Real Crime/Paranormal/Conspiracy Theories Book III

Conspiracy Theory: Spring-heeled Jack

Spring-heeled Jack is an entityin English folklore of the Victorian era. The first claimed sightingof Spring-heeled Jack was in 1837. Later sightings were reported allover the United Kingdom and were especially prevalent in suburbanLondon, the Midlands and Scotland.

There are many theories about thenature and identity of Spring-heeled Jack. This urban legend was verypopular in its time, due to the tales of his bizarre appearance andability to make extraordinary leaps, to the point that he became thetopic of several works of fiction.

Spring-heeled Jack was described bypeople who claimed to have seen him as having a terrifying andfrightful appearance, with diabolical physiognomy, clawed hands, andeyes that "resembled red balls of fire". One reportclaimed that, beneath a black cloak, he wore a helmet and atight-fitting white garment like an oilskin. Many stories alsomention a "Devil-like" aspect. Others said he wastall and thin, with the appearance of a gentleman. Several reportsmention that he could breathe out blue and white flames and that hewore sharp metallic claws at his fingertips. At least two peopleclaimed that he was able to speak comprehensible English.

History

Precedents

In the early 19th century, there werereports of ghosts that stalked the streets of London. Thesehuman-like figures were described as pale; it was believed that theystalked and preyed on lone pedestrians. The stories told of thesefigures formed part of a distinct ghost tradition in London which,some writers have argued, formed the foundation of the later legendof Spring-heeled Jack.

The most important of these earlyentities was the Hammersmith Ghost, which in 1803 and 1804 wasreported in Hammersmith on the western fringes of London; it wouldlater reappear in 1824. Another apparition, the Southampton ghost,was also reported as assaulting individuals in the night. Thisparticular spirit bore many of the characteristics of Spring-heeledJack, and was reported as jumping over houses and being over 10 ft(3.0 m) tall.

Early reports

The first alleged sightings ofSpring-heeled Jack were made in London in 1837 and the last reportedsighting is said in most of the secondary literature to have beenmade in Liverpool in 1904.

According to much later accounts, inOctober 1837 a girl by the name of Mary Stevens was walking toLavender Hill, where she was working as a servant, after visiting herparents in Battersea. On her way through Clapham Common, a strangefigure leapt at her from a dark alley. After immobilizing her with atight grip of his arms, he began to kiss her face, while ripping herclothes and touching her flesh with his claws, which were, accordingto her deposition, "cold and clammy as those of a corpse".In panic, the girl screamed, making the attacker quickly flee fromthe scene. The commotion brought several residents who immediatelylaunched a search for the aggressor, but he could not be found.

The next day, the leaping character issaid to have chosen a very different victim near Mary Stevens' home,inaugurating a method that would reappear in later reports: he jumpedin the way of a passing carriage, causing the coachman to losecontrol, crash, and severely injure himself. Several witnessesclaimed that he escaped by jumping over a 9 ft (2.7 m) high wallwhile cackling with a high-pitched, ringing laughter.