In Victorian England, a mysterious madman dubbed “Spring-heeled Jack” stalked the streets assaulting random citizens and performing seemingly supernatural feats. Was he just an urban legend, or is there some truth behind the reported sightings?
Did you ever fear the boogeyman as a kid? That mysterious figure that hid inside closets or under beds whose sole purpose was to scare children was the source of nightmares for many of us during our childhood.
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The fear is almost universal, with similar stories being found all over the world whether it’s a specter, phantom, goblin, ghoul, monster, or our own bogeyman.
The legend of Spring-heeled Jack
It’s one thing for kids to fear these things, but what does it mean when an entire city is gripped with terror where citizens are too afraid to walk the streets alone at night?
They believed every alley or dark corner could be a potential hiding place for a grisly figure waiting to jump out. This is exactly what was occurring in England during the reign of Queen Victoria.
Authorities were inundated with reports of a devilish man with a ghoulish smile and unusual clothing who would leap out of the shadows to attack innocent pedestrians.
Reports of the man became so numerous and widespread that he was even given a name: Spring-Heeled Jack, the Terror of London.
The first sighting
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It all began in 1837, a businessman was walking through Barnes Common in Southwest London on his way home at night.
The path he was following was adjacent to a cemetery and as he was walking past it, he heard a rustling noise coming from inside the cemetery walls.
The area he was walking through was well known to be rife with crime, so he quickened his pace, afraid that he was being trailed by a thief.
Suddenly he saw a dark figure leap over the cemetery wall and land right in front of him. He was shocked at the sight of a man with a very unusual appearance.
The man was tall and thin, with glowing red eyes and an unusually wide smile on his face. He was wearing a helmet and a dark cloak, and underneath it was a tight-fitting white garment resembling oilskin.
The businessman ran away as fast as he could, all the while hearing strange, shrill laughter behind him. This was the first claimed sighting of our very own Spring-heeled Jack.
Other reports
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The next month, Mary Stevens was walking through a large park in South London on her way to Lavender Hill where she worked as a servant when she too encountered Jack.
Much like the first sighting, he leaped in front of her out of the darkness wearing the same dark cloak, while babbling with a burst of ringing laughter.
This time, however, Jack grabbed the victim and attempted to assault her, going as far as ripping her clothes with his sharp, metallic claws.
Mary yelled for help and Jack fled as soon as local villagers came to her aid. Several sightings of Spring-heeled Jack followed and many of them shared similar characteristics.
He would usually target women walking alone at night, leaping in front of them, and sometimes even chasing or assaulting them.
Spring-heeled Jack was reported to have been able to jump as high as 10 ft. and a couple of witnesses even said he could breathe blue fire.
He had become somewhat of a celebrity in the area, and rumors of his exploits constantly filled the pages of the newspaper.
Jane Alsop case
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The most terrifying encounter occurred to a young woman named Jane Alsop in 1838. It was a quarter to 9 in a small village named Old Ford.
Jane heard the bell outside her house ring and went to the door to answer. She opened the door a crack, and could vaguely make out a shadowy figure in the darkness.
It looked like a tall man wearing a helmet and a cloak, but it was too dark to make out his features. She asked him what he wanted. “I am a policeman,” the strange voice said.
“For god’s sake bring me a light, we’ve caught Spring-heeled Jack here in the lane!” Jane ran for a candle and went outside. She handed it to him and as the flame lit his face, she saw that the man facing her was no policeman.
The light illuminated the man’s devilish features and exaggerated smile. There was no mistaking him for anyone other than Spring-heeled Jack himself.
He was once again wearing the tight-fitting oilskin suit and strapped to his chest was a strange object resembling a lamp. Jane screamed in horror and attempted to run back into the house but Jack grabbed her with his claws.
He tore off pieces of her clothing and hair as he wrestled her to the ground. He laughed maniacally and blue flames shot from his mouth as the girl struggled against him.
Hearing the noises outside, Jane’s two older sisters. Mary and Sarah ran out to her aide. They were able to pry Jane from Jack’s hands and somehow managed to drag her away.
Suspects
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The rest of the Alsop family appeared outside and this seemed to frighten Jack away. The attack on Jane Alsop was reported in The Times later that week.
The police apprehended a suspect named Thomas Millbank, who had reportedly been bragging about attacking Jane at a local bar.
His coat and overalls had been found outside of Jane’s house and the candle he dropped was also recovered nearby.
He was let go because Jane Alsop insisted that the man who attacked her could breathe fire, and also said that Thomas did not match the physical description.
Reports of Spring-heeled Jack lingered for 60 years. Throughout this time, he was the subject of many plays and penny dreadfuls.
It seems as though the public could not get enough of the mysterious madman. But who was he?
Theories
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A popular theory is that Spring-heeled Jack was the alter ego of the 3rd Marquess of Waterford, who was known for his irregular and often violent pranks.
It was noted that Marquess was in the area at the time of the initial Jack sightings. He had earned the nickname “The Mad Marquess” because of his affinity for wild behavior.
An acquaintance accused the Marquess of being Spring-heeled Jack in 1880, claiming that the young nobleman would amuse himself by jumping out at strangers at night in an attempt to scare them.
The more likely explanation is that Spring-heeled Jack wasn’t just one person, but instead a group of pranksters who used the public’s fear to their advantage.
The initial sightings could have very easily inspired generations of imitators. But how do you explain the seemingly supernatural feats that Spring-heeled Jack was said to be able to accomplish?
Bizarre theories that he was an alien, or a time travel, or even the devil himself have often been brought up when discussing him but it’s more likely that his abilities were exaggerated by witnesses.
Still, you can’t help but wonder if it’s possible that maybe there’s something more to the story.
The legend of Spring-heeled Jack continued long after the sightings stopped and thanks to author Alfred Burrage he even became a sort of anti-hero of the era.
In Burrage’s fictional stories, Spring-heeled Jack was a wealthy aristocrat with a secret underground lair who would dawn a bat-like suit to fight crime. That might sound a little familiar.
