by Dr. Abner Mality
The most famous and frightening haunting in the history of America took place in the bucolic country setting of Adams, Tennessee in the early 1800's. It was at this pastoral and deceptively peaceful location that the Bell family first encountered the evil spirit who was to make their lives a living hell... a malicious, cunning creature known only as the Bell Witch. Before the Witch was done, John Bell would be dead, a future American president and fearless soldier would be forced to retreat and placid Adams County would be turned upside down. The after-effects of this "mega-haunting", which took place over decades, still linger in Tennessee to this day.
And who better than I, Dr. Abner Mality, to bring you humanoids the tale of the Bell Witch? Yes, this incident did indeed influence the popular fright flick "The Blair Witch Project" and it even inspired the horror metal band Mercyful Fate to pen a track called "The Bell Witch". Join me now, as I reach for my flashlight and head towards Adams, Tennessee...
The hauntings began in 1817. The Bell family, led by successful John Bell, settled in Adams. At that time, Adams was thought by many to be the site of a future city. Bell wanted to be a part of the coming success. But the Bell Witch had different ideas.
It was said that Bell acquired his land by cheating an eccentric old lady, Kate Batts, out of her homestead. Batts didn't get her name out of a crackerjack box, she was widely believed by the locals to be a witch. On her death-bed, she swore revenge against the Bell Family. And soon after her death, the hauntings began.
Things started when John shot a strange bird he spotted over his cornfield. Inspecting the dead creature, he was appalled to see that the bird was like nothing he'd ever seen before, with an almost human eyes and face. Not long thereafter, a strange looking "dog" was seen prowling around the Bell farm. Shots were fired at this beast but it was never hit or apprehended. At the same time, uncanny incidents were beginning to manifest themselves in the Bell home. Bowls of sugar were constantly being tipped over, kitchen utensils were broken and scattered about and constant scratching sounds were heard. The Bells were hardy pioneers and not easily spooked. The young Bell children were first blamed but as events intensified, it became apparent they were not responsible for the chaos.
Young Betsy Bell, the pretty daughter, was particularly the focus of The Bell Witch's ire. She was continuously pinched, slapped and poked by invisible hands and kept up all night by having her bedsheets torn off by the poltergeist. It became apparent that some malevolent force was at work. Then the Bell Witch began to speak. It would pepper John Bell with horrible puns and sinister threats, loudly describing the terrors it would inflict on the family. Yet John's wife was always treated well by the Witch, who even went so far as doing family chores for her.
By now, others in Adams were aware of the haunting. Visitors to the house saw numerous manifestations of the Bell Witch's power. Those who were skeptical were usually attacked the most. The Bell farm became a kind of negative tourist site, drawing curious mobs of rubberneckers. The most amazing thing about this was the resolve of the family to stay on their land despite the ghostly heckling.
Eventually, the tales attracted the interest of Andrew Jackson, the renowned general who would later become President of the United States. Jackson knew John Bell and while he was on an Indian fighting expedition in 1820, he decided to visit the Bell farm with a contingent of his men. As the platoon rode up the lane to the farm, one of the soldiers was heard to loudly mock the Bell Witch. Dumb idea! On a flat stretch of road, the wagons suddenly froze completely still. No matter how hard the horses pulled, the wagons would not advance. The wagons were inspected and no defects were found. "It's the Bell Witch!", Jackson breathed in wonder. Then, out of the clear sky, a woman's voice spoke: "You can go forward now, General!"
They continued to the farm, where John Bell was suffering from a mysterious illness that made it difficult for him to speak and swallow. One of Jackson's men claimed to be a "witch tamer". He said he had a gun with a silver bullet especially for the Bell Witch. As the man sat down in a chair, he let out a scream and yelled "A thousand pins are sticking in me!". The Bell Witch laughed and said, "What are you afraid of? Shoot, shoot!"
That was enough for Jackson and his men. He took his troops and left. He later remarked that he would have rather fought a regiment of British Redcoats than stay another night on the Bell Farm.
The intensity of the attack continued. The Witch warned Betsy Bell not to marry handsome Joshua Gardner, instead advising her to marry the local schoolteacher, Richard Powell. So great were the spirit's torments of Betsy that she followed this advice, breaking off her engagement to Gardner. Meanwhile, John Bell became bed-ridden with his illness. Finally, he had suffered tremendous convulsions and died. The medicine that he usually took was gone and in its place was a vial full of something no one recognized. "I've given John bad medicine!" cackled the Witch.
Even at John's funeral, the hauntings did not stop. The sound of laughing and singing was heard as his body was put in the ground. In 1821, the Witch announced that it would be leaving for a while, but it would return in 7 years. Which it did, appearing to John Bell, Jr. Strangely though, the spirit was not malevolent this time. It gave him a series of strange prophecies which seemed to foretell Lincoln's assassination, World War I and World War II. Finally, it said it would appear in 1935, 107 years later. But if it did, no one has ever come forward to say so.
Adams has been the site of numerous strange phenomena over the years. There is a cave there where weird apparitions have been seen on many occasions. It's somewhat of a tourist spot but one with an evil reputation. In fact, the local Indians say the cave was the site of unnatural events dating back before the arrival of the White Man. Perhaps the Bell Witch phenomena is more than merely the vengeful spirit of an old woman...\
Is the Bell Witch tale just a folk legend? No doubt there have been embellishments, but this is the most well-documented ghost story in American history. Many books by reputable historians have referred to the events on the Bell Farms and it's no tall tale that Andrew Jackson encountered the ghost. In recent years, some have theorized that the schoolteacher Richard Powell was behind most of the hauntings, in an attempt to win the hand of Betsy Bell. Also, parapsychologists have suspected that psychic trauma amongst the Bell children caused the hauntings, as links have been established between poltergeist phenomena and young children.
One thing is certain. The Bell Witch was the meanest spook ever to stalk the USA. Perhaps it still haunts the night...
This is Dr. Abner Mality, turning out the lights! To contact the writer, send your email to: drmality@wormwoodchronicles.com.