As the sun sets on the rolling hills of Tennessee, a whispering breeze carries with it the chilling tale of the Bell Witch. For centuries, this haunting spirit has been a source of terror and intrigue, lurking in the shadows and striking fear into the hearts of those who dare to cross its path.
The Bell family, who settled in the area in the early 1800s, were no exception. They were the unfortunate victims of a haunting that would become one of history’s most well-known and documented cases of paranormal activity.
The Bell Witch’s legacy lives on, shrouded in mystery and darkness, captivating those brave enough to delve into its secrets. The tale of the Bell Witch is a testament to the human fascination with the supernatural and the unknown and a reminder that sometimes, the things that go bump in the night may not be just in our imagination.
What Is the Bell Witch Haunting?
In the depths of Southern United States folklore lies a tale of terror known as the Bell Witch Haunting. This sinister legend revolves around the Bell family of northwest Robertson County, Tennessee, who resided near Adams along the Red River.
It is said that from 1817 to 1821, the family and their community were tormented by a malevolent entity that could manipulate the environment, speak, and even change its shape. The spirit was said to possess clairvoyant abilities and superhuman speed, able to be in multiple places simultaneously.
An artist’s sketching of the Bell home, originally published in 1894
Martin V. Ingram, a newspaper editor, released his Authenticated History of the Bell Witch in 1894. The book is frequently cited as the first comprehensive mythology account and a foundation for subsequent studies into the Bell Witch.
The people mentioned in the poem were well-known historical figures. Some skeptics have viewed Ingram’s attempts in modern times as historical fiction or fake. Others view Ingram’s work as a developing study of folklore and an accurate representation of regional belief during the 19th century.
Although not a crucial component of the first recorded legend, the Bell Witch Cave in the 20th century became a topic of ongoing fascination, myth, and lore. The mythology has gained broader appeal outside its original geographic context in the Southern United States thanks to contemporary artistic interpretations in media like music and film.
What Really Took Place at the Bell Witch Haunting?
In his book, An Authenticated History of the Bell Witch, Martin V. Ingram revealed that the malicious entity haunting the Bell family went by the name of Kate. The spirit claimed to be the witch of Old Kate Batts and responded positively to the name.
The spectral activity seemed to center on John Bell’s youngest daughter, Betsy, and John himself. Kate was especially displeased when Betsy became betrothed to a local man named Joshua Gardner.
The terror began to unfold in 1817 when John Bell beheld the apparition of a peculiar creature resembling a dog. The animal vanished into thin air when he tried to shoot at it. His son, Drew Bell, approached a mysterious bird on the fence that instantly flew away.
The daughter Betsy witnessed a girl swaying from the bough of an oak tree, wearing a green dress. Dean, whom the Bell family enslaved, claimed that a large black dog trailed him when he visited his wife during the evenings.
The haunting soon escalated, with incessant knocking on the walls and door. The family heard gnawing on their beds, invisible dogs brawling, and chains dragging along the floor.
In due time, John Bell began experiencing paralysis in his mouth, and the phenomenon grew in intensity as sheets were pulled off the beds while the children slept.
The entity began to inflict physical harm, pulling hair and scratching the children, with Betsy being the primary target, subjected to slaps, pinches, and stabs from unseen pins.
Tennessee Historical Commission marker along U.S. Route 41 in Adams, Tennessee.
In the dead of night, family friend James Johnston, who had come to aid the Bells, was abruptly awakened by the strange occurrences that had plagued the family and convinced that it was a “spirit, just like in the Bible,” Johnston’s suspicions were confirmed when he relayed his experience to John Bell the next day.
News of the haunting soon spread, drawing curious visitors from far and wide, eager to witness the witch’s power. As the entity grew more vocal, it revealed that it was a spirit, once happy but now disturbed. Its reasons for appearing were varied and perplexing, ranging from the disturbance of a Native American burial site to a desire to play games with the Bells.
The spirit’s knowledge of the Bible was uncanny, and it even recited entire sermons given miles apart simultaneously, leaving all those who heard it in awe. Furthermore, it took pleasure in gossiping about the private lives of those in other households and would often disappear briefly, only to return later with tales of its brief journeys.
As the haunting spread, it drew the attention of those seeking answers, even from far-off places. John Johnston, the son of a family friend, devised a test for the witch, something so personal that only his family would know.
He asked the entity what his Dutch step-grandmother in North Carolina would say to the slaves if she thought they had done something wrong. With his grandmother’s accent, the witch replied, “Hut tut, what has happened now?”
In another account, an Englishman came to visit and offered to investigate. He made a passing remark about his family overseas, and suddenly the witch began to mimic his English parents. The following day, the witch woke him to his parents’ worried voices, as they had also heard his voice.
The Englishman quickly left that morning, only to write to the Bell family later, apologizing for his skepticism, as the entity had visited his family in England.
While the witch’s actions were mostly malevolent, it displayed a strange form of kindness at times, especially towards Lucy, John Bell’s wife, whom the witch regarded as “the perfect woman to walk the earth.”
The witch would give Lucy fresh fruit, sing hymns to her, and even show a measure of respect to John Bell Jr. But as the haunting continued to intensify, it became clear that any form of kindness from the witch was only temporary and that its true nature was far more sinister than anyone could have imagined.
In a sinister twist to the Bell Witch’s actions, the entity targeted John Bell Sr., or “Old Jack,” with deadly intent. The witch clarified this intention through curses, threats, and afflictions until finally poisoning the patriarch.
The death of John Bell, December, 1820. Illustration first published in 1894.
Even in death, the entity showed no remorse, interrupting mourners by singing drinking songs. As if the Bell family hadn’t suffered enough, the witch convinced Betsy Bell to break off her engagement to Joshua Gardner in 1821.
The entity then promised to leave but return in seven years, and true to its word, it appeared again in 1828 to Lucy and her sons Richard and Joel. However, they refused to engage with the witch, and it seemed to depart again.
Legend has it that during his time in the military, Andrew Jackson became fixated on the story of the Bell Witch. His men were reportedly so spooked by their investigation of the witch that they quickly retreated.
Interestingly, an independent oral tradition recorded in the Panola County area of Mississippi tells a different story. According to this version, the witch is the ghost of an overseer named John Bell, who was murdered in North Carolina.
In this account, the witch falls in love with a woman named Mary, ultimately leading to her untimely demise. This story bears a striking resemblance to vampire folklore. Additionally, the supernatural abilities attributed to the Bell Witch have been compared to those of jinn in the Islamic faith.
Earliest Record of the Bell Witch
In 1820, military officer John R. Bell embarked on an expedition led by Stephen Harriman Long to explore the central Great Plains. However, due to a scarcity of provisions, Long and Bell split their parties after reaching the Rocky Mountains, only to reunite in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Bell meticulously recorded his travel experiences in a journal. On October 19, 1820, during his return trip, Bell crossed the Red River at Port Royal, Tennessee, and stopped at the Murphey residence in Robertson County for dinner.
An artist’s drawing of Betsy Bell, originally published in 1894
Bell heard of a young woman accompanied by a mysterious voice that urged her to marry a local man. The voice had attracted thousands of visitors. Recently, local historian David Britton discussed the potential connection between Bell’s journal and the Bell Witch legend during a broadcast produced for the Discovery Channel in November 2020.
A rather unusual situation was described to me about a young girl of about 15 years old who lives only 3 miles from Murphey and is accompanied by a voice that advises her to wed a neighbor. Thousands of people have visited her to hear this voice, and many have left feeling no more satisfied with their curiosity than when they arrived. Many people believe the voice is a ventriloquist imposed upon the young girl.
The Diary of Captain John R. Bell by John R. Bell
Further Investigations into the Bell Witch
It was the week of January 20, 1890, and a strange phenomenon had captured the people’s attention in and around Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Word had spread like wildfire about coal mysteriously raining down from the ceiling of a house 2.5 miles east of the town.
The house belonged to W. G. L. Quaite, a prominent minister of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. His wife, his step-daughter Belle Hall, and a sixteen-year-old female servant whose name remains unknown inhabited it.
William Porter Attempts to Burn the Witch (Illus. 1894)
During one of the strange occurrences, Mrs. Quaite was hit by a falling piece of coal, requiring medical attention for the injury. Some reports even hinted at the possibility of the servant girl being responsible, while others drew parallels to the infamous “Bell Witches of Robertson County” from years before.
As the week progressed, the frequency of the coal drops declined, leading Reverend Quaite to attribute supernatural agency to the activity. He often prayed in the evening, hoping for a resolution to the mystery.
More Incidents Attributed to The Bell Witch
In the dreary winter of 1890, Adam’s Station, Tennessee, was rattled by strange and unsettling events. One evening, Mr. Hollaway was feeding his cattle at dusk when he saw two unknown women arrive at his home and dismount from their horses. But before he could greet them, they vanished into thin air, leaving Mr. Hollaway and his wife to ponder the mysterious encounter.
In another account, Mr. Rowland was trying to load a sack of corn onto his horse’s back, but it kept falling off. He tried multiple times, but the sack would not stay put. Only when Joe Johnson arrived and held onto the sack could Mr. Rowland mount his horse.
However, as they rode away, the sack started floating in the air, leading the two men to witness a supernatural force taking hold of it. When the sack finally stopped at a nearby fence, a voice boomed, “You won’t touch this sack anymore,” shocking and mystifying the men.
These events were documented in an article published on February 3, 1890, and became the talk of the town, with many speculating about the supernatural forces at play.
An illustration of the Bell Witch at night
On February 18, 1890, a subsequent report titled “A Weird Witch: More Tales of a Mulhattanish Flavor from Adams Station” was published. The article highlights that Joseph Mulhattan, known for fabricating newspaper articles, was the source of the story.
A few days later, the article was republished under “More Tales of a Fishy Flavor.” The entity in question is only referred to as the witch in the report. According to the account, Mr. Johnson visited Buck Smith’s home and talked about the recent visitation of the ghost.
They heard knocking at the door, which stopped when they opened it. Afterward, the knocking began at another door. While they were seated, the dog started to fight with something invisible. After two minutes, the door flew open, and fire spread across the room, blown by a cyclonic wind, with the coals disappearing as they tried to put it out.
Later, when Mr. Johnson was riding his horse back home, something jumped on his back, grabbed his shoulder, and then jumped off as he neared his home, disappearing into the woods.
According to a report, Mr. Winters had a strange encounter while hunting. After much difficulty, he caught a peculiar bird, only to find that it had vanished from his game bag and was replaced with a rabbit, which also disappeared.
Signs at the entrance to the Bell Witch Cave promote ghost tourism in Adams, Tennessee.
Meanwhile, Mr. Rowland had his own bizarre experience while burning vegetation outdoors. He claimed to have been visited by a half-clothed black man with one eye in his forehead, who instructed him to follow and dig at a large rock.
The figure vanished soon after, leaving Mr. Rowland to dig until exhaustion. The next day, with the help of Bill Burgess and Mr. Johnson, they discovered an object described as a “kettle turned bottom upward.” Unfortunately, the men could not remove it, as the soil kept moving back into the hole faster than they could.
The report concluded that many people were flocking to see the witch.
Concluding the Strange story
The Bell Witch legend has persisted for almost two centuries and captured much imagination. While some may dismiss the reports as mere superstition, others have taken them as evidence of the supernatural.
Despite numerous attempts to debunk or explain the occurrences, the mystery surrounding the Bell Witch remains unsolved. The stories may continue to be told for generations as people continue to be captivated by the strange and unexplained.
Nonetheless, the legend of the Bell Witch is a fascinating and enduring part of American folklore. It remains a testament to the power of mystery and the human fascination with the unknown.
RIP Victims.
Next, read about The Time the USA Nearly Nuked USA. Then, about Operation Cherry Blossoms at Night: The Japanese Plan to Re-Introduce Bubonic Plague to Win the War!
Agent X
April 4, 2023 at 9:35 pm
It was the wives.