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The Ghost of Freddy Jackson

In 1975, a photograph was published by Sir Victor Goddard, a retired R.A.F. officer. The subject of the phot was his squadron, having had served in World War One. The photo was taken in 1919.

Upon reviewing the photo something odd was spotted. Behind the man in the back row, standing fourth from the left, the ghostly face of a man appears. This man was recognized by members of the squadron as air mechanic Freddy Jackson.

Two days prior to the group photo being taken, Freddy Jackson met a sad and untimely end after he was accidentally hit by plane propellers while repairing the craft. His funeral was held the day the squadron photo was taken.

It has been speculated that Jackson was unaware of his death and showed up for the scheduled photo anyway. Skeptics believe that the ghostly face is just a double exposure of the man in front. This was something that was very common in early photography. Due to a longer exposure time, if individuals moved during the photo it would produce a secondary blurry image. However if you look closely at the photo you will notice that the man in front is wearing a hat, the ghostly face behind him is not, but this doesn’t necessarily prove that the ghostly man is or isn’t a spirit. Others believe that over time the photograph may have been tampered with but this has not been proven.

On another note, this photograph was not Sir Victor Goddard’s first encounter with the supernatural. In 1935 while serving as a Wing Commander, he experienced something straight out of science fiction. While on a flight from Scotland to his Home Base in England, he encountered a rather bizarre storm. He claims that this storm transported him through time and space. I will be featuring his story as my next article! Until then, stay curious my friends!👽

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The Jersey Devil

The Jersey Devil is a demon said to inhabit the Pine Barrens of Southern New Jersey. The legend began in 1735 when Mother Leeds found out she was pregnant with her 13th child, thirteen being seen as an unlucky number to many. With her husband being a drunk who was unable to provide for his family, Mother Leeds live anything but a wealthy lifestyle. Distraught by the news of conceiving her 13th child she yelled to the heavens “Let this one be the devil!” She was seemingly unaware of what was to come.

Many months later she went into labor, having forgotten about her outburst. On a stormy night her family sat in another room, awaiting the arrival of the new baby, while midwives assisted Mother Leeds. According to legend the birth went as expected. The child was born healthy and normal. However within minutes the baby transformed into a gruesome creature before the eyes of its mother and her midwives. The creature then went on to kill Mother Leeds, the midwives, and most of its siblings before flying up the chimney and out into the woods. In another variation of the legend, Mother Leeds experiences a rough labor, only for the demon to rip itself from her womb and fly out the window. Over the years many variations of the legend have been told, but all end with the Jersey Devil flying out into the Pine Barons where it still resides to this day.

Many sightings of the Jersey Devil have been reported over the years. Witnesses claim to see strange footprints in the sandy soils of the Pine Barrens. These footprints are either described as being those of a strange bird, or more hoof-like, similar to those of Satan. Despite seeing these strange footprints, many never actually see the creature. Those who have describe it as having the body of a kangaroo, head of a dog, face of a horse or a goat, large bat-like wings, antlers, a forked reptilian tail, and large claws. The creature is also said to move extremely quickly and emit blood-curdling screams and screeches. However, these claims have never been proven.

The Jersey Pine Barrens are also claimed to not be the only locations where the elusive demon has been spotted. Eyewitnesses claim to have also spotted the devil in neighboring states such as Delaware and Pennsylvania, but these claims have also never been proven.

Regardless of whether the creature exists or not, the Jersey Devil has made a huge impact on not just NJ locals or cryptozoologists, but also pop culture. The Jersey Devil has been seen in video games, films, and TV. The devil made an appearance in an episode of the-X-files, where he was portrayed as a strange feral man/hermit, rather than a gruesome looking demon. The name of NJ’s NHL hockey team, the Jersey Devils, is also inspired by the legend! For years to come the legend of Mother Leeds and her cursed 13th child will captivate the minds of anyone brave enough to believe the stories. Until we know of its existence for sure, stay curious my friends!👽

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The Ningen is a creature of Japanese origin. The word “Ningen” translates to “human”, regarding the humanlike appearance of the creature itself. The creature is said to be nocturnal, most active at night, and have eyes and mouth but no other distinguishable facial features. Supposedly the creature ranges from 60-90 feet in length, has a blubbery body like a whale, is albino , and has a very humanlike form. Some eyewitnesses claim that the creature is actually relative in size to that of a human, possesses a mermaid-like tail, or has hand-like appendages. Others believe they have leg-like appendages which allow them to also walk on land, but these claims have never been proven. The creature was first discovered by a Japanese Research Vessel in the 1990’s. At first the crew believed that they had spotted a foreign submarine but soon realized that it was actually a living being. It is rumored that the crew aboard the ship were able to do extensive research and even shoot some photos and videos of the creature, however this information has never been released to the public. It is said that the research on the creature was never released due to government interference. These days it is rumored that the Japanese Government even monitors internet posts and removes anything related to the Ningen, strengthening the claim that the crews research may have been kept secret by the government. A more likely reason is that the crew, being professional researchers, did not want to make their research public and be mocked by the scientific community for being associated with a paranormal creature. But this has also never been proven. The Ningen first rose to popularity in 2007 after an article about the creature was released in a Japanese Magazine. The article also featured screenshots from Google Maps of a supposed Ningen swimming off the coast of Namibia. After the article’s release many witnesses came forward saying that they too had seen such a creature. Soon enough the internet was exploding with supposed sightings of the creature. Many believe that a lot of these photo and video sightings are too good to be true and that most, if not all of them, are just hoaxes. On a more serious note, if the Ningen actually exists and is not just legend, then we will always have very limited information on the creature, as we do now. This is due the creatures very remote location in the Arctic. The trip alone would be too costly, not to mention the amount of equipment and researches needed for such a task. Because of this we may never know if the Ningen is just a legend or an undiscovered species. Until we find out, stay curious my friends!👽