Horror/Scary: The Legend of Spring Heeled Jack

Horror/Scary: August 12, 2026 Issue [#13890]


 


The Legend of Spring Heeled Jack
       Editor: arakun
                   More Newsletters By This Editor  


Table of Contents
1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions


About This Newsletter
Quote for the week:

"Her cold wind calls, and so I follow.
No time to rest my weary bones.
I hear her voice, and my heart grows hollow.
Best not walk these woods alone.

Best keep to the roads and out of the shadows.
Best get on home.
Best to leave them ghosts alone."

~From "The Land Unknown" by Landon Blood.

Letter from the editor
Everyone has heard of Jack the Ripper, but did you know about the other legendary Jack who reportedly terrorized the UK back in the 1800s?

The first sighting of this frightful entity reportedly occurred in 1837. A young woman named Mary Stevens was walking to Lavender Hill where she worked as a servant. As she passed through Clapham Common, a strange figure leaped out from a dark alley. He grabbed her tightly by her arms and kissed her forcefully, ripping her clothes with his claws. She reported that his touch felt cold and clammy, as if touching a corpse. The girl screamed, causing her attacker to flee. Residents attempted to locate the attacker, but he was gone.

The next day, the leaping character struck again in the area near Mary Stevens' home. He jumped in front of a moving carriage, causing the driver to lose control. Several witnesses claimed to see the attacker leap over a 9 foot (2.7 m) high wall while laughing with a high pitched cackle. Stories about similar attacks spread throughout London as well as other areas of England and Scotland. Because of his incredible leaping ability, the public and the press gave him the nickname of Spring-Heeled Jack.

People who claimed to have seen Spring-Heeled Jack reported that he had a devil like face, clawed hands, and eyes that resembled red balls of fire. Some reports mentioned that he could breathe blue and white flames. A few claimed that he spoke to them in English. Most reports involved him accosting young women, fleeing when they screamed, and executing incredible leaps to make his escapes. Some people claimed that they had seen him leap up and look into their windows at night. The last reported sighting was in Liverpool in 1904.

Spring-Heeled Jack found his way into popular culture of the time, often as a bogeyman that was used to scare children into behaving. The character was written into penny dreadful tales during the last half of the 19th century, first as a villain and later as a costumed superhero who avenged wrongs and protected the innocent.

Nobody was ever caught and identified as the real person behind Spring-Heeled Jack, so many theories dismiss him as an urban legend or mass hysteria. Others believe that pranksters may have been behind the initial appearances and were later copied by others. A rumor of the time named a young Irish nobleman, Henry Beresford, the Marquess of Waterford as the likely culprit. Beresford was known as the "Mad Marquis" and had a reputation for drunken brawling, cruel jokes, and contempt for women. He was also known to be willing to do anything to win a bet. Supernatural and paranormal explanations have claimed that Jack was a demon, a ghost, or an alien.

Something to try: Write a story based on an urban legend.



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