Thread: Spring Heeled Jack

Spring Heeled Jack

Now here is one character who I believe did exist, and there were rumours that he was Jack the Ripper himself.

Interesting!

I am glad you find this interesting, because Spring-Heeled Jack was actually scoffed by skeptics to be some sort of prankster. They would say this, but it is a very real entity.
Spring-Heeled Jack was a regular in the Victorian penny dreadfuls and apparently there was no huge campaign to catch this being because too many felt that he was 'The Devil' himself.

Spring Heeled Jack is one of several cryptids that follow a certain theme. They are close enough in behavior and description that if they describe a real creature, they probably describe the same creature. Others include the Jersey Devil, El Chupacabra, Port Pleasant's Mothman and the Devil's footprints phenomenon of Devon. They are all bipedal, roughly man sized creatures with red eyes and wings or winglike structures. They can apparently fly or glide, or at least leap long distances.

hi my mum had this great book from readers digest called strange stories and amazing facts,,,, I hope you find this an intresting read , ENJOY ..............The Spring-Heel Jack mystery involved a series of bizarre attacks in England throughout the 1800s. They began in September of 1837 in London, when a businessman returning home late from work one night reported seeing a strange figure who vaulted effortlessly over 10-foot-tall cemetery railings, landing directly in his path. The creature was described as tall and human-like, but had pointed ears, a wicked smile, large glowing eyes that resembled red orbs, and a long conical nose.

A short time later, a similar creature attacked a group of four people, all of whom ran after spotting the creature except for one Polly Adams. Witnesses claimed that the creature tore off the top of her blouse, grabbed her breasts, and clawed at her stomach. Polly was knocked unconscious and was discovered later that night by a patrolling policeman.

A Creature Gets Its Name
In October of 1837, a servant named Mary Stevens was returning to her employer’s home on Lavender Hill. While passing through Clapham Common, a creature sprang from a dark alley, tightly wrapped its arms around her, roughly kissed her on the face, and began running its hands up her blouse. When she screamed, the creature bounded from the scene. Several people heard Mary’s scream and searched for her assailant, but he was never found.

The following day, the creature struck again near where Mary Stevens was attacked. It sprang in front of a passing carriage, causing a crash. Witnesses claimed the creature jumped effortlessly over a 9 foot wall in a single hop. Soon after the carriage incident, the creature accosted another woman near Clapham Church. Investigators found two footprints, gouged three inches deep into the roadside, suggesting the assailant wore some type of spring mechanism in his shoes. This clue gave rise to the attacker press moniker as “Spring-Heel Jack”.

In January of 1838, London’s Lord Mayor Sir John Cowan officially declared Spring-Heel Jack a public menace after several similar reports of attacks. A posse searched for Spring-Heel Jack that winter and spring, and its members included many of London’s elite, including the Duke of Wellington. Unofficial sources claim that the Duke had several close encounters with the creature, but Spring-Heel Jack eluded the posse.

Blue Fire
On February 20, 1838, Lucy Scales and her sister Margaret Scales were returning home in the evening, walking near the Limehouse area in London. Spring-Heel Jack attacked the Scales girls and spat blue fire in Lucy’s face. According to documentary evidence, Lucy was ‘blinded’ as a result. Witnesses claim that Spring-Heel Jack escaped by making a standing jump from the street to the roof of a nearby house, and then bounded out of sight.

On February 22, 1838, Jane Alsop was in her home on Bearhind Lane when she answered a rapping on the front door. The black-cloaked man on her doorstep said,

“I’m a policeman. For God’s sake girl, bring me a light, for we have caught Spring-Heeled Jack in the lane!”

Jane fetched a candle and — as she handed it over — its light shone on the face of Spring-Heel Jack himself. He cackled and spat a blue fire at her. Jane tried to run back into the house, but the creature grabbed her by the hair. Jane’s sister heard the commotion and rescued her from the creature’s grasp by slamming the door. Spring-Heel Jack left quickly and dropped his cloak in a field near the Alsop home. Another person was seen collecting the coat soon after and leaving the area, leading police to believe that Spring-Heel Jack had an accomplice. The police took Jane’s statement:

“He wore a large helmet and a sort of tight-fitting costume that felt like oilskin. But the cape was just like the ones worn by the policemen. His hands were as cold as ice and like powerful claws. But the most frightening thing about him was his eyes. They shone like balls of fire.”

The following day on nearby Turner Street, Spring-Heel Jack again knocked on a resident’s door and a servant boy answered. Spring-Heel Jack asked to speak to the master of the house, Mr. Ashworth, and as the boy turned to call Mr. Ashworth he noticed that the caller was not human. Spring-Heel Jack waved his fist at the boy and leapt over the entire house.

The Attacks Cease for 20 Years
After the Ashworth incident, attacks continued, and then just as mysteriously as they began the attacks stopped until 1843. The attacks then ceased again for several decades before starting anew in 1877, when several reports surfaced of Spring-Heel Jack traveling across the town of Caistor, Norfolk, by jumping from rooftop to rooftop.

In August of 1877, Spring-Heel Jack appeared before a group of soldiers in North Camp Aldershot. Private John Regan was standing sentry when he heard someone dragging something metallic down the road. He went to investigate and was unable to find the source of the noise. Upon returning to his post, Spring-Heel Jack leapt at him and spat blue flames from his mouth into the sentry’s face. Other sentries heard the attack and ran to his aid. Witnesses claim that Spring-Heel Jack jumped over the men, clearing them by more than 10 feet. One of the sentries fired at the creature, but the bullets reputedly had no effect.

In September of 1877 in Lincolnshire, Spring-Heel Jack was seen hurdling over several houses. As in the Aldershot incident, residents fired at him with shotguns and pistols. These witnesses claimed that the shots hit Spring-Heel Jack, but they reported hearing a metallic ringing sound when the bullets found their mark and Spring-Heel Jack was unharmed.

The last confirmed sighting occurred in September 1904, south of Liverpool, when Spring-Heel Jack appeared on the roof of the steeple of St. Francis Xavier Church. Onlookers claimed a man suddenly dropped from the steeple to the ground, appearing to commit suicide from the church roof.

The witnesses rushed to the spot where he fell, only to find a strangely helmeted man clothed in white, waiting for them. The creature ran towards the crowd with arms raised and sprang into the air over William Henry Street, disappearing into the pages of history.