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URECAT - UFO Related Entities Catalog

URECAT is a formal catalog of UFO related entities sightings reports with the goal of providing quality information for accurate studies of the topic. Additional information, corrections and reviews are welcome at patrick.gross@inbox.com, please state if you wish to be credited for your contribution or not. The main page of the URECAT catalog is here.

Beginning of August 1930, Mays Landing, New Jersey, USA, people:

Brief summary of the event and follow-up:

The Leeds Devil" or "Jersey Devil" of 1909 and later years in the USA, appeared in ufology books and catalogues decades later. Not all cases made it. This one didn't. It appeared in the newspaper The Millville Daily, in Millville, New Jersey, USA, on page 1, for August 2, 1930.

The newspaper reported quit vaguely from Mays Landing, on August 2, that the "strange creature that has been terrorizing this neighborhood of Leeds Point, or another that answers the same description, has been reported as having been on the road between Mays Landing and Ocean City two nights this week."

The newspaper commented that many people in this section believe implicitly in the legend of Leed's Devil and its origin in Estelville, near here, and a number of the older residents swear they have seen it and that it is as fearsome a beast as has been described. They add that rear of the supernatural seems to stand in the way of any organized hunt for the creature.

Then, on August 5, 1930, the newspaper The Daily Journal, of Vineland, New Jersey, gave an explanation theory. Berry picking season in Atlantic county had just started, so it is believed, they said, that the "Leeds Devil" scare was "started by berry pickers who hoped to frighten rival pickers and townspeople out of the woods during berry season. This gave them a monopoly of the berry patches", and made the prices of berries rise.

The newspaper noted that this year, the trick didn't work out fine: "But this year, the same effect as in the past has been missing. Cause folks aren't being scared off the berry fields at Leeds Point or Mays Landing, as they were in the past."

Basic information table:

Case number: URECAT-001719
Date of event: Beginning of August 1930
Earliest report of event: August 2, 1930
Delay of report: Day, days.
Witness reported via: Not known.
First alleged record by: Newspaper.
First certain record by: Newspaper.
First alleged record type: Newspaper.
First certain record type: Newspaper.
This file created on: September 27, 2018
This file last updated on: September 27, 2018
Country of event: USA
State/Department: New Jersey
Type of location: Area of Leeds Point, Mays Landing, Atlantic county.
Lighting conditions: Not reported.
UFO observed: No
UFO arrival observed: N/A
UFO departure observed: N/A
UFO/Entity Relation: None
Witnesses numbers: Not reported.
Witnesses ages: Not reported.
Witnesses types: Not reported.
Photograph(s): No.
Witnesses drawing: No.
Witnesses-approved drawing: No.
Number of entities: Not reported.
Type of entities: Not reported.
Entities height: Not reported.
Entities outfit type: Not reported.
Entities outfit color: Not reported.
Entities skin color: Not reported.
Entities body: Not reported.
Entities head: Not reported.
Entities eyes: Not reported.
Entities mouth: Not reported.
Entities nose: Not reported.
Entities feet: Not reported.
Entities arms: Not reported.
Entities fingers: Not reported.
Entities fingers number: Not reported.
Entities hair: Not reported.
Entities voice: Not reported.
Entities actions: Not reported.
Entities/witness interactions: Not reported.
Witness(es) reactions: Observed.
Witness(es) feelings: Not frightened.
Witness(es) interpretation: Not reported. Jersey Devil, or hoax.
Explanation category: Possible hoax, not UFO-related.
Explanation certainty: Medium.

Narratives:

[Ref. md1:] "THE MILLVILLE DAILY" NEWSPAPER:

LEED'S DEVIL SIGHTED NEAR MAYS LANDING

Mays Landing, Aug. 2 -- The strange creature that has been terrorizing this neighborhood of Leeds Point, or another that answers the same description, has been reported as having been on the road between Mays Landing and Ocean City two nights this week.

Many people in this section believe implicitly in the legend of Leed's Devil and its origin in Estelville, near here, and a number of the older residents swear they have seen it and that is is a [as] fearsome a beast as has been described. Fear of the supernatural seems to stand in the way of any organized hunt for the creature.

[Ref. dj1:] "THE DAILY JOURNAL" NEWSPAPER:

Old 'Jersey Devil' Brings Smiles Now

Berry Pickers Believed To Have Revived Tale In Price Interest

He's being dusted off again and brought into view.

At the same time the berry picking season in Atlantic county has begun. And that may have been the reason for bringing the old fellow to life again.

He is none other than the "Jersey Devil", famed these many years in front-page and scarekids stories.

But this year, the same effect as in the past has been missing. Cause folks aren't being scared off the berry fields at Leeds Point or Mays Landing, as they were in the past.

It is believed that the "Leeds Devil" scare was started by berry pickers who hoped to frighten rival pickers and townspeople out of the woods during berry season. This gave them a monopoly of the berry patches.

By using the "devil" stories prices of berries jumped in municipal markets. The devil legend was sufficient to keep many berry pickers out of the woods and the number of people working could not supply the demand of market centers.

This year its is again believed on the mainland that a group of berry pickers started the stories in an effort to boost the price of berries and to keep out competing pickers.

These efforts seem to have gone for naught, for the only people who paid the sightest attention to the stories of the "Jersey Devil" were prohibition agents. Such creatures, they argue, can only be encountered where moonshine whiskey flourishes.

Points to consider:

Ufologists, with varied opinions on the matter, wrote about these cases of "Jersey Devil". Many cases can be found in my page on the year 1909 in this catalog, by checking the cases in New Jersey, USA.

The rather unconvincing resurgence of these stories in the 1930s went much unnoticed by ufologists. It must be clear that in my opinion, this story has nothing to do with UFOs and does not tell us anything about UFO occupants; but it reveals a somewhat belated but interesting explanation about the "Jersey Devil", at least about the 1930 Jersey Devil: berry pickers spreading such stories again to keep the competitors away from their berry fields!

In this case, notice the differences with those of the year 1909:

List of issues:

Id: Topic: Severity: Date noted: Raised by: Noted by: Description: Proposal: Status:
-

Evaluation:

Possible hoax, not UFO-related.

Sources references:

* = Source I checked.
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.

Document history:

Authoring

Main Author: Patrick Gross
Contributors: None
Reviewers: None
Editor: Patrick Gross

Changes history

Version: Created/Changed By: Date: Change Description:
0.1 Patrick Gross September 27, 2018 Creation, [md1], [dj1].
1.0 Patrick Gross September 27, 2018 First published.

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This page was last updated on September 27, 2018.