The Hunt for the Jersey Devil
- Paul Juser
- May 26, 2018
- 1 min read
Indy-Anna Bones is an explorer, adventurer, street art expert, cryptozoologist and pigeon-enthusiast.
The Pine Barrens is a massive pine forest covering 1.1 million acres, more than 22 of New Jersey's land.
Indy-Anna Bones had come in search of a legend.
The story begins in 1735, on a stormy night, when "Mother Leeds" was in labor with her 13th child.
Mother Leeds cursed the child to be the devil itself, and upon birth, the child had bat wings and a forked tail.
In 1736, a Japhet Leeds named twelve children in his will. Could his wife, Deborah, be the Mother Leeds of the legend?
Well into the 20th century, the Leeds family was still finding their final resting place in the town that bears their name.
Some tombstones were very old, but nothing from the age of Mother Leeds.
If Indy Anna was going to find the Jersey Devil, she would need to move back into the woods to search its natural habitat.
She pulled off the road at the site of an empty foundation. This area looked as promising as any.
She began finding specimens right away.
A worn vertebrae confirmed something had died in this place.
A search of the area revealed bones scattered everywhere.
Jersey Devil or no, something had made a meal in this place. Satisfied in her investigation, Indy Anna got back on the road.
Watch out for turtles!