The Bell Witch: The Full Account (52 page)

barred from the same church at which he was an

elder. This was also at a time when there was a

great deal of theological turmoil in the Baptist and

Presbyterian faiths — Calvinism versus Arminianism

and Old Sides versus New Sides. And finally, the

series of earthquakes that took place several years

earlier in west Tennessee brought about fear among

families all over the area, including the Red River

Settlement.

It is the author’s opinion that these events would

be just cause for emotional trauma on the part of

anyone, and that there exists no evidence whatsoever

supporting the notion that Elizabeth Bell was abused

by her father and evoked a poltergeist as a result. pp

The Legend Was Made Up

This myth stems from the allegation that the Bells

made up the stories in hopes of attracting attention

to Adams so the railroad would come through.

THE BELL WITCH: THE FULL ACCOUNT

385

During the days of John Bell, the area was known

simply as “Red River.” Adams did not come into

existence until the 1858-1860 period, almost 40

years after the Bell disturbances took place. But

most importantly, talks of a railroad between

Edgefield (Nashville) and Guthrie, Kentucky did not

even begin until 1855, nine years after Richard

Williams Bell wrote his manuscript and six years

after the Saturday Evening Post Article pertaining to

the “Bell Witch.”

The author has found no evidence that suggests a

railroad was being talked about in the Red River

community between 1817 and 1828.

If you stand in front of a mirror, something

bad will happen to you.

This myth actually comes from the legend of

Bloody Mary
, and not the “Bell Witch.” The author

did in fact try this technique as a child, and

something bad did happen to him as a result. After

turning around some thirty times, he became dizzy,

fell, and hit his head on the corner of the bathtub.

386 P A T

F I T Z H U G H

Appendix L:

Information about the “Bell

Witch” on the Internet

T HE INTERNET provides a wealth of

information pertaining to the “Bell Witch.”

While some sites contain only short accounts

of the legend, others are devoted entirely to the

legend and the history surrounding it. As is the case

with other informational mediums, the Internet

contains an abundance of disinformation about the

“Bell Witch.”

Below, the author lists two of the many Internet

sites he considers to be of good informational value

to those wishing to learn more about the “Bell Witch”

or the history of the Bell family.

The Bell Witch Folklore Center

http://bellwitch02.tripod.com/

Designed and managed by Phil Norfleet (whose ancestors

knew and lived near the John Bell family), this well-

researched site provides visitors not only an overview of the

legend, and very thorough information about the Bell family

and others who figured prominently into the legend. The

Bell Witch Folklore Center provides genealogies of various

families associated with the legend, reviews of books and

essays written about the legend, and a digitized version of

Martin Ingram’s book, “Authenticated History of the Bell

Witch.” All information is presented in a clear and easy-to-

read fashion.

THE BELL WITCH: THE FULL ACCOUNT

387

Walter Bell’s Bell Witch Page

members.aol.com/wbell27598/genpages/bellwitch.html

Part of his larger genealogy site, Walter Bell’s well-presented

page provides visitors with a well-written overview of the

legend, a list of books pertaining to the legend, links to

other “Bell Witch” Internet sites, and links to his Bell family

genealogy page. A direct descendant of John Bell, Walter

provides extensive information about his family’s history.

388 P A T

F I T Z H U G H

Author’s Notes

a Some accounts list Arthur Bell as being John Bell’s father (not

grandfather); however, the author has not found any evidence

supporting this.

b Although George B. Hopson was referred to as “Dr. Hopson,” he did

not receive his medical degree until 1822, two years after the death of

John Bell.

c In addition to his work with the church, Josiah Fort was very active

in civic affairs. He became one of Robertson County’s first trustees in

1796, and was in that same year appointed to serve as one of the

county’s three presidential electors. Ten years later, he was appointed

by the General Assembly to serve as a trustee of “The Liberty

Academy,” a local school that was proposed and mulled over until

1811 but never materialized. See: Albert Virgil Goodpasture,

Goodspeed History of Tennessee – Robertson County
, 1886, pp. 837-

838, 860.

d Drake’s Pond Baptist Church adhered to Calvin’s doctrine of

Predestination and Red River Baptist Church adhered to the Arminian

doctrine after the Baptist denominational split.

e A person who was alive at the time of the disturbances alleged later in

life that John Bell, Jr. shared the matter of the Spirit with his closest

friend, Frank Miles, in confidence shortly after the apparitions began –

thus breaking the imposed vow of secrecy.

f An examination of John Bell’s estate settlement yields persuasive

evidence of his wealth. See:
Robertson County, Tennessee Will Book 3
,

pp. 267-268, 503.

g In the days of John Bell, the term, “witch” was widely misunderstood.

As a result, the term was often applied to anything considered by most

as being “spooky,” “ungodly,” or otherwise unexplainable. In addition

to being applied to those who allegedly possessed supernatural powers

(witch doctors), the term also comprises, in part, the name of this

legend - “The Bell Witch.” Although the world has now advanced

beyond this unenlightened state, the stigma associated with the term

“witch,” still remains.

h Loosely stated,
usury
is the practice of charging an excessive rate of

interest on borrowed money. The Robertson County Circuit Court

records of that era no longer exist, so it is not possible to ascertain the

type of punishment, if any, Bell received as a result of his conviction.

i After leaving Red River Baptist Church, Josiah Fort was received into

membership at nearby Drake’s Pond Baptist Church by letter of

dismission. During the spring of 1816, Red River Baptist Church sent

THE BELL WITCH: THE FULL ACCOUNT

389

a letter to Drake’s Pond Baptist Church expressing a desire to meet

with church leaders to discuss “matters of grief” regarding Josiah Fort

that they (Drake’s Pond Baptist Church) should be made aware of.

Details of the grievance are sketchy at best; however, Josiah Fort was

received back into the fellowship of Red River Baptist Church several

years later. See:
Red River Baptist Church Minutes (1791-1826)
, pp.

172-173, 201.

j Major Garaldus Pickering became the schoolmaster in the Red River

community when Professor Richard Powell resigned his post to pursue

a career in politics. Pickering educated John Bell’s two youngest sons,

Richard Williams Bell and Joel Egbert Bell.

k According to legend, if a rabbit found near the Bell farm has a black

spot on the bottom of its left hind foot, it is said to be a manifestation

of the Spirit. When such a rabbit is found, the foot is to be cut off and

placed in a hip pocket, and then the rabbit’s body is to be buried on

the north side of an old log.

l “Pots” was the nickname given to Martha Bell by Kate.

m Anky’s real name was “Anica.” See:
Robertson County, Tennessee

Will Book 3,
p. 503.

n The author has located no official records of Esther Scott’s birth and

family. Two second-hand accounts suggest that she was born in

September of 1777 to James Hayes and Elizabeth McKenzie of Dickson

County, Tennessee, eighteen years before Richard Powell’s birth in

1795.

o The hill above Brown’s Ford Bluff is a Native American burial mound.

p James Allen Bell was discharged from the Confederate Army on May

4, 1862 at Cumberland Gap, due to physical disability. His company

commander certified, “He has acted well and truly the part of the

soldier. I have unbounded confidence in his patriotism and devotion to

the interest of his country.” In his career, James Allen Bell was a

Justice of the Peace (1860), president of the Robertson County

Agricultural and Mechanics Association (1872), and served in the

Tennessee House of Representatives, representing Robertson County in

the 39th General Assembly (1875-1877). See: Microcopy,
TN

Confederate Service Records,
roll 159. See also: Albert Virgil

Goodpasture,
Goodspeed History of Tennessee – Robertson County
,

1886, p. 1129.

q Leftrick Reynolds Powell died November 30, 1864 in the Civil War

battle of Franklin, Tennessee. Other losses in the company included

Jeremiah Batts, III., who died on December 9, 1864 of wounds suffered

in the Battle of Franklin, and Benjamin F. Batts, who died of

pneumonia in Knoxville, TN in 1861. James Long, who was later

promoted to the rank of Colonel, died at Jonesboro. See: Albert Virgil

Goodpasture,
Goodspeed History of Tennessee – Robertson County
,

390 P A T

F I T Z H U G H

1886, p. 857. See also:
11th TN Vol. Infantry, Confederate Service

Records
, TSLA.

r A house was built on the hill above the spring in the early 1900s, and

water was pumped up to the house from the spring – making it the

first house in the community with running water.

s John Bell’s gravestone was replaced by Leslie Covington in 1957, and

has since remained in the old Bell cemetery.

t Some of the logs salvaged from this old building were later used in the

construction of a log cabin that stands behind the Bell School Antique

Mall and Adams Museum in Adams, Tennessee. Therefore, it is

possible that ‘some’ of the logs used to build this log cabin were

originally part of John Bell’s house.

u The term
orb
is generally associated with white or orange, semi-

transparent spheres of electromagnetic energy that sometimes appear

in photographs but which are invisible to the naked eye. Believed by

many to be manifestations supernatural energy, white orbs denote

positive energy whereas reddish-colored orbs denote negative energy.

v The term,
witch head
, when used in the context of this discussion,

refers to the head and face of a traditional “witch,” as viewed by the

public in general; i.e., a round forehead, pointed nose and chin, etc.

w The “mist picture” mentioned in the last paragraph of this account

was taken at the crest of the sinkhole just a few feet from the tree

where Elizabeth Bell and her brothers, in the early 1800s, encountered

the crying, lifeless body of a young woman hanging from a tree.

x Upon a later revisit to Bellwood Cemetery, it was discovered that the

graves mentioned in this account were no longer there. Others have

also reported the “disappearing graves” phenomenon at Bellwood

Cemetery.

y It has often been said that two of the Bells’ sons, Benjamin and

Zadok, are buried in the old Bell cemetery; however, the author has

sufficient reasons to believe otherwise. At the time of his death, Zadok

Bell was living in Montgomery, Alabama. Transporting bodies of the

deceased was not done as a rule. We know that Benjamin Bell died at

a very young age, and was definitely alive at the time the will of John

Williams, Lucy Bell’s father, was written in or slightly before 1792.

Since the Bells moved to Tennessee in the winter of 1803-1804, the

author believes that Benjamin Bell died in the late 1790’s and is buried

in North Carolina - most likely in Edgecombe or Halifax County.

z As noted elsewhere in this book, it is believed by one descendant that

John and Lucy Bell’s eldest son, Jesse, was buried in the old Bell

cemetery also because he died in Christian County, Kentucky, which is

near Adams, Tennessee. Whether he is buried in the old Bell cemetery

or underneath an old headstone at Riverside cemetery in Hopkinsville,

Kentucky that bears the faded name, “Bell” and the correct year of his

death, is not known and probably never will be.

THE BELL WITCH: THE FULL ACCOUNT

391

aa There is a discrepancy between the birth dates listed for Elizabeth

Gunn Bell on her gravestone and in the public records. The former

states 1806 and the latter states 1807
.

bb The author has not ascertained the date or cause of the fire, and few

remnants of John Bell Jr’s house remain today.

cc It is a violation of federal law to deny any individual, at any time,

access to any graveyard, regardless of whether it is situated on public

or private property. The law creates a de facto
public easement
to all