The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-01-22
TIE ENGINEER QUIT MS run
AGcr Seeing Something md Hearing Whit
IL Probably was-An Er~r-Iiying Owl
faced Fiend orthc y erscy-iightnin Region.

AVcf FeetuT FONtttntnx Nud hVNEIHh w NV
Il Probably wa--An Ev~r-LiyinE Owl
faced FIend OF the y htning Region.
II SEQ by the south Jers, W papers that they
are seeing the Leeds Devil again down that
wny." said nm Eric hallway engineer. and all
I've got to say Is that II the Leeds Devil has
held its own since l saw It n few years ago. l
feel sorry for any ono who gets n sight OF 1t. L
was running on the South Jersey Railroad at
that time. and We were booming along through
the pines Just ut dusk one October evening.
when I heard the most unearthly shrek. or
yell, or screech. or whatever the sound might
be called. and the next second something
came swooping down from tho pines
and stuck it's head through the cab window.
1t was the ugliest and most terrifying.looking
head and face that a person could conjuro up
In his widest dreams. The head was much
like that OF an owl. although larger than that
OF tho biggest owl / had ever seen. The face
was that OF an ape or monkey. The checks
were sunken and almost white. and above
them Glared n pair of fiery and protrudins
eyes. with q black streak over each eye. ex-
tending dlaconally UP toward the erect and
pointed ears. This hideuus creature had a
feathered or perhaps hairy body and n pair
OF huge wings. which worked us noiselessly
as shadows and kept the demon-likc bird
in the air abreast Of tho engine without any
apparent effort. When this arparition made its
appearance at the cab window it uttered n yell
that actually shook things in the cab. and my
fireman tainted dead away in front OF tho fur
mace. / didn't blame him. for l fell back from
that cab window myself with every hair stand
ing on end. and ] could feel that l was as pale
as u ghost. My knees shook so that could
scarcely bear my weight. and grew cold all
over. But l managed to recover from my ter
ror in II few seconds sufficiently to grab n
furnace poker. and with this l struck Il blow
ut tho owl monstrosity that would have fellcd
IN OK. But 1t didn't fell that winged demon at
the cab window. and l must have hit 1t fair
between the eyes. Nevertheless there it re-
NAMED. GlurinE in through the window with
its fiery eyes. and moving along with the en-
CINE as IL 1t were part of its machinery-and
We were going forty miles an hour If we were
Struck the blow with tho heavy poker.
say that IL that thing had remained half a min
ute longer with its head through tho window
stood ut the throttle more than once when
there was danger ahead Of us that, seemed to
be nothing short of certain death and kept
mained in that cab many seconds longer with
that hideous and nneanny apparition facing
seemed to DO satisfied with. the inspection it
had made OF the interior OF that cab and IFS
it disappeared into the pines. as suddenly as it
had, appeared ut tho cab. The fireman, came
TO hDOul tlN. same tlillS, nut ] was SO weak mat
l could hardly pull the whistle cord and slow
W. Tor Darlington: through which town that
thn np MSqta ,,a Sep Spnn ,t Of thu se1 u wlnd ~. for
owl from the cab. left the train at Burllng-
ton. and said to some Of the boys:
III any OF you fellows want to make a nice
stake from some museum you can't do. better
than go down in tho pines and trap the big
to see. But you want to DO careful it don't
,"Then told EN- about what l Ind seen. and
described the thing to EN-. They all gave me
q great laugh except one old-time resident Of
ers. Wien / JesssiiSed t MsS OWL Ssio as f' sa iIiIstfh L.
this old residenter gave the table q whaek with
his ilst that was almost enough to make the
"'By-i That hain't no OWL: that's the
LEEDS as Devil back ag,in; sure as you're livin'r
and he tod the story OF what lie called the
THAT thing said he. amt n bird nor it
a Ain I an nniI ,nSii but mt from e mt the So desGGription; it is
burlington, county. There amt no mistake
about II. never SEQ tho terrible critter my
s seali RI' roS Saa fi e ths ETu Ms.l w Mcnd it. S Mai
when 1t was hunted by men and dogs. and shot
al, by, some OF the best mnrkslnen tllcre was in
There ain't an Old. family in Burlington county
that don't know OF the Leeds Devil. and it was
oii iIots q tup By being reminded nat II I en-.
awful Leeds Devil. and We heard. even to this
day. that there, are parts of old Burlington
the same purpose. Butts more than iity Years
since 1t was seen or heard OF in these. parts.
md everybody thought long ago that It must
other. And now to think that it has come back
apgni11. and and right here under our very noses!
expectin' every minute to hear its yell. that
made nth the b bleed !. OF p past gen sa% run cold:
handed down for pretty near a hundred years.
! guess. Ia Burlington county. and accordin'
Who lived in EvasSamI and nd was "s" Quite tc' we'll
known in that part OF the county; got mar
v Wss fd Ills :" wife fh was Ga rssfi sT. shs f maa s9 9hIs sss
lively at all the corn huskin's and apple cuts.
and tho trouble was that she wouldn't .ive'pm
up after she was married. it didn't mako no
difference what her husband said or thought
ooin' to be u mother, the story is that she be.
COINS, on to her husband. and She actually
cursed the a. DAY sy,h she g G married; Now, the
born is stllll .iivinf' ia Burlington n4S c"uS %Ss
% or that Mas what lat r yeA roin Hso' tei nn You s has b so,d
handed down in the family straight and with
ont a word bein' left out oE added to II: This
on the night before the baby was born Mras..
Leeds was in an awful wicked state Of mind.
n m%s si lave maae Things shsiHsseH look I tlsSss.i s She eS sadd fsa.
no a%H5 h asSi, lSIl be a devil! 1hooe iii beai
The next night the nurse come home. pale
1.-THE Leeds baby is borni" she said to
her ioissi but It wac q monsterous thing, all
chimney and away. shrlekln' and yeliin''!" "O
The nurss'sl story give folks an nwfnl
scare around Evasham. There WASN'T many
believed It. though. folks generally suspcctin'
that e, leeds 6aby had been made way with:
the track; But q few days niterward a mar
mat was q , han a, in ne ESashap woods come
across the most outlandish and frightfulthlng
n thS woods; and that it had scared him 50
He described 1t lust the way tho nurse had de- |
sSr,hed ne {, terrible Leeds baby. After that it
with the same screeches and Yell. The
purses story was then believed. by every
S wici:j anu Raun 5ne monstrous Offspring OF He
Leeds Devil; and for years and years it was
and hunted. but it seemed TO have the
charmed life OF u witch. and even silver bull |
"a A1