Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-01-19
THE TRAIL OF THE
JERSEY DEVIL"
Showing the footprints of a
Diabolical Press Agent
of Years Ago

HNIiE gossip in these columns the other day
l. about the old museum at Ninth and Arch
streets gave but the barest mention TO c. y.
Bradcnburgh, the most considerable show
man connected with the history of that house
and the man in whose interest the greatest
hoax ever conceived by a press agent was
perpetratcd
1t was just about this time Of year, in the
winter Of lg05-O6, that the Jersey Devil
broke loose somewhere in the pines of Cape
May County and set the whole country by
the ears. There Is a prelude to the story,
and it runs thus;
\ dull, gray Wintry afternoon was drawing
10 "a close, when a thoughtful young man
might have been observed perusing the pages
Of a small book which he had picked up
from the stand outside Leary's bookstore.
II was an old book Of folklore, and the
pages which particularly attracted our hero
dealt with "a tale current i'm the Jerseys in
revolutionary times Of a woman who, having
expressed the wish in a ueighbor's hearing
that "thc devil might take the unwelcome
baby which was about TO be born to her
later gave out the startling news that that
very thing had happened.
At any rate, the child had disappeared, and
the woman's story that the demon had car
red it up the chimney was believed by the
simple folk of the countryside. Furthermore,
the chronicle went on to say, various inhabi-
tants came forward from time to time to de-
clare that they had actually seen the change
ling flying through the woods.
Norman Jefferies-for our young man was
indeed he--pondered those wise words for
several moments, then, slipping the book into
his pocket-after paying for it, of course
he went away with the air Of one who had
seen a great light.
The First footprint
It was few days after this that the editor
of a small town paper in South Jersey found
off an ~
tribution, which ran something like this:
The Jersey Devil which has not been
seen in these parts for nearly a hundred
years has again put In its appearance,
Mrs. j. IL. Hopkins, the wife of a worthy
farmer Of our county. distinctly saw the
creature near the barn on Saturday last
and afterward examined its tracks in the
snow" CThen followed a description Of the
devil, as he looked to the farmers Wife,
The editor printed the thing and here the
ubiquitous country correspondents Of the
metropolitan papers took hand. one Of
them sent the story, with Celebrations, TO the
Philadelphia Press, and 1t was given couple
Of inches of space I'm that paper. Then the
other country correspondents, who had been
beaten on the first story, began TO get busy.
Reporters were invited to come ana in.
spect cloyen footprints i'm farmyards. Now.
any sort Of footprint in the snow melts first
in its center and speedily takes on the ap.
pearance OF a hoof mark. Add TO that a
dash OF tcNered imagination ana you'll get
almost anything The first Philadelphia
paper TO take notice Of the story had by this
time sent a man to take plaster casts Of
some of these prints and these were exhibited
i'm it's Chestnut street window.
About this time great windstorm arose
opportunely and helped immensely. WheD-
ever the wind beat upon farmhouse shutters
II became the devil trying 10 break in. The
terror spread rapidly from its starting point
and reports of the demoniac visitations came
from Norristown, Bristol and other points
I'm Pennsylvania. When Sunday came there
followed stories of hysterical women attacked
upon lonely roads on their way home from
church and these came simultaneously from
fifty widely separated localities.
Professor Langley, of airship fame, who
was interviewed by local newspaper, gave
Il as his opinion that there might very prob
ably be but one. for such a creature, as the
devil was described to be, could fly with in
credible swiftness and appear In many diff
ferent places in a very short space of time.
Artists got busy making pictures OF the
thing from the word-sketches OF those who
had "seen" il. In a week the furore had
reached as far north as Jersey City, and
each Philadelphia paper was giving from two
10 four columns Of space TO Il each day
The fever grew and grew. Several mills
in Gloucester closed down because their
female operatives were afraid 10 20 home IN
the dark and Phil Nash the noted theatrl-
cal manager, who had leased the Broadway