The Bell Witch: The Full Account (4 page)

prominently into later chapters of this book. It was

there where Bell met his future wife, Lucy Williams,

the daughter of wealthy Edgecombe County planters

John and Mourning Williams.

John and Lucy Bell married in 1782 and acquired

a 323-acre farm on the south side of Kehukee

Swamp, near Blackman's Branch. 6 They worked

hard for many years, accumulating several slaves,

acquiring additional land, and turning their farm into

one of the best in the area.

The Bell Farm in North Carolina

The farm had rows of cotton, corn, and tobacco

that stretched as far as the eye could see, and

abounded with mules, cows, and hogs. Despite the

Bells’ receiving a slave from Lucy Bell’s father’s

estate settlement in 1793, the farm’s growth still

made it so that Bell could no longer manage the

many day-to-day tasks by himself — he would be up

and working hard by daybreak each day, often not

retiring until past eleven o’clock in the evening. This

3
Edgecombe Precinct, North Carolina,
Deed Book 1
, p.73.

4
North Carolina Secretary of State Wills, Book 8
, pp. 107-108.

5 Kehukee Baptist Association records.

6
Halifax County, North Carolina, Deed Book 13
, p.157.

THE BELL WITCH: THE FULL ACCOUNT

23

routine continued until Bell finally decided to hire

someone to oversee and help with the various, day-

to-day tasks on the farm.

After the overseer had taken over many of the day-

to-day farming matters, Bell was able to spend more

time with his family and managing the farm’s

finances and dealing with markets. The stress

associated with Bell’s once-daily routine soon

became a thing of the past, and he did not regret his

decision to hire an overseer. It was not long,

however, until Bell was once again plagued by

problems; only this time they were of a different

nature.

The Evil Overseer

Although the overseer was knowledgeable about

farming matters and was a very hard worker, he had

difficulties getting along with other people. Known as

a quick-tempered man who seemed to find fault with

everyone except himself, and who treated the slaves

with severe cruelty, the overseer quickly made

enemies all around the Settlement. He often argued

with John Bell about matters that they did not see

eye-to-eye on.

These arguments often led to the overseer’s

shouting threats and words of disrespect to Bell.

After such arguments, the overseer typically took out

his frustration with Bell on the slaves by severely

beating them, knowing it was the only way he could

hit a person without fear of repercussion.

The arguments between Bell and the overseer

continued with increasing frequency and severity as

time went on, often making Bell feel compelled to

reconsider his decision to hire this man as the

overseer of his farm. Lucy Bell seemed to think the

overseer’s problems stemmed from his young age and

24 P A T

F I T Z H U G H

that despite this one shortcoming, he had great

farming knowledge and lots of potential.

One evening after a rough day, John Bell stormed

into the house exclaiming, “Lucy, you must

understand that it’s more than profit which is at

stake here. Black’s cruelty to our slaves and his bad

reputation in the settlement is eroding the respect

and good name we have worked so long and hard to

build. There are other overseers just as wise and

hardworking as Black, and who can treat slaves and

his fellow man like human beings. Can’t you see,

Lucy, John Black is destroying everything we stand

for; and that before long we will see not only our good

name tarnished, but also a lack of profits as the

result? Humans who are beaten to the point they

can hardly walk are not producers, and those who

must watch these inhumane acts day in and day out

grow to resent their own work even more. What

effect do you think that has on profits?”

Lucy then replied, “But John, he is a very young

man and will soon grow out of his immature ways. I

know he will! I’ve seen positive changes in his

attitude and character just in the short time he has

been working for us. I realize it is a very hard

decision, but please, John, give him time. You have

seen with your own eyes what he has done for this

farm and the profit we have to show for it. Don’t

broach the subject of productivity with me when the

arguments you two have take you away from what

you should be doing and never solve anything in the

first place. You are his boss, so don’t argue with the

lad; just firmly and politely tell him what you expect.

But please, don’t get rid of him now.” “Okay, Lucy. I

will hope and pray that you are right. In the

morning, I will once again attempt diplomacy.”

At daybreak the next morning, Bell went out into

the field to meet the overseer and discuss the

THE BELL WITCH: THE FULL ACCOUNT

25

problems between them and what he expected. The

next few weeks were quiet and uneventful, and then,

the arguments started again. Another source of

problems between John Bell and the overseer was

the overseer’s fondness for Bell’s daughter, Mary,

which was not well-received by Bell.

John Bell Shoots the Overseer

While taking his customary walk around the farm

one morning, John Bell briefly stopped to check

something in one of the outbuildings. While inside

the building, he heard the overseer and several of the

slaves talking as they passed by on their way to

another field. The overseer was ridiculing and

engaging the slaves in insulting conversation as he

did each day. This day, the subject was Mary Bell.

“I seen you boys eyballin’ Miss Mary yesterday.

Yeah, quite a delightful site if I say so myself…Miss

Mary, with huh pretty long hair ridin’ in the wind;

those beautiful blue eyes and devilish smile

downright chom the energy right out of a man, if ya

know what I mean. Whatcha’ don’t know is that

Miss Mary is all mine; she even told me so. And the

next time I see you cast yoah eyes upon huh like

that, I’ll hang yoah stinkin’ carcasses in the woods

and throw a party for the buzzards.”

Speechless and overcome by his own anger, Bell

sat down to “cool off” a bit before confronting the

overseer about what he had just overheard. After the

overseer and the slaves had walked a fair distance

past the outbuilding, Bell emerged and yelled for the

overseer to come back and have a quick word with

him inside the building. As the overseer entered the

building, he reached for his pocket where he usually

kept his pistol. A shot was fired, and Bell emerged

from the building unscathed, as the overseer lay in a

26 P A T

F I T Z H U G H

puddle of his own blood just inside the door.

Bell faced legal charges over the incident and was

found not guilty because he had acted in self-

defense. Mary Bell soon married and moved away.

Not long after having been cleared of any wrongdoing

in the incident, Bell hired a new overseer who had

roughly the same farming knowledge that John Black

did. The two years that followed were plagued with

many different problems, which resulted in financial

losses – ultimately forcing Bell to sell his farm and

leave the area. 7

The Farm’s Downfall

Despite the success of other planters’ crops in the

area that year, Bell’s cotton, tobacco, and corn crops

failed. The financial impact of this crop failure forced

Bell to sell several slaves in order to have money to

live on until the next crop season. Between crop

seasons, John and Lucy
Bell had more bad luck –

the mules died of colic, and the cows and hogs

became sick with an incurable disease. Bell was

forced to sell even more slaves, keeping only a few for

the next crop season.

Money was now a major concern for the Bells, as

were several buildings on the farm that were in bad

need of repair. To that end, the Bells’ future and

livelihood depended solely on the next crop season.

Despite fervid prayer and much hard work, the crop

season once again failed miserably.

Against his will, Bell decided to sell the farm to

another planter, William Rawls, and move to the new

land in the west and start over. 8 This was no easy

decision, especially for a man of Bell’s strong pride

and character.

7 Source does not wish to be disclosed.

8
Halifax County, North Carolina, Deed Book 19
, p.164.

THE BELL WITCH: THE FULL ACCOUNT

27

The Bells Leave North Carolina

Over the years leading up to the farm’s downfall,

John and Lucy Bell received letters from many

friends who had moved to the western lands from

North Carolina. Several of these families, such as

the Forts and Gunns, settled in middle Tennessee

near the Red River at the edge of an area known as

the “Barren Plains.” In their letters, they described

this land as being the most beautiful and fertile land

anywhere, yielding plentiful returns for the many

families who emigrated from the east.

Elias Fort had been a clerk with the Tar River

Association, a religious advocacy group in North

Carolina that included John and Lucy Bell’s church.

Soon after arriving in the new land, Fort and two

other clergymen successfully started a Baptist

church in the Red River area. Given the opportunity

to be reunited with old friends, and to start a new

farm in an area known for its fertility, John and Lucy

Bell decided to move their family to this land.

In the winter of 1803-1804, John Bell and his

family set out across the mountains of North

Carolina and east Tennessee, on their way to middle

Tennessee. They settled in the Red River bottomland

area, located in what is now the western end of

Robertson County, Tennessee. The travel party was

large, consisting of John and Lucy Bell, and their

children, Jesse, John Jr., Drewry, Esther, and

Zadok.

Along with their family, John and Lucy Bell

brought several slaves, including a woman named

Chloe and her son, Dean. Dean played a big role in

getting the Bell family from North Carolina to

Tennessee safely, and later became the most

valuable slave on the Bell plantation.

28 P A T

F I T Z H U G H

CHAPTER TWO

The Bells’ New Home

T HE BELLS PURCHASED 220 ACRES of land

bordering the south side of the Red River

from William Crawford, an earlier settler. 9

On the property was a double-log, weather boarded

house with six large and comfortable rooms. The

house stood about 100 yards down a fenced lane,

which led to the Brown's Ford and Springfield Road.

It was one of the finest farms in the community at

the time, boasting a large pear orchard in the back

and several pear trees on the front lawn. The well

was about 100 yards north of the house, and the

family cemetery was located atop a cedar-covered hill

about 300 yards to the northwest. Several large

fields had been cleared before the Bells moved to the

area, beyond which were dense forests that

flourished with wild plants and berries, deer, rabbits

and other animals.

9
Robertson County, Tennessee, Deed Book E
, p. 126.

THE BELL WITCH: THE FULL ACCOUNT

29

The Red River Community

Thought by many to be the prettiest stream in the

country, nearby Red River abounded with game fish

and carried the beautiful and melodic sounds of

swirls and ripples. The fields and sparse forests

lining the river made excellent planting areas and

gathering places for families to picnic and play.

A number of other families lived in the community;

including, James Johnston and his brother, William;

the Forts, Frederick and Kate Batts, Jeremiah Batts,

Benjamin Batts, the Gardners, the Porters, James

Byrns, and Frank Miles. Bordering the Bell farm on

the east side was the Johnston family farm,

consisting of James Johnston and his two sons,

John and Calvin.

The Johnstons were the Bells’ closest neighbors.

James Johnston was an old and devout Christian

and the founder of Johnston's Campground, located

at the confluence of Johnston Spring and Sturgeon

Creek. Families came to the campground from all

over the countryside, staying for weeks at a time to

sing hymns and praise the Almighty.

The Gunns and the Forts, two prominent families

of religious leaders in the community, frequently held

revivals and other worship services at the

campground. John and Calvin Johnston continued

to maintain Johnston’s Campground up until the