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 Imagine awakening one cold February morning and looking out upon the wintry horizon. As you view the heavy blanket of snow that has freshly fallen, you are startled to find strange hoof-shaped prints scattered across the countryside. On the morning of February 8th, 1885 residents in the county of Devon, England discovered this very phenomenon. The prints themselves were ‘U’ shaped and measured to be 4 inches long by 2 ¾ inches wide. They were also found to be 8 ½ inches apart, made in-line with one another, indicating that a 2-legged creature created them. The tracks spanned a hundred mile course through the towns of Topsham, Lympstone, Exmouth, Dawlish and Teignmouth. These mysterious hoof-shaped prints were reported as being seen in various inaccessible places. They were found on rooftops, going up the sides of houses, in and out of barns, within gardens and courtyards enclosed by high walls and through solid walls and haystacks, appearing on the other side as if there were no barrier. There was even a report that a set of prints were found to have crossed a two mile span of the river Exe, continuing on the other side as if the creature had walked right over the water. Panic and paranoia resulted among the townspeople. Some even followed the trail of hoof-shaped prints, armed with pitchforks and clubs, determined to find the creature that left them. Others simply refused to leave their homes after sunset. Various newspapers, including the Times of London, extensively covered the story of this perplexing trail of prints. As a result, numerous theories soon ensued this bizarre incident. Sir Richard Owen, a prominent naturalist, sent a letter to the Times, suggesting that a badger created the prints, since a badger places its hind feet in the marks left by its forefeet. However, Sir Richard Owen had never even laid eyes on the actual prints and based his theory upon various descriptions he heard from others. There were also reports regarding the possibility that some kangaroos, which escaped from a private zoo, could be the culprits of these tracks. However these explanations, along with many others of its kind concerning various animals, hold no real ground… considering that none of these animals footprints actually match those that were found. Geoffrey Household derived one of the most “believable” theories concerning the mysterious tracks. He believed that an experimental balloon was released and it trailed 2 shackles on the end of its ropes, thereby leaving the mysterious tracks in the snow. Even so, this theory is very difficult to prove, because you still cannot explain how a balloon, which would most likely follow a straighter path, managed to leave tracks that zigzagged over so much area. The most popular theory, yet deemed the least probable of all the theories, is that the hoof prints were indeed the mark of the Devil himself. The superstitious populace believed that the Devil was roaming the countryside searching for sinners. While clergymen thought that the footprints were left as a warning to the people of Devon to change their wicked ways. Either way, people of every station of life were left with a cold chill and a wary eye. To this very day no one has ever put forth a plausible explanation as to who or what left those mysterious footprints behind in Devon on that frigid winter morning. Could it have been an animal blindly ambling about in the snowstorm or even a balloon experiment gone awry? Was the Devil wandering abroad that cold, fateful night in Devon? Unless this strange phenomenon occurs again, the “Devils footprints” will continue to remain an unexplained mystery… eternally bewildering those who cross it’s path. References: Altered Dimensions Mysterious Britain Readers Digest Editors, Mysteries of The Unexplained. Pleasantville, N.Y/Montreal, The Readers Digest Association, Inc., 1982 Michelle Desrosiers Copyright 2004 |
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