March 25, 2009
Jersey Devil
Many areas of the country have their own myths and legends. The Jersey Devil is one in New Jersey. The people in the area are proud of it rather than afraid. The local hockey team is even named for this cryptic creature.
Sometimes it’s called the Leeds Devil, and goes back to the Native Americans. The Indian name for the area was Place of the Dragon, and Swedish explorers later named it Drake Kill. But the creature’s origins are best expressed in a story from 1735. Mother Leeds gave birth to 12 children, claiming her husband was the devil. She said her 13th child would be a devil. It looked like a human when born, but then it changed. It grew hooves and wings and flew out of the house. It disappeared for 100 years after an exorcism.
This woman may be Deborah Leeds. Her husband listed 12 children in his will. That’s consistent with the story. Many people say it’s all just a made up tale. The Pine Barrens, where the creature disappeared, was a desolate place where many people sought refuge when they didn’t want to be found. They gathered in groups called pineys. They eventually became the pine robbers, plain bandits. This could be the origin of stories about demons. All to scare people away from the bandit filled area.
There’s a humorous story about the Jersey Devil. An outdoors man by the name of Tom Brown Jr. spent many seasons living in the wilderness. Sometimes people mistook him for the Jersey Devil. That’s because he covered himself with mud to protect from mosquitoes. Seems like the mud worked better to repel people than bugs.
The Jersey Devil may have a scientific explanation. Cryptozoologists believe that it possibly is a creature with wings and cloven hooves. Others hold that it is the sand hill crane, a native bird with a 7 foot wingspan.
No matter, the Jersey Devil is a fun myth. It might be fun to take a trip to find it.
Filed under Fun Stuff and Tattoos by admin
The Jersey Devil, a creature that supposedly roams Leeds Point New Jersey, is quite famous. In fact New Jersey’s hockey team in the NHL is named for this legendary creature. There have been many sightings.
The first American war hero who didn’t serve in the Revolution was Commodore Stephen Decatur. He was a solid citizen. In 1820 he died when wounded during a duel. He left his wife $75,000, which was over $1 million in current money. He fired a cannonball at the Jersey Devil. The result was a gaping hole right in its middle. Supposedly the creature wasn’t even fazed by this. It simply flew away into the distance.
The Jersey Devil had a run in with Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon’s brother. He had settled in America and 1000 acres in the New Jersey area. He had formerly been king of Spain. So his word carries a lot of weight.
The 1800′s saw the Jersey Devil raid man people’s property. The monster took chickens and sheep. Vincentown was the target in 1899. It seemed to take a lot of animals. There were thousands of sightings in 1909. This happened all around the Delaware Valley.
People in Burlington found many footprints belonging to the Jersey Devil. They were not footprints people could make. They were cloven hooves. At the same time Jacksonville hunters organized a search party to capture or kill the beast. But their hunting dogs, upon seeing and sniffing the footprints became so agitated that they would not follow them. In Glaucester a man saw it on his roof. He said it had a horse face and was about 3.5 feet high.
A telephone line worker said the Jersey Devil attacked him . It chased him up a telephone pole. He was only saved when a coworker appeared, driving it off by shooting it in the wing. If a cannonball couldn’t harm it how could a mere bullet drive it off?
The Jersey Devil might be the creation of a little alcohol and a little darkness. But the myth is fun.
Filed under Fun Stuff and Tattoos by admin
March 24, 2009
Desert Divas
Desert tales often include camels, hot sun, and sometimes even sandstorms. But there is another tale, this one about the Desert Divas. This Phoenix, Arizona prostitution ring was discovered and broken up by authorities in August of 2008.
Desert Divas was run by a man named Paul Nichta, from Paradise Valley, Arizona. He mainly ran his operation online. A partial list is Desert Divas, AZ Confidential, Hips Tour and Escorts in Action. Paul’s business, and thus his stable of girls, extended into New Mexico and even Pennsylvania. Desert Divas wasn’t the official name, but it’s the name that stuck.
It holds many records. Desert Divas was the subject of the largest prostitution investigation in Arizona history. Charges were brought against more than 50 individuals. Police seized three homes, a motorcycle and eight other vehicles. Those will bring some money to the state through auctions. $2000 was a typical night we pay for a woman who worked for this prostitution group. But it was nothing compared to the tips they can earn – up to $15,000 in a single evening.
Desert Divas hired a wide variety of girls. The age range was 18 to 40 years old. It seemed women from all walks of life became in the activities of this business which included escort services, dating services, pornography and live web cameras via their various web sites. Some of the websites were subscription only, for live sex shows.
It was September before three of the owners were indicted, including Paul. There were charges filed in both Arizona and New Mexico. Charges included racketeering, which is nothing more than the operation of an illegal business, in this case prostitution. It’s was college newspaper ads that first got many women involved in this operation. It would start out with the web cams and legitimate dating services before moving to pornography and paid sexual services.
Desert Diva was also the name of a pretty unlucky woman. A woman from Arizona has begun a service touting herself as the Desert Diva Assistant, a virtual personal assistant that conducts a variety of business tasks. She was caught up in the prostitution situation when people confused her name and web site with the now famous case. She received many harassing emails, including from so-called attorneys who claimed to be suing the government for stealing a cat.
The world gets weirder and weirder. Desert Divas, the famous desert prostitution ring, proves it.
Filed under Fun Stuff and Tattoos by admin