The Devil's Footprints, February 1855 East and South Devon, England

by Chris Chaos

On February 8th and 9th back in 1855 in the area of East and South Devon, England a phenomenon was seen in the snow and was tentatively called The Devil's Footprints. Hoof like prints were seen in the snow and covered a distance of approximately 60 miles. (Up to 100 miles depending on who was telling the story) The prints appeared to be cloven hooves and people thought they were made by Satan Himself. The prints were measured out to be 4 inches long, 3 inches wide and approximately 8-16 inches apart in a single file line. About 30 locations were reported to have these mysterious footprints in their area. The tracks traveled over houses, lakes and other obstacles that were in its way. The footprints were found on the tops of roofs and led up to and exited from pipes that were small as 4 inches in diameter. This fact calls into question the size of whatever caused the footprints.

Pulled from a news report:
"It appears on Thursday night last, there was a very heavy snowfall in the neighbourhood of Exeter and the South of Devon. On the following morning the inhabitants of the above towns were surprised at discovering the footmarks of some strange and mysterious animal endowed with the power of ubiquity, as the footprints were to be seen in all kinds of unaccountable places – on the tops of houses and narrow walls, in gardens and court-yards, enclosed by high walls and pailings, as well in open fields."

As with most evidence dealing with ghosts or creatures of cryptozoology there is very little concrete evidence, also the time frame (the 1800's) cameras and video cameras were not in use so photographs are very rare and video nonexistent. An article in the Transactions of the Devonshire Association asked for more information concerning this event back in 1950. During research, Reverend H. T. Ellacombe's, the vicar of Clyst St George, papers were found along with letters from Reverend G. M. Musgrove marked "not for publication" for The Illustrated London News which contained drawings of the footprints. In 1994 Mike Dash collected the source material and compiled them for Fortean Studies into a paper called "The Devil's Hoofmarks: Source Material on the Great Devon Mystery of 1855". (Which can be found here for a free PDF download:
THE DEVIL'S HOOFMARKS)

Here is a short video concerning the incident by REALITY INVESTIGATION
DEVIL'S HOOFMARKS VIDEO

There have been many theories over the years as to what may have caused The Devil's Footprints. Some reports state that the footprints extended over 100 Miles, which would have been impossible for 1 person to hoax this in one day. According to Mike Dash In his Fortean Studies article, he concluded that there was no one source for the "hoof marks": some of the tracks were probably hoaxes, some were made by "common quadrupeds" such as donkeys and ponies, and some by wood mice . He admitted, though, that these cannot explain all the reported marks and "the mystery remains".

According to Author Geoffrey Household, he suggests that the Devonport Dockyard may have accidental released an experimental balloon and he trailing mooring ropes could have caused the prints. A man who worked at Devonport, his grandson, Major Carter claimed the incident was quieted due to the fact that some buildings and properties were damaged in the process. The shape of the prints could be explained away with the balloon theory but could it have traveled in this random zigzagged pattern without getting caught on the various obstacles? In other theories Mike Dash suggested that at least some of the prints, including some of those found on rooftops, could have been made by hopping rodents such as wood mice. The print left behind after a mouse leaps resembles that of a cloven animal, due to the motions of its limbs when it jumps. Dash stated that the theory that the Devon prints were made by rodents was originally proposed as long ago as March 1855, in The Illustrated London News.

Rev. G. M. Musgrave wrote wrote a letter to the Illustrated London News: "In the course of a few days a report was circulated that a couple of kangaroos escaped from a private menagerie (Mr. Fische's, I believe) at Sidmouth." It seems, though, that nobody ascertained whether the kangaroos had escaped, nor how they could have crossed the Exe estuary, and Musgrave himself said that he only came up with the story to distract his parishioners' concerns about a visit from the devil:

I found a very apt opportunity to mention the name of kangaroo, in allusion to the report then current. I certainly did not pin my faith to that version of the mystery ... but the state of the public mind of the villagers ... dreading to go out after sunset ... under the conviction that this was the Devil's work ... rendered it very desirable that a turn should be given to such a degraded and vitiated notion ... and I was thankful that a kangaroo ... [served] to disperse ideas so derogatory...
—Rev G. M. Musgrove: letter to The Illustrated London News, 3 March 1855.

In the summer of 1855, a 'Professor Owen' put forward the theory that the footprints were from a badger, arguing the animal was 'the only plantigrade quadruped we have in this island' and it 'leaves a footprint larger than would be supposed from its size'. The number of footprints, he suggested, were because 'it is improbable that one badger only should have been awake and hungry' and added that the animal was 'a stealthy prowler and most active and enduring in search of food'.

Another theory which is the most likely cause is mass hysteria, in the 1800's, before the internet, tv and radio people entertained themselves with tall tales and made up stories. The mixture of real animal tracks, the unknown and a vivid imagination could very well explain this incident.

A related video concerning the Jersey Devil Footprints:

A related article concerning the Jersey Devil Footprints:
THE JERSEY DEVIL FOOTPRINTS

(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)

BILE: In League

by Chris Chaos

In the early 00's Axis Video produced this video for Bile using a mixture of live performances by Bile and scripted action starring fetish models Cyndie Myst, Amber Star, Gary (from Carfax Abbey fame), Rebecca and Ru . The video was included on Dynasty of Darkness: Apocalyptic End


Watch the BILE: In League video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbyCyKblYC0

To purchase Dynasty of Darkness: Apocalyptic End:
http://www.amazon.com/Dynasty-Darkness-Baron-Craze-Cyndie/dp/B002ECF5AM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415762390&sr=8-1&keywords=dynasty+of+darkness

(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) 

A Speculative Look at the Jersey Devil's Traits and Diet

by Chris Chaos

A Speculative Look at the Jersey Devil's Traits and Diet:

The Jersey Devil is a fascinating cryptoid with a descriptive appearance that is as varied as the sightings reported. What follows are the most common traits that are attributed to the Jersey Devil:

Horse face, Horns, talon like claws, bat like wings, cloven hooves.

The most recognizable image of the Jersey Devil

A HORSE LIKE FACE: Based on this varied descriptions, the Jersey Devil's face could resemble a deer, horse, kangaroo, moose or a bat, all of which are land mammals that mankind has been familiar with for many centuries. Minus the Hammerhead Bat, all the mentioned animals are on the larger sized and also eat fruits or various kinds of plants.

If you compare the face/head of a horse, you can see how it is very similar to the most common portrayal of the Jersey Devil.

Jersey Devil/Horse profile

HORNS: Many animals have horns, rams, deer, goats, lizards (and dinosaurs) and ...of course the Devil Himself. According to Wikipedia:

"A horn is a pointed projection of skin on the head of various animals consisting of a covering of keratin and other proteins surrounding a core of live bone. True horns are found mainly among the ruminant artiodactyls, in the families Antilocapridae (pronghorn) and Bovidae (cattle, goats, antelope etc.)" The type of animals that possess horns crosses out of the mammal breed of animal and into the reptile kingdom. (Wikipedia, 2017)

TALON CLAWS: Usually the animals that posses talons are the various birds of prey (such as a buzzard, eagle, falcon, hawk, or owl), which are used when hunting for food. There have been limited reports that the Jersey Devil attacked a canine and also various chicken coops on farms.

The talons of the Jersey Devil

BAT LIKE WINGS: Of course, bats have "bat like wings", but birds also have wings with feathers. Some birds have wings but are too heavy and large to fly, such as an ostrich. It would be interesting to see something as large (4-8 feet tall) as the Jersey Devil flying.

Jersey Devil wings compared to those of a bat

CLOVEN HOOVES: Mammals that posses cloven hooves are cattle, deer, goats, and sheep. Of course the cloven hoof is more of a reference to the Devil Himself when regarding the Jersey Devil. Interesting enough some of the supposed footprints left behind by the Jersey Devil were actually either 3 toed (trifed or Drake's Feet) or horseshoe shaped.

A cloven hoof

As pointed out, the Jersey Devil has attributes of a variety of species of animals. For the most part, it has been depicted as a mixture of common animals native to modern New Jersey (or at least the US) but then also has a few attributes not very likely in this realm of reality or time period.

Now we will take a look at the diets of a few of the animals that the Jersey Devil shares traits with.

DEER: The season and the habitat that a deer lives in dictates a deer's diet. In the spring and summer it will eat green plants and in the fall corn, acorns and various nuts. It will eat buds and twigs in the winter months. Deer do feast on a wide variety of plant based foods and have a special ruminant (a four chambered) stomach that allows them to eat mushrooms and poison ivy. When in a farm setting a deer can eat hay, grass, white clover and corn. Against traditional acceptance of deer being entirely herbivorous, this is not truth, from time to time they have been known to feast upon nesting birds, field mice and trapped birds.

MOOSE: The Algonkian name (mons/moz) for the moose translates accurately to "twig eater". They lack teeth in the front upper jaw but still feast of leafy vegetation, willow, aspen, dogwood, red maple and in the winter months and balsam fir. In the summer months they prefer aquatic plants such as the water shield.

CRANE: Cranes feast on animals to plant matter. When on land they prefer seeds, leaves, nuts, berries and various insects. When in the water they feast upon roots, small fish and amphibians.

HAMMERHEAD BAT: The amazing thing is that the Hammerhead bat is not native to the United States but to Africa. They are frugivores and figs and fruits make up the bulk of their diet.

KANGAROO: As the same with the deer, kangaroos also have chambered stomachs. There are different species of kangaroos but they are all strict herbivores. Most breeds are grazers and eat a variety of grasses and particularly the red kangaroo eats a large amount of shrubs.

HORSE: Horses are known as "hindgut fermenters", which simply means they have only one stomach. Horses prefer to eat small amounts of food steadily throughout the day. Their diet consists mostly of grass, hay and some fruit such as carrots.

So based on the animals mentioned above, the ones that possess similar traits, we can assume that the Jersey Devil is primarily a herbivore. But quite a few accounts do mention that the Jersey Devil attacked chickens, cattle and other animals. So we would have to wonder if by these accounts if the Jersey Devil was attacking the animals for food or other reasons.

To follow along with the the film visit:
www.facebook.com/TheSearchForTheJerseyDevil

(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)

A Black Cat Named Jynx

by Chris Chaos

It was pre-summer of 2013 and we wanted to get another buddy, a cat to add to our family of misfits. The previous year we got our 1st buddy, a Panda Bear hamster by the name of Wheeler. He is a fine furry little meatball and acquired his name for his love of running on his wheel.

(Update: As of the time since the original writing of this article I regret to inform you that Wheeler passed in January)
A video tribute for Wheeler: WHEELER

We came to the conclusion on having to get a  cat and not a dog because our lifestyle and work schedule would not permit the proper care and attention needed for a dog. A cat is sort of self sufficient as long as you feed, water and change the box and can be left alone for hours on end as opposed to a dog.

We looked all over the internet at locations in our area that supplied cats and decided against the cat mills and stores that "sold" cats considering ethical reasons. So we decided on our local no kill shelter due to having an abundance of love for animals and an abundance of..... animals.

Visiting the The Animal Orphanage (http://www.theanimalorphanage.org/) in Voorhees, New Jersey, I did not have a preference for a type of cat, just as long as he/she was cool and loving. Chrissy was looking for a white cat, but there were none in the shelter when we went. We spent about 2 hours in the cat cage and tried to spend a few minutes with each cat to see which one was a good fit for us. Many of the cats were scared and hid from us, so this narrowed the field down a bit. We reduced our selection down to 3 cats, the 1st one was a huge black cat but was 13 years old. This cat was VERY friendly but we wanted a younger cat that could grow with our family. The 2nd was a striped cat that was in a cage with a fellow striped cat and 2 other black cats. The striped cat was pretty cool but was very typical. I wanted a buddy that was kind of unique and stood out. Then a black cat in the same cage seemed very friendly, so we were playing with him for a bit and then I thought about how excellent this young black kitten would fit in with out horror theme back at home. He just had to be the next addition to our family.

We talked to the caregiver at the orphanage and they stated that black cats (and dogs) were the least likely to be adopted due to the negative stories associated with them. So armed with that info we talked it over and spent more time with all the other cats and then quickly decided that the young black kitten was the one that we wanted. He fitted in with so much that we had already. "Leonard" was the name he had and he was thought to be about 2-3 months old. So we made our choice, Leonard was to be ours, but we would just HAVE to change his name. We filled out the paperwork, played with "Leonard" one last time, took a few photos, then left and hoped we would be approved to adopt him.

The next day we received the call and they told us that we were approved and that we could pick up "Leonard" at our convenience. So we went to the local pet store and purchased all we needed and headed up to finalize everything for the adoption. Ironically, we went in for a white cat and left with a black cat.

Once we got him home we ran through several names but none of them fit him. But after 2 or so days of living with "Leonard" we decided on the perfect name for him, "Jynx". Now well over a year later we had all the time in the world to fall in love with him and become a family together.

He terrorizes and tortures us, as all cats do to their servants, but after a long day at work it is always refreshing to come home and have him run up to us, as the door opens and rub on our ankles, "Welcome home guys!" Jynx.

He loves to steal our seats when we vacate them, chew on my shoe laces as I try to tie them, use the catbox as we try to eat, fart on our pillows, bites us when we dare to venture past his petting limit and step on our faces as we try to sleep, he may be an asshole, but he is our asshole.

For more writings of Chris Chaos visit:
http://allthingsweird88.blogspot.com/

(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: The Red Kangaroo Theory

by Chris Chaos

There are many theories as to what the Jersey Devil might be. Deep within the Pine Barrens of the 1800's and early 1900's there was not much to do when the farming and chores were complete, except brew and drink moonshine.So between the cranes that were native to the area of the time, the deer in the woods and the circuses that passed through town, what were people seeing that had them convinced that there was a devil in Jersey?

To the Jersey Devil scholar and researcher we are all very well aware of the many fabrications and gaffes that hucksters tried to pass off as our most famous resident. No different than Bigfoot or the Feejee Mermaid, JD has his fair share of (proven) faked stories and sightings.

As we all know, 1909 was dubbed "Phenomenon Week" due to the spike in Jersey Devil sightings. A flap of sightings were reported, tracks were found in the snow and every unknown noise was attributed to good ole' JD himself. Since TV was not around people needed something to occupy their time, so some turned their imagination to the local legend in order to make a buck.

The Capture of the Hodag (obviously fake)

In January 1909 the Jersey Devil was revived by a hoax and displayed in a private museum in Philadelphia, the creature was actually a kangaroo outfitted with fake wings affixed by a harness and painted with green stripes. To make it leap at spectators when the curtain was drawn, a boy hidden at the rear of the cage prodded the unfortunate animal with a stick and a nail attached to it. The showman's name was Jacob Hope (or Norman Jefferies RIP May 25, 1933) and he claimed JD was an Australian Vampire and offered a reward for its capture.

In the 1800's and early 1900's many residents of New Jersey did keep exotic animals as pets and traveling circuses were the norm. So a kangaroo being either kept as a pet (or at a circus) could have possibly escaped and was spotted in the Pine Barrens mistaken for the Jersey Devil. But in my opinion I think you could look at a kangaroo in the dark woods and see a deer due to the very similar facial structure and body type. In modern times, it is "illegal" to have a kangaroo in the state of NJ but you can obtain an exotic pet license and a permit for the kangaroo.

Here is a report of a dead kangaroo found along Raritan Township Road:
http://www.nj.com/hunterdon-county-democrat/index.ssf/2009/12/report_of_dead_kangaroo_along.html

Kangaroos in America, this was in Oklahoma and not New Jersey:
http://www.news9.com/story/24299464/oklahoma-hunter-catches-kangaroo-on-camera

Many say that the Jersey Devil's face looks like a horse, moose or deer, so with that you can see how easily a kangaroo could lead to a Jersey Devil sighting.

A rare glimpse of a kangaroo eating a bird:
Kangaroo eating a bird

To follow along with the progress of our film, THE SEARCH FOR THE JERSEY DEVIL go here:

https://www.facebook.com/TheSearchForTheJerseyDevil

For more writings of Chris Chaos visit:
http://allthingsweird88.blogspot.com/

(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)

Charles Fort's Notes Will Become Available Shortly

by Chris Chaos

Charles Fort (August 6, 1874 – May 3, 1932) was an American writer and researcher concerning anomalous phenomena and bizarre topics.. He considered himself a true skeptic, one who opposes all forms of dogmatism, believes nothing, and does not take a position on anything. He  stated  to being an "intermediatist," one who believes nothing is real and nothing is unreal, that "all phenomena are approximations one way or the other between realness and unrealness."  Starting in about 1912 he would visit the library and search through the newspaper articles seeking out the odd, strange, bizarre, weird and out of the ordinary stories for his writings.Tiffany Thayer created the Fortean Society back in 1931 (in New York) and he acquired Fort's notes when he passed away and only a select few had access to Fort's writings.

According to Above Top Secret (http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread1037963/pg1), 60,000 plus notes from Charles Fort's writings based on the weird and odd will soon be available to the public. These notes were written in the 1920's and 30's on a variety of paper sources and should prove a difficult task to transcribe. John H. Reed, M.D. of the World Institute for Scientific Exploration (WISE: http://wisewiki.org/ ) acquired them from a house in Connecticut as the new owners were going to throw them out, not aware of their significance.

Carl Pabst, who passed away in 2004, painstakingly hand copied all the notes by 1987 and then typed up Fort's work on 3x5 index cards and lived in his CT house for more than 40 years. Pabst was the only person besides the NY Public Library who possessed all of Fort's notes.

For more information concerning Charles Fort please visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Fort
and
http://www.skepdic.com/fortean.html

For more writings of Chris Chaos visit:
http://allthingsweird88.blogspot.com/

(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)

Point of View, Opinions, Threshold and Bad Taste

by Chris Chaos

The other day I was having a conversation about bands, album covers, logos and band names. The band ANAL CUNT (http://www.discogs.com/artist/276341-Anal-Cunt) came up and if you know who they are you either love them or hate them. They were an extreme metal grindcore band that mocked all those around them. They were EXTREMELY offensive...on purpose..and they would intentionally send their albums to reviewers just to get the bad reviews and press. Anal Cunt was a morbid joke band and the man behind the band was Seth Putnam (May 15, 1968 – June 11, 2011).

Sadly on June 11, 2011, Putnam died of a suspected heart attack at the age of 43.

Here are some samples so you can get a feel for their music...but you will have to Google search for the lyrics:

"I Just Lit Your Baby on Fire"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5eFk5x0o44

Defenders of Hate Full album:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfbBjp7EboE

In the mid 1990's I had the pleasure of speaking to Seth several times through one of his side bands, "Vaginal Jesus", he was a really funny guy and I could see where he gleamed the content for his songs. Before I knew the various bands that Seth was in I questioned if he was in Vaginal Jesus and Anal Cunt, but him being the jokester never gave a straight answer.

Now back to the conversation mentioned at the beginning of this article....The other person in the conversation stated that Anal Cunt had some very offensive album covers and he could not understand how they chose to pick such a gruesome image as their logo to represent them. (The "A" for anal depicting a butthole and the "C" for cunt depicting a vagina)
While talking I noticed that he had a crucifix (A crucifix (from Latin cruci fixus meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is an image of Jesus on the cross, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself attached to the cross is referred to in English as the corpus (Latin for "body") around
his neck. I thought the image of a man nailed to a cross and left to die was not all that less gruesome than some of the images that the band Anal Cunt came up with. When this observation was brought to his attention, he thought for a moment, paused and then stated that it was very true. Perspective unveiled.

Normally this conversation would have ended up in a Social Parasite article, but since level headedness and no ignorance was presented, here it is. Mutual respect and understanding was gained.

Music is an acquired taste and subjective to the listener. The same goes for what is offensive, acceptable and in bad taste. Everyone has their limits, point of views, opinions and threshold as to what to classify things. The crucifix is a somewhat common sight to see in the modern world and many take it for granted without really thinking to the morbid visual image that it bears to a viewer. As goes for the blatant shock rockers of the world.

For more information concerning Anal Cunt and Seth Putnam:

Seth's side projects and former bands:
Vaginal Jesus
Angry Hate
Mudoven
Satan's Warriors
Impaled Northern Moonforest
Shit Scum
Full Blown A.I.D.S.
Death's Head Quartet
 including backing vocals on Pantera's The Great Southern Trendkill

(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)