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admin sinfulldude · Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 11:17 pm Post subject: Tennessee ;- The Bell Witch

The Bell Witch.

According to the annals of supernatural history, the story of the Bell Witch started in 1817 when the Bell family, prosperous farmers from Tennessee, began experiencing strange phenomena in their home. First, the house was plagued with knocking and rapping noises and scratching sounds.

Blankets were pulled from beds, family members were kicked and scratched and their hair pulled. Particularly tormented was a 12-year-old Betsy Bell, who was slapped, pinched, bruised and stuck with pins. At first, John Bell was determined to keep the events secret, but soon confided in a friend , who then formed an investigative committee. John Bell's friends soon learned that the strange force in the house had an eerie intelligence. It soon found a voice and from that day on. . .was seldom silent.

The spirit identified itself as the "witch" of Kate Batts, a neighbors of the Bell's, with whom John had experienced bad business dealings over some purchased slaves. "Kate" as the local people began calling her, made daily appearances in the Bell home, wreaking havoc on everyone there. People all over the area of soon learned of the witch and she made appearances, in sounds and voices, all over Robertson County.

The ghost became so famous that even General Andrew Jackson decided to visit. He too experienced the antics of the witch and his carriage wheels refused to turn until the witch decided to let them.

John Bell fell victim to bouts of strange illness, to which "Kate" claimed responsibility. While he was sick in bed, the spirit cursed and prodded him, never allowing him to rest. One day, he went to bed and never recovered. He was found senseless in his bed one morning and a strange bottle was found nearby. Bell's breath smelled of the black liquid in the bottle, so a drop of it was placed on the tongue of a cat. . .the animal dropped dead. John Bell soon followed suit and "Kate" screamed in triumph. She even made her presence known at his funeral, laughing, cursing and singing as the poor man was buried.

"Kate" didn't vanish immediately after the death of her proclaimed enemy though. She stayed around, threatening Betsy Bell to not marry the man that she truly loved, Joshua Gardner. The witch would never say why, but she did allow the girl to later marry the local schoolteacher, Richard Powell. "Kate" soon left the family but promised to return in seven years. She did come back and plagued the family again for two weeks. Before departing, she appeared at the home of John Bell Jr. and made a number of predictions that Bell recorded. The warning proved true, reflecting the Civil War and the later World Wars of the next century. "Kate" said that she would return again 107 years later, in 1935, but the year came and went without incident.

Who was the Bell Witch? Was she really a ghost, who claimed to be connected to a living person? Or did the resentment and the hatred of the real Kate Batts create an entity of it's own? Or could the haunting have been poltergeist activity linked to Betsy Bell? No one will ever know for sure. . .but whoever, or whatever, the Bell Witch was, many believe that she has never left Adams, Tennessee at all.

The Bell Witch Cave

Located near where the Bell Farm once stood and near the old family cemetery, where many of the Bell's still rest, is what has become known as the Bell Witch Cave. The cave has no real connection to the legend of the witch but it is located on property once owned by the Bell family. Many in Robertson County believe that when the witch departed, she fled to the sanctuary of this cave. Whether the Bell Witch is here or not.... the cave is a very haunted place.

The former owner of the cave, a man named Bill Edens reported that strange events still went on in the cave and near the home that he had built on the bluff where the cave can be found. The steep incline over the Red River hides a narrow path that leads down to the cave. Strange figures have been reported here and knocking sounds and poltergeist-like events still take place in the house.

The current owners, Chris and Walter Kirby, still open the cave for tourists and they too report that eerie events sometimes take place in the house and in the cave itself. Chris Kirby recalls several occasions when she and visitors in the cave have seen strange apparitions and have heard unexplained sounds, coming from deep in the hidden corners of the cave.

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Taliajack · Joined: 18 Dec 2006 Posts: 20 Location: USA

The Bell Witch
The Bell Witch is perhaps Tennessee’s best-known ghost story. The story of the Bell Witch was used in the movie An American Haunting and it is believed that the Blair Witch Project was based as least in part, on the tale of the Bell Witch. The Bell Witch events occurred in Adams, Tennessee primarily between 1817 and 1821, although people still report strange phenomena in that area.

The Bell Family
In the early 1800s, a man named John Bell moved his family from North Carolina to a section of Robertson County, Tennessee, which later became known as Adams. He bought land and a home for his family. The family was well liked within the community, but trouble beset them in 1817. It began simply enough. One day, John Bell saw a strange creature on his land that had the head of a rabbit, but the body of a dog. John shot at the strange creature, but missed. That night, he went home and the family heard a beating sound on the side of the house. They rushed outside only to find no one there. As the days went on, the beating sounds continued, but other odd things occurred as well. Things in the house started to move on their own and the children complained of rats chewing on their bedposts and of their covers being pulled over their heads.

Then the voice started. It started out low and unintelligible at first, but grew stronger. The entity had a female voice, yet she remained invisible to the human eye. As the years went on, it was said that she shook hands with people and even held conversations, sang hymns, and quoted scripture. Yet no one in the area knew who this could be or why she chose to torment the Bell family.

Bell’s youngest daughter Betsy began to be physically slapped by the entity she could not see. After that, Bell decided to tell neighbour James Johnston of the strange happenings. Johnston and his wife stayed in the house and experienced the same events. It was only when Johnston cried out “I ask you in the name of the Lord God, who are you and what do you want?” that the entity quieted down.

The story first appeared in the Godspeed History of Tennessee in 1887. Richard Williams Bell, John Bell’s second youngest son, wrote “Richard Williams Bell’s Diary: Our Family Trouble,” which was quoted in the Red Book article titled “An Authenticated History of the Bell Witch of Tennessee” in 1894. In his diary, Richard claimed that General Andrew Jackson (who would later become president of the United States), whom both John Jr. and Jesse Bell had fought under at the Battle of New Orleans, had himself stayed at the home and witnessed strange phenomenon. Legend has it that it was even Jackson who labelled the entity a witch.

John Bell’s Mysterious Death
For many years, John Bell had the symptoms of a nervous system disorder, which cause seizures. At times, he could not speak because his face became paralysed. Some now believe he perhaps suffered from Bell’s Palsy (coincidentally named after Charles Bell, who discovered it after John died).

John Bell died the morning of December 20, 1820. The family found a vial of liquid next to him that he had drank the night before his death. When the liquid was given to the family cat, it died almost instantly. It was then that the Bell Witch spoke, saying, “I gave Ol’ Jack a big dose of that last night, and that fixed him.” The Bell Witch was even heard laughing at John’s funeral and sang a cheerful song.

In spring 1821, the witch visited John’s widow Lucy and told her that it would return in seven years for another visit. It visited John Bell, Jr. in 1828, telling him of certain predictions such as the Civil War and the Great Depression. The witch left after three weeks, telling John Jr. that it would visit his descendents in 107 years. In 1935, John Jr.’s closest direct living relative was Charles Bailey Bell, a Nashville physician. He did write a book titled Bell Witch, but that was prior to 1935, which would have been 107 years.

Today, several people who visit Bell’s property say that they hear people talking and children playing. It is also said that it is very hard to take a good picture on the property.

The Bell Witch is perhaps Tennessee’s best-known ghost story. The story of the Bell Witch was used in the movie An American Haunting and it is believed that the Blair Witch Project was based as least in part, on the tale of the Bell Witch. The Bell Witch events occurred in Adams, Tennessee primarily between 1817 and 1821, although people still report strange phenomena in that area.

The Bell Family
In the early 1800s, a man named John Bell moved his family from North Carolina to a section of Robertson County, Tennessee, which later became known as Adams. He bought land and a home for his family. The family was well liked within the community, but trouble beset them in 1817. It began simply enough. One day, John Bell saw a strange creature on his land that had the head of a rabbit, but the body of a dog. John shot at the strange creature, but missed. That night, he went home and the family heard a beating sound on the side of the house. They rushed outside only to find no one there. As the days went on, the beating sounds continued, but other odd things occurred as well. Things in the house started to move on their own and the children complained of rats chewing on their bedposts and of their covers being pulled over their heads.

Then the voice started. It started out low and unintelligible at first, but grew stronger. The entity had a female voice, yet she remained invisible to the human eye. As the years went on, it was said that she shook hands with people and even held conversations, sang hymns, and quoted scripture. Yet no one in the area knew who this could be or why she chose to torment the Bell family.

Bell’s youngest daughter Betsy began to be physically slapped by the entity she could not see. After that, Bell decided to tell neighbour James Johnston of the strange happenings. Johnston and his wife stayed in the house and experienced the same events. It was only when Johnston cried out “I ask you in the name of the Lord God, who are you and what do you want?” that the entity quieted down.

The story first appeared in the Godspeed History of Tennessee in 1887. Richard Williams Bell, John Bell’s second youngest son, wrote “Richard Williams Bell’s Diary: Our Family Trouble,” which was quoted in the Red Book article titled “An Authenticated History of the Bell Witch of Tennessee” in 1894. In his diary, Richard claimed that General Andrew Jackson (who would later become president of the United States), whom both John Jr. and Jesse Bell had fought under at the Battle of New Orleans, had himself stayed at the home and witnessed strange phenomenon. Legend has it that it was even Jackson who labelled the entity a witch.

John Bell’s Mysterious Death
For many years, John Bell had the symptoms of a nervous system disorder, which cause seizures. At times, he could not speak because his face became paralysed. Some now believe he perhaps suffered from Bell’s Palsy (coincidentally named after Charles Bell, who discovered it after John died).

John Bell died the morning of December 20, 1820. The family found a vial of liquid next to him that he had drank the night before his death. When the liquid was given to the family cat, it died almost instantly. It was then that the Bell Witch spoke, saying, “I gave Ol’ Jack a big dose of that last night, and that fixed him.” The Bell Witch was even heard laughing at John’s funeral and sang a cheerful song.

In spring 1821, the witch visited John’s widow Lucy and told her that it would return in seven years for another visit. It visited John Bell, Jr. in 1828, telling him of certain predictions such as the Civil War and the Great Depression. The witch left after three weeks, telling John Jr. that it would visit his descendents in 107 years. In 1935, John Jr.’s closest direct living relative was Charles Bailey Bell, a Nashville physician. He did write a book titled Bell Witch, but that was prior to 1935, which would have been 107 years.

Today, several people who visit Bell’s property say that they hear people talking and children playing. It is also said that it is very hard to take a good picture on the property.