Real Crime/Paranormal/Conspiracy Theories Book III

The Haunting Legend of the Bell Witch

The Bell Witch or Bell WitchHaunting is a legend from Southern United States folklore,centered on the 19th-century Bell family of northwest RobertsonCounty, Tennessee. Farmer John Bell Sr. resided with his family alongthe Red River in an area currently near the town of Adams. Accordingto legend, from 1817-1821, his family and the local area came underattack by a mostly invisible entity that was able to speak, affectthe physical environment, and shapeshift. Some accounts record thespirit also to have been clairvoyant and capable of crossing longdistances with superhuman speed (and/or of being in more than oneplace at a time).

In 1894, newspaper editor Martin V.Ingram published his Authenticated History of the Bell Witch. Thebook is widely regarded as the first full-length record of the legendand a primary source for subsequent treatments. The individualsrecorded in the work were known historical personalities. In moderntimes, some skeptics have regarded Ingram's efforts as a work ofhistorical fiction or fraud. Other researchers consider Ingram's worka nascent folklore study and an accurate reflection of belief in theregion during the 19th century.

While not a fundamental element of theoriginal recorded legend, the Bell Witch Cave in the 20th centurybecame a source of continuing interest, belief, and generation oflore. Contemporary artistic interpretations such as in film and musichave expanded the reach of the legend beyond the regional confines ofthe Southern United States.

Legend synopsis

In his book An Authenticated History ofthe Bell Witch, author Martin V. Ingram published that thepoltergeist's name was Kate, after the entity claimed at one point tobe "Old Kate Batts' witch," and continued to respondfavorably to the name. The physical activity centered on the Bells'youngest daughter, Betsy, and her father, and 'Kate' expressedparticular displeasure when Betsy became engaged to a local namedJoshua Gardner.

The haunting began sometime in 1817when John Bell witnessed the apparition of a strange creatureresembling a dog. Bell fired at the animal but it disappeared. John'sson Drew Bell approached an unknown bird perched on a fence that flewoff and was of "extraordinary size." The daughter Betsyobserved a girl in green dress swinging from the limb of an oak tree.Dean, a person enslaved by the Bell family, reported being followedby a large black dog on evenings he visited his wife. Activity movedto the Bell household with knocking heard along the door and walls.The family heard sounds of gnawing on the beds, invisible dogsfighting, and chains along the floor. About this time John Bell beganexperiencing paralysis in his mouth. The phenomena grew in intensityas sheets were pulled from beds when the children slept. Soon theentity pulled hair and scratched the children with particularemphasis on Betsy who was slapped, pinched and stuck with pins.

The Bells turned to family friend JamesJohnston for help. After retiring for the evening at the Bell home,Johnston was awakened that night by the same phenomena. That morninghe told John Bell it was a "spirit, just like in the Bible."Soon word of the haunting spread with some traveling great distancesto see the witch. The apparition began to speak out loud and wasasked, "Who are you and what do you want?" and thevoice answered feebly, "I am a spirit; I was once very happybut have been disturbed." The spirit offered diverseexplanations of why it had appeared, tying its origin to thedisturbance of a Native American burial mound located on theproperty, and sent Drew Bell and Bennett Porter on an unproductivesearch for buried treasure. With the emergence of fullconversations, the spirit repeated word for word two sermons given 13miles apart at the same time. The entity was well acquainted withBiblical text and appeared to enjoy religious arguments. As anotheramusement, the witch shared gossip about activities in otherhouseholds, and at times appeared to leave for brief moments to visithomes after an inquiry.