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You're listening to episode 223 of Jimmy Aiken's Mysterious World.

Where we look at mysteries from the twin perspectives of faith and reason.

In this episode, we're talking about the Victorian mystery of Spring Heal Jack.

I'm Dom Betanelli and joining me today is Jimmy Aiken. Hey Jimmy, howdy Dom.

In 1837, residents of London were shocked when a ghostly figure named Spring Heal Jack

began appearing and frightening people. He would wear outrageous costumes and surprise them,

sometimes bellowing blue flame in their faces, only to make his escape and vanish into the night.

Who was Spring Heal Jack? Did he really exist? And who might he have been?

That's what we'll be talking about on this episode of Jimmy Aiken's Mysterious World.

Jimmy, where does our mystery begin today?

In the area around London, England, in the year of our Lord 1837,

at that time there were multiple local villages around the city, most of which have since been

swallowed up by it and become suburbs. And something strange was going on in the villages,

a mysterious figure now known as Spring Heal Jack was starting to appear.

The first strange report came from Barnes, which is on the southwest side of London.

From there, in early September of 1837, a ghost imp or devil was said to have appeared in the form

of a large white bull and attacked a number of people. Other reports started coming in from elsewhere.

For example, in his paper Spring Heal Jack, to Victorian Bugaboo from suburban ghost,

historian Mike Dash reports.

...