This story was published and republished in books on "mysterious creatures" or on the "Bigfoot", and in a "skeptical" catalog in the following terms:
In the country north of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, USA, on January 21, 1932, John McCandless heard moans and, looking for the source, met a beastly, hairy or dirty looking humanoid on all fours. Others reported seeing it, but the research was unsuccessful.
In fact, the story was published on January 23, 1932 in the press, from an INS news agency newsflash that said people to the Pine Belt in the Downingtown area were either excited or amused, by the story of a "monster" reported in their area.
A gardener of Swarthmore, John McCandless, reported about a monstrous creature roaming freely in the area of the creek road in the forested area near Downingtown.
He had described the creature as "resembling a man, acting like a man and covered with long hair, in the afternoon of December 21, 1932. The creature had made "strange moans," said McCandless. A 10-year-old boy, Harry Eppenheimer, living near where McCandless said he saw the "devil", said he also saw this strange man or beast on the morning of January 22, 1932.
Some of the reasonable inhabitants feared that a madman was hiding in the woods. Others reported that strange moans were common in the area and that they were came from wailing deer. Others laughed saying that "It's the Jersey Devil" (a so-called creature that had been talked about a lot in the past years; which in fact corresponded to various hoaxes and misinterpretations).
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[Ref. sn1:] "SHAMOCKIN NEWS-DISPATCH" NEWSPAPER:
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MONSTER CAUSE OF EXCITEMENT IN NEW JERSEY<Residents in Vicinity of Pine Belt Are Much Exorcized Over Strange Creature Which is roaming the WoodsPHILADELPHIA, Jan 23 (INS) -- Residents of the Pine Belt region in the vicinity of Downingtown laughed today over reports of "a Jersey madman" is loose in the district. "It's the Jersey devil," commented one scoffer. "It's a deer," said another. Anyhow there is little credence given the highly excited report of John McCandless, Swarthmore gardener, that a monstrous creature is at large in the timbered creek road district near Downingtown. The gardener espied the "devil", which he described as "looking like a man, acting like a man, and covered with long hair", Wednesday afternoon. The strange creature emitted weird moans, said McCandless. Harry Eppenheimer, 10, living near the spot, where the Swarthmore man said he saw the "devil", claims he saw the strange man or beast yesterday morning. Some of the more excitable persons in the section fear a madman may be hiding in the woods. Those believing the "monster" is a deer also assert the queer moans heard by McCandless was just a deer wailing. "That cry is as familiar to us as the honks of a horn is to you city fellows," said one of the doubting residents. The original "Jersey devil", was the brainchild of a former operator of the old Dime Museum in Philadelphia. He took a kangaroo, painted it with red and white stripes and attached a pair of wings. Then it was turned loose in the south Jersey pines and promptly recaptured, brought in Philadelphia and ballyhooed as "The Jersey Devil", the museum operator collected hundreds of dollars from curious spectators. |
[Ref. sn1:] "DELAWARE COUNTY DAILY TIMES" NEWSPAPER:
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SCOFF AT REPORT OF "JERSEY DEVIL"Residents of Downingtown Say Swarthmore Man Only Saw a DeerResidents of the Pine Belt region in the vicinity of Downingtown laughed today over reports of "a Jersey madman" is loose in the district. "It's the Jersey devil," commented one scoffer. "It's a deer," said another. Anyhow there is little credence given the highly excited report of John McCandless, Swarthmore gardener, that a monstrous creature is at large in the timbered creek road district near Downingtown. The gardener espied the "devil", which he described as "looking like a man, acting like a man, and covered with long hair", Wednesday afternoon. The strange creature emitted weird moans, said McCandless. Harry Eppenheimer, 10, living near the spot, where the Swarthmore man said he saw the "devil", claims he saw the strange man or beast yesterday morning. Some of the more excitable persons in the section fear a madman may be hiding in the woods. Those believing the "monster" is a deer also assert the queer moans heard by McCandless was just a deer wailing. "That cry is as familiar to us as the honks of a horn is to you city fellows," said one of the doubting residents. The original "Jersey devil", was the brainchild of a former operator of the old Dime Museum in Philadelphia. He took a kangaroo, painted it with red and white stripes and attached a pair of wings. Then it was turned loose in the south Jersey pines and promptly recaptured, brought in Philadelphia and ballyhooed as "The Jersey Devil", the museum operator collected thousands of dollars from curious spectators. |
[Ref. cm1:] CURTIS D. MACDOUGALL:
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The devil ["Jersey Devil"] appeared again in 1926 and 1930. Its last appearance was on January 21, 1932. "...to John McCandless of Swarthmore, PA, the experience was a terrifying one. Five miles north of Downingtown he was attracted by mysterious moans and observed in the brush a hideous form, half-man, half-beast, on all fours and covered with dirt or hair. McCandless and a score of friends hunted with pistols and guns for a week, as other persons of the vicinity, mostly small children and farmers' wives, said that they, too, had seen the monster." |
[Ref. jc1:] JEROME CLARK:
Jerome Clark indicated that in January 1932, in a country area north of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, John McCandless heard a moaning sound in a bush. He told a reporter that the source of the moaning was a "hideous form, half-man, half beast, on all fours and covered with dirt of hair". Soon afterward, other people told of encounters with the creature; which evaded armed search parties.
[Ref. pr1:] PETER ROGERSON:
January 21 1932.DOWINGTOWN (PENNSYLVANIA : USA) In an area some 8km north of here, John McCandless heard a moaning sound heard a moaning sound [sic] and encountered a bestial looking humanoid, covered in hair or mud on all fours. Others reported seeing the thing but searches were fruitless. Clark and Coleman 1978 p65 |
It seems to me that this story has nothing to do with UFOs. What was seen was probably a simple tramp, or a madman. There is no reason to think that it must have been an extraterrestrial, a "bigfoot", and the connection with the "Jersey Devil" is purely circumstantial. The original description is that it was "like a man, acting like a man".
It is remarkable how all subsequent sources, whether "skeptical" or not, have suppressed any indication of the skepticism of the time, and any indication of explanation, making the affair more "strange" than it had been.
For information on "Jersey Devil" cases in my catalog, see the cases in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for the year 1909 in the USA part of this catalogue.
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Probable misinterpretation, tramp or man man. Not UFO-related.
* = Source I checked.
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.
| Main Author: | Patrick Gross |
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| Contributors: | None |
| Reviewers: | None |
| Editor: | Patrick Gross |
| Version: | Created/Changed By: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | August 17, 2018 | Creation, [sn1], [dc1], [cm1], [pr1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | August 17, 2018 | First published. |
