Jersey Devil: Possible Parents and Siblings

DEBORAH SMITH LEEDS

The facts: Deborah Smith was born in 1685 in Burlington County, New Jersey and died as Deborah Leeds in 1748 in Atlantic County New Jersey. She was a Quaker and married Japheth Leeds giving birth to 12 of his children. Deborah was (possibly) the daughter of Daniel Smith and Mary Murfin. There is much speculation and much of the details may have been lost to time. In those times it was an old practice to name the first son after the parents, which in her situation was not true. Deborah named her first son Robert, and her sixth son, Daniel, bore the name of her father. Japheth's father was also named Daniel. Her first child Mary was born 1704, and her last known child by Japheth, Hannah, was born 1726.

The Unknown "Hand Print" on the Back of the Car Incident (Martha's Furnace)

by Chris Chaos

Back on February 10th, 2010 we ventured off to find Martha's Furnace in Chatsworth, New Jersey. It was late at night and very dark, we did not have a jeep but we did have a car that was ill equipped for the terrain that we were to venture down.

The mysterious handprint on the trunk

Across the street from the Historic Harrisville Ghost Town Ruins,we started down Martha Road, the road is simply a dirt road but eventually graduates to a loose sand and grass path that should be traversed either by foot or by Jeep.

"The Mysterious C Hole Found" Girardville, PA 11-27-16

by Chris Chaos

The elusive "C Hole"

Many in the Girardville, PA (known for its rapidly growing annual St. Patrick's Day Parade) area are very familiar with the swimming hole known affectionately as the "A Hole", others may even know the "B Hole", but the legendary "C Hole" (Which is not even mentioned within Google Maps) has been located and documented by us in late 2016. (more info concerning the various locations will be added to this article one it is finalized)

The coal monument

These holes are old abandoned mining locations and specifically, the A Hole collapsed in on itself. On the east end of the banks all the debris that was either thrown or blown into the body of water accumulates. Much of the old mining equipment is also located in the bottom of these bodies of water.

The Strange Pink Cross Named Dominique

by Chris Chaos

On the corner of Myers Ave and Route 73 in Winslow Township you will come across a peculiar pink cross with the name DOMINIQUE emblazoned across it. Over the last few years I have driven past it many times and wondered who it immortalized and what circumstances occurred for it to be erected. Eventually I took to the internet to start researching what the story was behind this pink cross.

***NOTE*** Some details and names were left out to protect the parties involved.

The facts pulled from various news sources were: On April 5th, 2008 Dominique Dezii was tragically killed when an ATV, on which she was a passenger, was struck by a car in Winslow Township NJ.

The news reports are a dime a dozen, people are sadly killed in accidents everyday. So who was this Dominique? For this, you have to dig a little deeper. She was more than just another statistic and a memorial on the side of the road. Dominique was an 8th grader in Winslow Middle School and participated on the town's softball and field hockey teams. The teams that she played on were the Winslow Mayhem and South Jersey Bandits for softball and the Winslow Eagles for hockey.

Her friends and family had this to say about her:
"Even at her young age Dominique was an inspiration to all who knew her. Quick with a smile and always comforting to those she loved, she made the world a better place."

The incident happened in April of 2008 when Dominique and two of her friends (Amber Napoli, 15 and the unidentified male driver) were traveling on an ATV. At the time of the accident a 16 year old boy (identity withheld) was driving when the ATV was on Myers ave and the boy saw a police cruiser, got scared and sped away. The boy ran the red light at the intersection of Myers and Route 73 and a Nissan Altima hit the ATV as they attempted to cross traffic. None of the three passengers on the ATV were wearing helmets and Dominique was killed on impact and another female passenger was injured.

Dominique's mother did not fault the boy as it obviously was not intentional and he has been friends with her daughter for some time. Initially the boy was to receive vehicular-homicide charges, but later in court he was placed on probation, would not be able to get his license until he turned 18 and received mandatory counseling.

Additional charges brought up by the Winslow police were: Operating the ATV without the headlights on, carrying passengers on a vehicle not designed to carry passengers, operating a vehicle not meant to be operated on public roads, none of the teens were wearing a helmet, the ATV was not registered or insured, reckless driving, failure to observe a traffic signal.

Hopefully this information will shed a little light onto what many have questioned: Who was this Dominique and why is this cross on the side of 73? So the next time you see it, be sure and wave and say hello.

Here is a personal webpage that Dominique had:
 Dom's Personal Page

The Dominique Facebook Tribute Page:
Dom's Tribute Page

(Chris Chaos is a long time resident of South Jersey who once again resides in and writes from Gloucester City, New Jersey. He is a filmmaker, a business owner, writer, urban explorer and investigator of the odd and weird, a proud parent, happily taken and a connoisseur of hot wings. Chris can be reached at AxisVideo@aol.com)

The Kuleshov Effect... (film) Editing's most powerful tool.

by Chris Chaos

Editing's most powerful tool.

Named after Lev Kuleshov, [1] The Kuleshov Effect, this was a huge moment for cinema, with Kuleshov declaring montage to be the central principle that defines film as an art on its own.

The Kuleshov Effect is a film editing (montage) effect demonstrated by Soviet filmmaker Lev Kuleshov in the 1910s and 1920s. It is a mental phenomenon by which viewers derive more meaning from the interaction of two sequential shots than from a single shot in isolation.

Interesting how this must be explained to the up and coming film makers when explaining how manipulation in the press is conducted.

Leading.
Priming.
Misleading.

Still comes down to good old manipulation concerning the meaning of multiple shots strung in a predetermined meaning...just as intended by the editor.

                                           Hitchcock explains the Kuleshov effect

Lev Kuleshov on the origins of the "Kuleshov effect"

Now for the political take:

Media manipulation...you can change the tone and the audience for a news story by following it by a combination of the 4 followed photos. You can play on people's emotions and political naivety  with a photo..because it speaks a thousand words.

 

President Obama Laughing

Former President Bush Laughing

 

President Obama Crying 

Former President Bush Crying

The story can be anything, but lets make up a fake scenario. (Once again, these are MADE up examples and are NOT real)

The Liberal Example:
A liberal news station, MSNBC dislikes Bush and wishes to show him in a bad light. So they may run a story concerning the misfortune of a famous liberal...then they will cut to video or a picture of Bush laughing..

.....then cut to a picture of Obama crying to show his concern.

The Conservative Example:

A Conservative website, Breitbart, may report on the injury of one of Bush's family members, it would then cut to a video or photo of Bush looking sad

 and then to build contempt for liberals, cut to a video/photo of Obama laughing.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev_Kuleshov


(Chris Chaos is a long time resident of South Jersey who once again resides in and writes from Gloucester City, New Jersey. He is a filmmaker, a business owner, writer, urban explorer and investigator of the odd and weird, a proud parent, happily taken and a connoisseur of hot wings. Chris can be reached at AxisVideo@aol.com)

Cursed Haddon Lake and Surrounding Areas

by Chris Chaos

The covers of the three Cursed books

This location and the incidents of Haddon Lake were the inspiration for the book and video series entitled "Cursed", as of this article there have been three editions published. The lake and many location adjacent to the lake itself have been plagued in such a way that many feel that the area is cursed. The lake itself was the dumping grounds and location where over the years several bodies were found. The McDonald's located along the Blackhorse Pike is the location where a distraught man attempted to commit suicide by driving his car nearly 100 MPH down down Prospect Ridge Blvd and ramming it into the building. Sadly, three McDonald workers died that day and the man attempting suicide lived, go figure.

The mouth of Haddon Lake

Was There a Satanic Murder at Batsto NJ?

by Chris Chaos

The bloody shorts, shirt, shoes, Barbie doll and note

The date was October 18th 2015, a brisk chilly Fall day with a temperature of about 55 degrees. Something heinous took place during the overnight hours at this historic location. The last time something this horrific occurred here was back in 1993. (1)

We were alerted to a possible murder of a baby in Batsto NJ, a hiker found a baby's white shirt (size 0-3 months), pants and booties covered in blood along with a letter addressed to "My Lord" claiming the child as a "sacrifice". A Barbie doll was found alongside the bloody clothing but no human body was found.

We were initially contacted because some people (wrongfully) speculated that this may have been Jersey Devil connected. But obviously JD would not have had access to a printer to leave behind the letter, nor has he been known to kill little infants.

An Interview with FOX TV Concerning the Fairview/Edgewater Tunnels

Conducted by Sibile Marcellus
Reporter, Chasing News, Fox


In early 2016 I was contacted by Sibile from Chasing News to provide an interview for a story that she was reporting on for a segment to be aired on Fox News. Here is a transcript of the interview along with the original story that i did concerning the tunnel.
 
The abandoned railroad tunnels, Fairview/Edgewater

Entrance to the tunnel

The Mysterious Creature from Arizona

 by Chris Chaos

Many people are ignorant of science due to the fact that when they were in high school, science and math were usually deemed either the harder or the nerdier of the required courses. Many students did just enough to pass and dreamed of after school activities that were in no way, shape or form academic.

Over the last few years paranormal and ghost reality TV shows gained in popularity and took advantage of the gullible audiences lack of scientific understanding. Dust and camera defects became orbs, random noises and Ghostboxes manufactured E.V.P.s and tools used in other industries for specific purposes became favorites of want to be ghost hunters. The theories and practices of these tools and concepts had no bearing and are at the mercy of interpretation of the inexperienced user.

In the past, before the popularity of the internet, most information of academia was controlled, filtered and peer reviewed to check and insure for quality prior to being dispensed to the public, but in modern times and the rise of the internet and computer age any, and I do mean anyone can create a blog and build a following of people eager to believe whatever is being distributed. It is more comprised of science fiction as opposed to actual science.

A strange creature was found in Arizona by a man who contacted Todd Ray of the show Venice Beach Freak Show. After conversing for a bit Todd thought the man was going to send him photos of this creature but the actual animal was mailed.

"I don't want to call it an alien, but it's definitely alien in form." Todd Ray

Since Todd holds a Guinness World Record for his collection of two headed animals, we must not take his statement lightly that this is the weirdest thing that he has ever seen. It must be difficult for Todd to see "weird things" that continue to impress him since his daily business specializes in ..."weird".

"It's about a foot long and has gill-like ear things below the head. It's got weird eyes and something out of its mouth that looks like a fleshy fang..." Todd Ray

"I was contacted not long ago by a man from Arizona who said he had found a very strange creature in his yard. He told me it looked like it had gills under the head and that something was "growing out of it's head like a flesh antennae!" He was spooked by it and said that he believed this belong with me at the Freakshow. I told him that I would love to see it and I gave him my email. I thought he would send photos, but he never did. A few weeks later, a box showed up at the Freakshow with the creature in a jar of alcohol. This is the creature he told me about and it is STRANGER than I could have imagined……it is truly the Most Alien Creature I have ever seen in my life. Let me know what you think it is…..it is a mystery to everyone who sees it in person." Todd Ray

While researching background information for this piece, I contacted a few people to pick their brains to see what their opinion of this creature is.

Although the speculation concerning the thoughts and origins of this being varies many concur that it is either the fetus of a:

PIG:

Fetal Pig in amniotic sac

ELEPHANT:

Several minute old elephant calf

".....It looks to me like the skin has detached from the musculature and kind of shrunk back over the skull so that the face can be seen in the mouth." Dave Dorris

Elephant Fetus

SHARK:

 Cookie Cutter Shark

Scott Mardis (The Ayatollah of Plesiosaurs and specializes in marine biology) suggested that it could possibly be a shark and referenced the photos. "If it's a real animal, it looks like a deformed shark fetus to me. There is an obscure little shark with baggy skin like that. The Cookie Cutter Shark."

"Sharks have sexual organs called claspers that can sometimes look like legs with feet." stated Scott Mardis. So it might be possible if the shark was deformed, the "legs" barely seen in the video/photos may be claspers.

Many people did come to the same conclusion, they think that it is some sort of shark.
"No expert here. But too me it looks like a deep sea shark. As for the two toned skin color. When these things are brought up from the deep the difference in pressure might cause the body to become exaggerated or deformed. Maybe it's a sac that when deep under water has a function, but out of water and in a different pressure looks weird. The big eyes also to me give it away as a deep sea creature." Susen Freemyers

Others were thinking more along the lines of a land dwelling mammal. "...a fetal bear still in the amniotic sac." The vast majority of the suggestion as to what the species of this bizarre creature was centered around it being either a fetus or a deformity.

"It could certainly be an aborted/malformed fetus of any number of species but it appears to be an amalgam of different tissues, I can't help but notice that the tissue in the head appears to be embedded in the large "piece" around it (and does not match in consistency or color), eyes and body do not appear to be from the same source as the facial tissue." Cristina Simmons of the San Diego Zoo

Polar Bear fetus

Others had to explore the option that it could have been fake due to the fact that over the years there have been many. In today's age, a special effects person could possibly conjure up a monster up to par and quality of any creature feature that you may see at the movies.
"Silly putty molded into whatever he thinks people will believe." Brenda Hopton

Others even suggested the below.. as a joke.

Teletubby

Nibblonian from Futurama

"It's my mother inlaw!" exclaimed Bob Dunmire

A video concerning the creature from VeniceBeachFreakshow

Ray is willing to get a DNA test conducted on this animal...that way we can get a definite answer as to what this mass of cells are. If a DNA test is conducted and the animal is identified, we will update the article.

(Chris Chaos is a long time resident of South Jersey who once again resides in and writes from Gloucester City, New Jersey. He is a filmmaker, a business owner, writer, urban explorer and investigator of the odd and weird, a proud parent, happily taken and a connoisseur of hot wings. Chris can be reached at AxisVideo@aol.com)

The Jersey Devil Movies and Television Shows

by Chris Chaos

Over the years there have been quite a few movies and television shows that depicted the Jersey Devil, but the general consensus is that they fall really flat and are a disappointment to the legend that the Jersey Devil has provided. Below are a few of the most popular movies/shows along with a link to their respective IMDB page so that you can locate production data and a link to a trailer or scene if it is available. Obviously this is not a full list of Jersey Devil related movies, if you know of a movie that should be in this list, feel free to contact us.

The Jersey Devil

THE JERSEY DEVIL (2005) by Dan DeLuca
The Jersey Devil IMDB page

Description: A small team of archaeologists seeking Lenape Indian relics stumble across a legend that just won't die.

TRAILER:
The Jersey Devil Trailer

Winslow Township and the Hammonton area, New Jersey (12-10-15)

 by Chris Chaos

On 12-10-15 we took a tour of Winslow Township and the Hammonton area, here are a few of the highlights:

"Emilio Carranza Memorial"
Site of where the Mexican pilot crashed his plane.

The first stop on our trip today, when approaching the location something caught our eye so we stopped the car and walked through the Pine Barrens to see what it was. Upon approach it appeared to me a makeshift memorial in the style of what you see on the side of the road when someone gets hit by a car and dies. But it was just a grouping of balloon that must have blown into this location. So we jumped back in our car and ventured down to the memorial site.

Loud Booms Heard Around the World: What are they?

by Chris Chaos

In the summer months of 2012 we kept hearing these weird noises outside. It was after midnight, summer and the windows were open, so it was slightly quieter since most people were sleeping. The sound was a mix of a boom, a warble and some kind of hum, similar to the sounds made by the alien ships in the movie "The War of the Worlds". For the 1st week of hearing these strange noises I just assumed that it was the ships down on the docks at Philly (Delaware River) since they are literally only two blocks from my house. But my curiosity got the best of me and when I did a little more investigating I realized that the sounds were not coming from the direction of the ports, they seemed to be all over, and not in the echo way.

War of the Worlds

Fake Receipt Comments and Reverse (Backdoor) Marketing Techniques: An Interview with a Public Relations Firm

by Chris Chaos

For our first in a series of hard hitting reality news stories, FORBIDDEN KNOWLEDGE, we are investigating the claim that many of the news stories concerning a patron leaving a harsh, racist or insensitive comment on a receipt instead of a tip are either false, made up or socially engineered. We secured an interview with the head of a Delaware based Public Relations Marketing firm that states the majority of the stories are in truth the product of backdoor public relations. For obvious reasons the person being interviewed wished to remain anonymous, so she will be referred to by as "Mary".

THE HANGING TREE: Presidential Lakes, New Jersey

by Chris Chaos

The Hanging Tree

The Legend: There is an evil place in the backwoods of New Jersey where many people have
died....ummm I mean have been murdered. The area is slowly being developed as it only recently has been paved. The Hanging Tree (formerly known as the "Nigger Tree") was used in hundreds if not
thousands of hangings. Yes, NJ was a "free state", but not everyone went by the laws and instead
followed the rules of the land. Slavery in the Americas ran from 1619 to 1863 and this area has
seen its share of lynchings. (NJ abolished slavery in 1804) The slaves in NJ consisted of
Africans, West Indies and Native Americans from the Carolinas.

An Independent Investigation of a private residence in Gloucester City, NJ

by Chris Chaos

DATE: 6.22.11
TIME: 9.50pm till 10.13 pm
LOCATION: Kitchen

In June 2011 we conducted an investigation at a private residence in a location that was reported to have some subtle activity occurring for a few months. The activity was reported to take place primarily under the kitchen table. The residents stated that the young child (2 years old) in the house sometimes acted uneasy while near the table and spoke of a little ghost boy named Jimmy that she would talk to from time to time. It was also reported that doors would often open or close on their own and sometimes it felt as if someone or something was watching you.

The table with the activity

Before we set up for the investigation we took precautions and all windows were closed to minimize outside noise/air and temperature. The central air was also turned off to prevent any air currents. All TVs and electronics were turned off and the house was thoroughly inspected to make sure no one else was in the house and no animals were present.

The 1754 Woolman Farmhouse: Westampton, New Jersey

by Chris Chaos

Close up of the 1754 dating

This location has been shrouded in mystery despite it's history being well documented by historians. It is located on Rancocas Road in Westampton, New Jersey, right off of exit 45 near 295, but for years it had the infamous name of "The 1754 Mount Holly Farmhouse Massacre", but of course it resides in Westhampton and not Mount Holly. Some say this was to fool and mislead vandals and teens away from the location so they do not turn it into a party spot and further destroy this historical landmark.

The location was on the 1681 Woolman tract and was built in 1754 by Asher Woolman, the younger brother of Quaker abolitionist John Woolman. It has not been confirmed, but according to locals they state that the last farmer to reside here was Ed Friend.

Interior view of one of the bedrooms

According to the Courier Post article by Carol Comegno dated July 6, 2014:
"The Asher Woolman farmhouse was the only tri-county site listed in this year's (2014) annual Preservation New Jersey endangered list.

Woolman House in better times, date unknown

"Our goal is to bring awareness to cherished sites that have been a vital part of a community that, without intervention, would fade from existence," said PNJ President Michael Hanrahan.

The Woolman site, vacant since the 1970s, is owned by a real estate developer who declined to sell it years ago to the Rancocas Historical Society. Now the building is enveloped by vegetation; its windows are broken and its roof leaks.

The house, on a hill surrounded by fields along a I-295 ramp at Rancocas Road, replaced an earlier Woolman home built in 1754. A dated stone commemorating the earlier house was incorporated into the present structure.

John Woolman's book

Asher's brother, John, was an influential Quaker preacher and antislavery advocate in Burlington County. "The plight of the Asher Woolman homestead is a reminder that many absentee owners allow valuable historic properties in New Jersey to deteriorate," Hanrahan said."

A video concerning the farmhouse

More info concerning John Woolman
http://www.woolmanhomestead.org/

Stairway

The legend and lore portion of this location is as follows: Many years ago a family lived here at this location. One of the children was mentally deficient and was the bane of the area. Then one day when the disturbed youth was a teen, he snapped pre-Columbine style and bludgeoned his family to death. He even took his infant brother and bashed him against the bricks of the chimney. When the townsfolk discovered what he had done they ransacked the house and beat the teen to death in the backyard. Legend has it that the ghosts of this family still haunt the grounds.

We traveled to this location on two separate occasions and acquired video and photos to document the house before it falls into decay and Nature reclaims it. The house apparently has been used by squatters over the winter since we found some blankets, bottles, trash and other artifacts to indicate this. While venturing through the house I was unsure if we were alone and I had the feeling that behind one of the doors awaited a homeless person or a junkie. We carefully proceeded to enter all the rooms and even venturing into the dirty, dark, dank basement proved that we were alone. Maybe it was the disturbed spirits of the family that lived here all those years ago?

Despite all the stories that center around this location, our end conclusion is that we did not come across any ghosts, we didn’t hear any screams nor did we acquire any EVPs; also all the photos were free from orbs.

(1) source Courier Post Carol Comegno July 6, 2014

(Chris Chaos is a long time resident of South Jersey who once again resides in and writes from Gloucester City, New Jersey. He is a filmmaker, a business owner, writer, urban explorer and investigator of the odd and weird, a proud parent, happily taken and a connoisseur of hot wings. Chris can be reached at AxisVideo@aol.com)