Imagine camping in the Pine Barrens. You hear a noise then see a strange creature lurking in the shadows. Could this be the Jersey Devil? The legend of the Jersey Devil began in 1735, probably the thirteenth child of Mrs Leeds. When she found out she was pregnant with her thirteenth child, she cursed him and said it had better be a devil. When he was born, the midwife died from shock and the Devil ate his twelve sibilants, sparing his mother and flew up the chimney (Juliano 1). Another version of the story is that Mrs. Leeds cursed the child after giving birth to him, then locked him in the attic for years. He then transformed into the beast he is today and fled into the woods (Russell 1). The Jersey Devil is just a myth for some and a horrible reality for others. Thousands of people have seen the Devil and been harassed by him over the years. There are many similarities in these observations. Many witnesses say it has a long neck, tail, wings and hooves. There have also been brutal attacks on animals. Several testimonies report mutilations of pets and livestock. The legend of the Jersey Devil may be true due to sightings, descriptions and attacks. Thousands of people have seen the Jersey Devil, many of them respectable and upstanding citizens. Even famous and powerful people have seen it. Commodore Stephen Decatur, an early 19th century American naval hero, was conducting test firing with cannonballs. He shot the devil in his chest. He seemed unharmed by the gaping hole in his chest and flew away (McCloy, Miller 31). Even royalty has seen the Devil. Joseph Bonaparte, former king of Spain and brother of Napoleon, is said to have seen the Devil while hunting on his estate. A taxi driver was reportedly repairing a puncture on a road near the pine forests overnight. As he finished, a bipedal creature with wings grabbed the flat tire and flew away. The taxi driver ran away, scared. The next day, he returned to investigate, the tire was found 100 meters in the woods (Perticaro 3). January 1909 was the most widespread period of sightings on record. Thousands of people claimed to have seen the Devil during the week of January 16 – 23.