At first a Quaker, who had taken at least two wives, Leeds antagonized other powerful people by converting to Anglicanism. Pizio said Daniel Leeds fathered many children, and that one of his wives could have given birth to a 13th child at an older age, which provides some scientific explanation for a deformity. Regardless of how the legend began, it's still going strong, fueled by those who like to romanticize about Galloway's past, and others who remember being scared of the devil as a child. Galloway was not as built up then. More kids were interested in hunting and everything.
More time spent in the woods means more chance of an encounter by all accounts.