State firewarden regarding the fourth story written above. Here is what they had to say:

"Regarding the charred remains of the Jersey Devil being found at the scene of a wildfire back in the 1950's/1960's. The story you explain is the same one we are also aware of. Our only difference is that the rermains were located closer to Hampton Furnace (southwest of Chatsworth). I spoke with one of our Field Firewardens whose dad covered that area as a Firewarden during that time period and he can also substantiate the story that was documented in a Jersey Devil book but we have no written or photographic evidence of any charred remains being discovered.

State Firewarden
NJ Forest Fire Service"