Officials Make Sure Boardwalk Games Are Fair

By Bob Vosseller

(Boardwalk - See Page 16)

Devil:

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From Page 1 led to rewards being offered, and at one point, claims that it was caught and on public display.

According to popular folklore regarding the Jersey Devil, the story begins with Mother Leeds, a woman who lived in a part of Galloway outside Smithville. She became quite upset after she learned she was pregnant for the thirteenth time. On a stormy night in 1735, Mother Leeds was surrounded by her concerned friends as she entered labor.

During a 2014 presentation given to the Colonel Richard Somers Chapter, New Jersey Society, Sons of the American Revolution, Kean University professor Dr. Brian Regal provided more of the details associated with the legend.

“It was a difficult birth, and she screamed out, ‘Let this one be the devil,’” said Regal. “Rather than a normal baby coming out, a kind of horse-like thing with wings came out. It yelps at the astonished family, flies up the chimney, and disappears off into the Pine Barrens.”

“It then spends the next several centuries accosting anyone unfortunate enough to encounter it,” Regal continued.

A visit to Leeds Point confi rms that a Leeds family were prominent members of the local area. However, the road leading to their home is now private property. Others have reported that the Leeds house itself burned to the ground in 1952, and only its foundation still exists.

Kenneth Sooy, Sr., who has worked as Galloway’s Town Historian, said his wife is a Leeds, which further prompted his interest in the story of the Jersey Devil. He opined that a child born with deformities may have started the captivating legend.

“The child maybe occasionally got loose and ran through the yards,” said Sooy. “There was no television and no radio. People would just be sitting in the yard at dusk because it would be a hot night…Something goes scurrying through the brush; they might think it’s anything.”

Sooy said he believed the folk tale was actually attributed to Japhet and Deborah Leeds, but only because they had twelve children. However, the dates don’t work out according to Sooy. The couple were also highly regarded in the community, involved in the church, and not participating in witchcraft.

A Historical Perspective

Regal suggested that the legend of Mother Leeds giving birth to the Jersey Devil may have little to do with the Galloway area. His feelings are the story’s roots come from religious-political clashes in colonial Burlington County. These disputes involved early New Jersey politicians, including Benjamin Franklin and Daniel Leeds, a prominent figure of the time who was ostracized by the Quaker community for publishing almanacs containing astrological symbols and writings.

Regal pointed out the picture in the opening pages of his second phase almanac displayed a dragon-like figure that may have led to the beginning of the Jersey Devil’s legendary creation.

Not only did the Quakers order the removal of Leeds’ almanac, but they also demanded that copies of his subsequent work, “The Temple of Wisdom,” be destroyed. Only one copy of the book exists in the United States and is a part of the Pennsylvania Historical Society’s collection.

“Leeds is on the receiving end of the fi rst major political censorship campaign in America,” said Regal. “This just devastates him because he joined the Society of Friends because he felt these people loved him and embraced him and felt the same way he did.”

The disputes between Leeds and the Quaker community intensified. Leeds decided to write anti-Quaker pamphlets, leading to his dismissal and public condemnation by the local South Jersey Quaker community. In retaliation, a Quaker named Caleb Pusey published a book called “Satan’s Harbinger Encountered,” suggesting Leeds penned his works on behalf of the devil.

Leeds’ son Titan ultimately inherited the almanac business, and Ben Franklin went up against Titan when he published his own almanac, calling it Poor Richard’s.

According to Regal’s research, Franklin decided to fight his competition by saying Poor Richard had consulted the stars and predicted Titan’s death.

Titan Leeds allegedly became very insulted and accused Franklin of being a fool and a liar. Franklin’s response may have also contributed to the origin of the Leeds Devil and, subsequently that of the Jersey

Devil. The two may have been related but not necessarily the same.

In reply to the accusations, Franklin called Titan his friend, and said that he would never say horrible things about him. Regal called the ruse essentially a “smear campaign.”

“This must be the ghost of Titan Leeds,” Franklin reportedly said. “If you see Titan Leeds, that must mean that the ghost of Titan Leeds has come back to life as a sorcerer.”

In the winter of around 1905, Regal said peculiar footprints appeared in the snow scattered across the Pine Barrens, with an intriguing connection made by the locals. These mysterious markings prompted memories of the notorious Leeds Devil and marked the inception of what would become the compelling tale of the Jersey Devil.

Regal explained that the proprietors of a Philadelphia “dime museum” recognized the public’s intrigue surrounding the elusive creature and sought to capitalize on it. Their ingenious plan involved painting a kangaroo green, affixing wings to it, and promoting it as a part of their freak show. In a bid to enhance the exhibit’s allure, they cleverly chose the name “Jersey Devil,” believing it would generate more interest than the moniker “Leeds Devil.”

Jersey Devil Sightings

Despite historical theories that challenge the existence of a supernatural being like the Jersey Devil, adamant believers persist in their claims of firsthand encounters.

Law

: Continued From Page 1 whole list of stuff, tents, trailers, lunch wagons basically anything with a roof on the property is a building. That sounds a little extreme.”

“Regarding places of assembly there also seems to be some things that are leaving too many loopholes. It is mentioned that any building that is devoted to gathering up persons would allow any building as long as they can see it is not devoted to a place of assembly even if it is a residence,” he added.

He noted that in temporary unused storage structures “it seems that you have to get permits for a Dumpster or a Pod type of structure. Seems like an extra burden on the taxpayers. I’m assuming a temporary zoning permit comes with a cost.”

Keith Forgue said, “I did come up with some constructive language here if you are interested in looking at it or passing it along.” He also noted that no language had been added to the ordinance about the number of parking places needed for a place of assembly. “Would that require a parking place for every four persons?”

The Council voted unanimously to table the ordinance. “We are going to take further review of this ordinance,” Council President Roxy Conniff said. That action drew applause from the audience.

Looking at the bills

Resident Karen Perry questioned the cost of a bill “that was almost $12,000 for the repair of a 2013 truck and it doesn’t say what that repair was for. Was that looked at and is it really cost effective?”

Council Vice President James Vaccaro and Councilman Joseph Hankins prepared the payment of bills and noted that the repair was for the vehicle’s transmission.

“There are some other ones that are grouped in with some repairs for EMS and police cars that were in a collision,” she added. “I thought that was a lot of money so I wanted to see what that was all about.”

“The bill was $22,510.50 and it was various items and each item was looked at by Councilman Hankins and myself and the bills were normal. The repairs were quite substantial in each case,” Vaccaro said.

“I thought that was a lot of money,” Perry repeated.

“It is. We were concerned ourselves when we saw it,” Vaccaro responded.

Council President Conniff thanked her for bringing the matter up. “We are going to have our township clerk look into this and get some information for us.”

Rent Control

During a prior council meeting, residents of Silverwoods called for rent control, describing actions by the development’s management as unethical.

Salvatore DelCollo said, “we need rent control for Silverwoods and all senior citizens.” He said he liked what the governing body did for the residents with trailers - referring to a rent leveling ordinance passed earlier in the year.

Township Attorney Lauren Staiger noted there were departments within Ocean County that could put him in contact with Senior Services and Consumer Affairs. “They could get you in touch with people that could help you.”

Fellow Silverwoods resident Greg Malko said he felt what management had done regarding lease increases “was extortion, and blackmail.”

“Most folks are on fixed income, and some people are using their savings to get by. Think about what you would do if it was you or your family members. My neighbors are my family and I worry about them all. We need to do what’s right,” he added.

A third Silverwoods resident agreed with DelCollo and Malko’s remarks. “We are being bullied.” She did some research and found paperwork from code and standards regarding rules about raising rent which she presented to the council.

Staiger urged residents who feel they are facing unfair treatment to “follow up with county services.”