Monsters I Love: Spring Heeled Jack
Wednesday, December 24, 2008 by David Campbell
I'm going to share my love for monstrous predators with you in a new feature that we'll call Monsters I Love. Please note that this recurring feature is not called Monsters I Have Loved or Monsters I Want to Make Sweet Love To. My affection for all things monstrous is strictly platonic, with the possible exception of the three brides of Dracula, who are hot.As a youngster one of my favorite books was Reader's Digest Strange Stories, Amazing Facts (1976), an aptly named collection of paranormal stories and retro-futuristic prognostications (I'm still waiting for slidewalks to appear on the streets of every city in the country.). One of the tales that caught my imagination was the story of Spring Heeled Jack, a boogeyman that plagued 19th century England.
Spring Heeled Jack was a bizarre, diabolical figure who was described as having a pointed nose and ears, glowing eyes, and a maniacal laugh. He would molest his victims by raking them with sharp claws or vomiting blue flame from his mouth and then, before he could be apprehended, the devil-man would bounce off into the night. Witnesses claim that he could leap incredibly high, bounding over hedgerows or up on to rooftops - thus the name Spring Heeled Jack.
For such a devilish character, you'd think that he would rack up a serious body count, but Spring Heeled Jack was all about molestin' instead of killin'.
Jack mostly targeted young women and coach drivers, and he always struck at night. The first reported sightings of the figure were in 1837 in the London area. One notable assault was on a young woman named Mary Stevens in October of 1837 who was walking home at night, minding her own business when all of a sudden – JACK ATTACK! The fiend leaped from a dark alley and ripped at Ms. Stevens clothing with his claws and kissed her, then hopped off into the night. The very next night, Jack popped in front of a moving carriage, causing a massive wipe out that seriously injured the driver.
One thing was clear - not only was Spring Heeled Jack a mysterious and terrifying figure, he was a total dick.
Spring Heeled Jack was the master of the ambush and the sucker punch and seemed to enjoy scaring the bejeesus out of people. He appeared throughout England during the 1840s and 1850s, darting out of the shadows to attack coaches, slap people in the face, tear at them with his claws, spit blue fire, and touch victims on their privates. As far as I know, the fellow never actually raped or murdered anybody, but he put The Fear into the English for several decades.
So who was Spring Heeled Jack? Some speculate that he was a sadistic and athletic Irish marquis with a lot of time on his hands. Other thought he was The Devil incarnate – although one would think that Satan would have better things to do with his time than randomly attacking people and then hopping away, laughing. That's not exactly my idea of pure evil.
I'm of the opinion that Spring Heeled Jack was a combination of urban legend, fabrication, and mundane assaults committed by mortals that were embellished by the press and the public in a kind of collective hysteria. Jack sold newspapers and penny dreadfuls – he was good for business, so it was in the best interest of certain parties if the legend continued.
Regardless, Spring Heeled Jack is a fascinating figure. I love all that Victorian crime/occult stuff, so he's right up my alley. I recently finished reading The New Annotated Dracula (which is excellent) and have been re-reading Caleb Carr's The Alienist (ditto), so Jack has been on my mind.
Plus, I just recently received a copy of Fantagraphic Books' Beasts! Book 2, a collection of cryptids with fantastic artwork that I highly recommend. The entry on Spring Heeled Jack (attached) was illustrated by the artist Roger Langridge, and as you can see, it's swell.
For further reading about Spring Heeled Jack, check out the Wikipedia article and this well-researched essay by Mike Dash, a contributing editor to Fortean Times. For more information about gaslight London in general, check out The Dictionary of Victorian London.
Next up on Monsters I Love: The Yeti. Oh yes.
Labels: monsters I love
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