The Bell Witch: The Full Account (7 page)

don’t know, Joel; I guess that sudden gust of wind

just caught my senses a little off guard. Let’s keep

walking; we’re almost to the river and I’m sure the

bad weather will blow over soon.”

“So, what’s in that big hole anyway?” asked

Richard. “It formed many thousands of years ago

and leads down to the back of the cave that we

sometimes use for storage during the summer. It is

cold in the cave all year, so that’s why we keep food

and other things there,” replied Elizabeth. “Father

took me into that cave once, and I didn’t like it…the

air was hard to breathe and a bad feeling came over

me, which seemed to get worse the farther back in

the cave we went,” exclaimed Richard; “Father told

me there are hundreds of Indians buried in the hill

above it. What is the green thing up ahead? It’s way

too big to be a leaf, and it doesn’t look like a part of

the woods!” “Then just stop talking about it, and

let’s go see for ourselves,” exclaimed Elizabeth.

A Lifeless Body in a Tree

As they moved closer to the green object, they

began to make out the image of the lifeless body of a

young, dark-haired woman hanging from the limb of

an oak tree. Her face was very pale, and she was

wearing a green dress. Elizabeth and her brothers

cautiously inched forward for a closer look. Although

the young woman was dead, there appeared to be

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small drops of water running down her cheeks as if

she was crying.

Overcome by fear and the strong power radiating

from the lifeless figure, the children stood motionless

and speechless, as they wanted to leave but no

longer had the strength to. The power this figure

possessed seemed to sap all of their energy. The cold

breeze they had felt just moments before was now

completely unbearable, and their faces were as pale

as that of the young woman hanging from the tree.

Sweating and trembling from head to toe, they

once again tried to run and finally succeeded. As

they made their way through the woods and toward

their house, all three children turned for one last

look at the woman. The body was no longer there,

and the weather had returned to that wonderful,

spring day it was only moments earlier.

Upon returning home, they told the rest of the

family about their encounter with the woman

hanging from the oak tree. Drewry mentioned that

on several occasions, he and some of the farm hands

had seen what looked like dirt being thrown at them

while on their way in from the fields, and that they

sometimes saw snakes and other animals in places

they wouldn’t expect to find them. Joel added that

while walking past that same oak tree on the way to

school, rocks and sticks were often thrown at him

and Richard from thickets in the woods. They tried

throwing them back into the thickets on several

occasions, but the rocks and sticks would be thrown

back as soon as they resumed their walk. They tried

unsuccessfully to find the source of these pranks,

but became frustrated and gave up after a short

time.

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47

Faint Whistles and Whispers

After the pranks and disturbances had continued

for some time, the Bells began hearing faint,

whistling sounds coming from the walls and ceilings

of their house. These sounds soon grew into faint

whispers that sounded like an old woman crying.

Unlike most of the disturbances up to that point, the

whispers could be heard during the day as well as at

night, and were no longer confined to the house. The

faint whispers seemed to follow the Bells everywhere

they went, and sounded as if “something” was trying

desperately to tell them something.

Mysterious Lights in the Dell

After dinner one evening, John Bell, Lucy, John

Jr., and Drewry gathered in the family room to

discuss the two sons’ upcoming flatboat trip to New

Orleans and their plans for returning home. After a

few moments of conversation, Lucy Bell frightfully

exclaimed, “Look! Look at those lights outside the

window in the dell and along the lane. I‘ve never

seen anything like that before. They are so

beautiful…the lights along the lane are flickering

slowly, and the lights in the dell look like candles

dancing! Where did they come from, John?” “I

haven’t seen them before, Lucy, but the slaves are

probably just having some fun; they worked very

hard today and need to have a little fun. I think I’ll

go out and pay them a compliment,” John Bell said

as began walking out front door where he

immediately discovered that the lights along the lane

and in the dell were gone. He was perplexed as to

how the lights could have been blown out in the

short time it took him to leave the room and walk to

the porch.

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Bell wandered across the property to the slave

quarters, where he found everyone but Dean fast

asleep. “Dean, why are you still awake when all the

others are sleeping? You and the others worked very

hard today, for which I am grateful; but you need

your rest.” Noticing that Dean’s body was trembling,

Bell continued, “You look like you’ve just seen a

ghost! Is there anything wrong?” “I think I have,

Mister Bell!” Dean replied. “I was getting ready to

crawl under the covers when I saw all those light

things in front of your house and in the dell. I

thought it was you and your family walking around

with candles, but when I went to take a closer look

they disappeared right in front of me!”

“That wasn’t us, Dean,” replied John Bell; “have

you or any of the other servants seen things that you

weren’t really sure what was?” “Yes, Mister Bell. We

have seen some frightening things around here

lately. My mother says it is probably that old “witch”

that Philis has been hearing some of you talk about

at dinner,” Dean remarked. “We don’t know what it

is, Dean; but tell the other servants not to say

anything about what they’ve witnessed or heard my

family discuss. It’s very important that we keep this

a secret,” Bell said. “Yes sir, I will,” Dean replied.

John Bell walked back to the house and rejoined

the conversation in the family room. After discussing

John Jr. and Drewry’s upcoming flatboat trip for

several minutes, a loud, whispering sound filled the

room. Much louder than it had been up until this

point, the Spirit seemed to be trying hard to say

something important. “What do you want? Is there

something you are trying to tell us?” asked John

Bell. The whispering became louder but remained

unintelligible.

A cold, strong draft was felt, followed by several

pieces of furniture being tossed about the room as

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49

though the Spirit had become very angry. John Bell

fell to the floor as his chair was kicked out from

under him while Lucy and Drewry sat watching in a

state of total fear. John Jr.’s reaction was much

different, however. Springing from his chair, he

exclaimed, “You are nothing but a demon that was

cast out from the depths of hell, here to humiliate

our family and torture father and Elizabeth. If you

are so strong and mighty, then leave father and

Elizabeth out of it altogether and torture me, instead.

I am not a coward, but you are. I know exactly what

you are, and you know that I will never be afraid of

you!”

The strong draft and loud whispers stopped when

John Jr. finished speaking, and he and Drewry put

the furniture back in place.

Elizabeth’s Bed Catches on Fire

Before they could resume the conversation, loud

screams were heard coming from Elizabeth’s room.

John Jr. and Drewry quickly rushed up the stairs

where they found Elizabeth crying and trembling

with fear. She screamed loudly, “It was on fire! Fire!

I saw it with my own two eyes when I walked in! I

know what I saw…it was completely engulfed

flames!”

“Sister, what did you see burning?” Drewry asked.

“It was my bed, Drewry, and it just burned and

burned…never changing form or color. It was like

my bed was protected in some way, but flames were

rising from all around it and the top of it. When I

screamed, I looked back and the flames were gone,”

exclaimed Elizabeth. “So I see you’re still afraid to

pick on someone your own size!” John Jr. screamed

at the top of his lungs.

From the walls of Elizabeth’s room came a faint,

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understandable voice that the Bells had not heard

before, which uttered, “Oh come now, John. If you

really know Spirits like you told those witch doctors

down in New Orleans last year, then you should

know the emotional pain you suffer when you see

your father and sister hurt is much, much greater

than any physical pain I could ever inflict on you.

And John, that type of pain is the worst of all — It

penetrates your mind and erodes away your very

soul.”

“I do not believe you! You epitomize all things evil

and are nothing more than a demon; even lower in

character than other demons, which is why you were

cast out of hell. Go back there and never come

back!” John Jr. shouted. As was usually the case,

his words silenced the Spirit. The silence was short-

lived this time, however.

A Voice is Heard

Over time, the Spirit’s voice gained strength and

articulation, developing characteristics that differed

according to its emotional state at any given time.

When angry or excited, the Spirit spoke in a high-

pitched tone that often brought ringing or blood to

peoples’ ears. When content, the Spirit spoke in a

low-pitched tone, similar to the sound of low-pitched

musical notes. Despite the fact that the Spirit

displayed intelligence and could now speak, the

Bells’ futile attempts to determine its origin, identity

and purpose continued.

John Bell’s Mysterious Illness

Also during this time, John Bell found it

increasingly difficult to swallow, and often

complained about what he said felt like a stick

lodged sideways in his mouth, pushing outward

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51

against his cheeks and making it hard for him to

control his tongue and jaw motions. Dr. Hopson

tried administering several medications to Bell, all to

no avail — a mysterious, untreatable affliction had

set in.

It was said that John Bell occasionally declined

neighbors’ invitations to dinner because he feared he

would have an episode with his tongue and disrupt

the meal. On one occasion, he traveled to nearby

Cedar Hill to discuss a business matter with

Magistrate James Byrns and several other men.

Dinner was almost ready by the time they finished

their discussion, and Byrns asked the men to stay

for dinner. All took him up on the offer except Bell,

who remained quiet and stared at the floor before

excusing himself and leaving. Bell went back to see

Byrns the next morning, explaining the problems

with his tongue and jaw and apologizing for his

abrupt exit the evening before.

More than a year having elapsed since John Bell’s

fateful day in the cornfield, the disturbances still

gained in force and frequency with each day that

passed, taking a devastating toll on John Bell and

his family.

While Lucy Bell had not had any unpleasant

encounters with the Spirit, the emotional strain she

endured day-in and day-out eventually took its toll

on her in the form of frequent minor illnesses.

Elizabeth Bell had reached the point where she

suffered prolonged spells of unconsciousness and

fatigue after being beaten by the “Spirit.” Elizabeth

was seldom able to see Joshua Gardner because of

the bruises, scratches and welts that frequently

covered her face and arms. Had anyone outside the

family seen her like this, it would have raised the

question of “who and why,” which was something the

Bells had vowed not to discuss outside the family.

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CHAPTER FIVE

The Bells Share the Secret

J OHN BELL’S AFFLICTION WORSENED. Only

a short time after he was stricken, he became

unable to eat without almost choking, and

the nervous pressure that started in his jaw affected

his entire head. After giving the matter much

thought, Bell decided that the time had come to

share the “family secret” with his closest friend and

neighbor, James Johnston.

John Bell visited James Johnston early one

morning and told him about the Spirit and why he

had felt it best to keep it a secret as long as possible.