The Bell Witch: The Full Account (51 page)

John and Lucy Bell have a number of

descendants, stretching from Tennessee to

Mississippi, and from Texas up through the Midwest.

There are several descendants of John and Lucy Bell

living in Robertson County, Tennessee today;

however, the author has chosen not to list their

names in this book as a matter of respect for their

privacy.

Some Bell descendants believe that “something”

was wrong in the home of John Bell, some do not

believe anything was wrong, and other Bell

descendants refuse to discuss the matter altogether.

The author wishes to state that after having met and

conversed with a number of John and Lucy Bell’s

descendants, he sees nothing at all strange or

otherwise “different” about them – they are all fine

and well-respected citizens of their communities, and

are to be commended for their diplomatic handling of

all the disinformation currently in circulation

regarding the “Bell Witch.”

What remains of the Bell farm today?

Very little is left of John Bell’s plantation. A newer

road roughly follows the old main road, which was

the Springfield and Brown’s Ford road. Now located

in the middle of a field and a good distance from the

nearest road, all that remains of the original Bell

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home is a hole where the cellar was, a few rocks from

the original foundation, and some small trees

growing around the hole. The old well is nearby, and

the cemetery is on a small hill overlooking the old

homesite. The cemetery is not marked in any way,

nor is there a road leading to it. The only headstone

is the replacement of John Bell’s original headstone,

which was taken in 1951.

A section of the old Springfield and Brown’s

Ford roadbed, which was a major road during

the days of John Bell.

Can One see where the Bell home stood?

The old Bell farm is on private property, and entry

without written permission from the private

organization that owns it is forbidden. Moreover,

even if one had permission, it would be difficult to

visit the old homesite and cemetery without possibly

damaging crops. The area is being used as farmland.

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379

Appendix K:

Common Myths

A S WAS MENTIONED in
Appendix J
, there is

an abundance of misinformation circulating

in regards to the “Bell Witch.” When the

facts of a case are not crystal-clear or readily

available, there exists the possibility that some will,

as opposed to doing research, make hasty

generalizations and arrive at fallacious conclusions

about the case. Add to this the many years over

which the legend has been told in different and often

conflicting versions. The end-result is a plethora of

information believed by many people, but which

lacks any authoritative foundation.

In general, very few people are familiar with the

facts behind the legend of the “Bell Witch,” and as

such, it logically follows that very few generalizations

and “theories” regarding the legend are built upon a

foundation of hard, documented evidence.

Facts, in and of themselves, do not make a story.

Moreover, they serve as a general foundation and the

glue that holds the story together. The more facts

there are behind a story, the more credible the story

is. The case of the “Bell Witch,” differs significantly

from many other cases of hauntings in that the

characters, places, and dates have been proved.

Unfortunately, however, it is from this very

information that the most popular misinformation

concerning the “Bell Witch” evolved – simply because

people did not research the facts.

Add to this the fact that because the “Bell Witch”

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legend involved so many characters, places and

times, even those who have done extensive research

sometimes confuse or forget the facts. The situation

that exists today, that there are as many versions of

the “Bell Witch” legend as there are people who tell it,

is the end-result. Some myths regarding the “Bell

Witch” are more common than others; and in most

cases, researching the facts pertaining to people,

places, and times can easily dispel these myths.

When the facts are understood clearly and put into

place, peoples' generalizations and “theories”

regarding the “Bell Witch” tend to become very

similar. Below, the author will address some of the

more common myths about the “Bell Witch.”

Kate Batts was the “Bell Witch”

Many books and other published accounts of the

Bell disturbances suggest that they were the work of

Kate Batts, an eccentric neighbor of the Bells. The

primary reason stems from the Spirit’s telling

Reverend James Gunn that it was “Ol’ Kate Batts’

Witch.” Moreover, this is how the Spirit earned its

nickname, “Kate.”

After this revelation to Reverend Gunn, which was

only one of many such false revelations, stories

began to develop which would support the Spirit’s

claim of having been Kate Batts’ “witch.” These

stories arose undoubtedly because of Kate Batts’

nature and character, which we discussed earlier in

this book.

The most common “theory” about Kate Batts being

the “Bell Witch” stems from an alleged dispute

between John Bell and Mrs. Batts over the sale of a

slave. There was not, in fact, any such dispute

between John Bell and Kate Batts. According to

official records, the slave dispute was between John

THE BELL WITCH: THE FULL ACCOUNT

381

Bell and
a “Benjamin Batts” around June 1, 1816.
95

Benjamin B. Batts and his family and lived more

than one mile from Kate and Frederick Batts, and

was not closely related to them. 96 oo Benjamin B.

Batts, whose wife was named Olive, died in 1842 and

is buried in the Batts Cemetery just south of Adams,

Tennessee. In addition to Benjamin B. Batts’ son,

Benjamin F. Batts (1841-1861), there was also

another Benjamin B. Batts, born in 1809.

Evidence establishing the fact that the dispute was

with Benjamin Batts, and census data showing that

Frederick and Kate Batts did not even own any

slaves during the time in question, are readily

available. 97 The author feels that with this

abundance of validated evidence, and no evidence

whatsoever connecting Kate Batts with the slave

dispute, that no such dispute ever took place

between John Bell and Kate Batts.

Another popular “theory” supporting the notion

that Kate Batts was the “Bell Witch” suggests that

John Bell and Kate Batts’ dispute was over the sale

of real estate when they both still lived in North

Carolina. While official records show that both

families once lived in the same area of North

Carolina, and that John Bell was involved in a

number of real estate transactions there, the author

has found no record of any real estate transaction

between John Bell and Kate or Frederick Batts.

Until such evidence can be found and validated, this

“theory” is false.

Another “theory” suggests that John Bell was a

wealthy bachelor and the owner of the first business

95
Red River Baptist Church Minutes (1791-1826)
, p. 180.

96 Ralph Winters,
Historical Sketches Adams, Robertson County and Port

Royal/Montgomery County TN
, 1978, p. 158.

97 See state and federal census information at Robertson County Archives, Springfield, TN.

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in Adams, and that because of Fredrick Batts’

paralysis, Kate Batts desired to aggressively pursue a

romantic relationship with Bell. According to this

“theory,” he did not agree and Kate Batts “haunted”

him as a result. While Frederick Batts was indeed

an invalid and Kate Batts may very well have desired

such a relationship, John Bell was not a bachelor

and he did not own any businesses in Adams. As is

the case with the two preceding theories, this

“theory” is false.

Two records exist that prove John Bell was

married to Lucy Williams Bell. One of these is the

will of her father, John Williams, which names John

Bell as being her husband. The other record is John

Bell’s estate settlement document showing Lucy Bell

as the recipient of the dower portion of his estate. 98

John Bell did not own a business in Adams. Adams

did not come into existence until 40 years after his

death. The only businesses in the area other than

stillhouses and mills were located in Port Royal,

some seven miles away.

Another “theory” suggests that John Bell locked

Kate Batts in a smokehouse and let her hang until

she was dead. Kate Batts outlived both John and

Lucy Bell by a number of years. Like the others, this

“theory” is false.

Because of her nature and character, and the

Spirit’s claiming to have been her “witch,” Kate Batts

was nothing more than the most convenient and

logical scapegoat.

98
Robertson County Will Book 3
, pp. 267-268.

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Nestled among a clump of trees and dense

undergrowth is the Batts Cemetery near

Adams, Tennessee – a large, overgrown

cemetery that reminds us of a long-forgotten

era. Several of the most prominent figures in

the “Bell Witch” legend, such as Benjamin

Batts, rest here.

Elizabeth Bell was Abused by Her Father

There is no way to prove nor disprove that such

abuse took place; however, the author’s extensive

research has not yielded anything that would lead a

reasonable person to suspect that John Bell abused

her. Even if the author’s research did yield

something that supports this claim, this “theory”

would still be fallacious in that even if abuse could

be proved, there is sill no proof that such abuse

actually evoked a poltergeist.

While parapsychologists and students of the

paranormal tend to agree that emotional trauma,

especially on the part of an adolescent or pre-

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adolescent person, is one way in which poltergeists

can be evoked; it is still not the only way. In the

many eyewitness accounts and interviews of those

who encountered the Bell disturbances published in

the Ingram book, Elizabeth Bell was always

described in a high-Spirited, congenial, happy and

good light – none of the signs that would indicate the

presence of severe emotional trauma.

Another thing to take into consideration when

discussing the abuse “theory” is that many factors

were present, any one of which could have caused

emotional trauma in the Bell home. John Bell, Jr.,

Drewry Bell, and Jesse Bell were in the military and

had fought in several wars, undoubtedly having seen

many of their friends die right before their very eyes.

John Bell had become afflicted with a medical

condition that nobody could diagnose and was