The Bell Witch: The Full Account (9 page)

The covers flew off the bed and he was left holding

small pieces of ripped fabric in his hands.

As is the case with anyone who has a temper

problem, Miles’ temper was his worst enemy. The

Spirit took great pleasure in taunting him as he ran

around the room with his arms extended in hopes of

catching it, exclaiming repeatedly, “You ol’ fiend from

hell, just stay still long enough fer me to git my arms

around ya, an I’ll crush the life out of ya!”

15 Dr. Charles Bailey Bell,
The Bell Witch: A Mysterious Spirit
, 1934.

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F I T Z H U G H

In response to Miles’ frequent outbursts, the Spirit

would strike him all over his body. When he turned

in one direction, the Spirit would kick him in his

posterior region; then, when he quickly turned

around to “catch” the Spirit, it slapped his face and

began laughing — just before telling him he had

better leave the house before he gets knocked

unconscious. Frank Miles never succeeded in

catching the Spirit; and if anything, only made

matters worse for both Elizabeth and him when he

mouthed off.

After arriving at the Bell home one evening, Miles

called out to Elizabeth, “Come, sit by me, lil’ sis; I’ve

come to give ya’ a good rest; nuthin’ will bother ya’

while I’m here.” The Spirit’s loud and angry voice

was then heard all over the house, “You go home;

you can do no good here!” Instantly, the Spirit

grabbed Elizabeth’s hair and pulled her to the floor,

pinching her cheeks until they bled.

In a fiery rage, Miles jumped up and began pacing

the room as he cursed the Spirit and demanding that

it assume a shape so he could “choke the life” out of

it. The Spirit fired back screaming, “You have no

business here; leave Betsy alone and mind your own

affairs before I put you away for good.” “You’re the

biggest wuss ever; to visit this earth and torture a

child little not much more than just a baby!” Miles

yelled. “She is not a baby, Frank; she is a young

woman,” the Spirit responded. Miles then shouted,

“Why don’t ya mess with me, ya ol’ fiend from hell,”

to which the Spirit promptly replied, “well at least I

still have my teeth, and that’s a whole lot more than I

can say for you, Ol’ Frank Miles. You are already

acquainted with the least I can do to you. And even

you, as you sit there as dumb as a sack of turnips,

should recognize that it’s in your best interest to

leave here now!”

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61

It
took little time for Miles to realize that the

angrier he became, the worse the Spirit would treat

Elizabeth. Although he continued regularly visiting

the Bells, the Spirit seemed much calmer once Miles

learned to bite his tongue.

Later in life, Elizabeth Bell spoke of the kindness

and concern that Frank Miles’ showed during her

times of need. “Frank was always tender and good to

me and to all the family. He was never forgotten by

any of us; and as long as there are Bells in the world,

I hope they will never forget the man who I know

meant what he said when he offered to fight a fiend

of hell for the Bell family, even though he might die

on the spot.” 16

16 Dr. Charles Bailey Bell,
The Bell Witch: A Mysterious Spirit
, 1934.

62 P A T

F I T Z H U G H

CHAPTER SIX

Visitors from Near and Far

T HE BELLS began receiving a steady stream of

visitors both day and night as word of the

Spirit traveled beyond the Red River

community. There were horses tied to every

fencepost along the lane leading to the
Bell home,

and the Bells rarely had fewer than four overnight

guests at any given time.

Skepticism

It was suggested by some that the Bells were

staging the hauntings in an attempt to make money;

however, the Bells never charged visitors a cent and

always offered them food and lodging if they stayed

long enough. The economic conditions in the Red

River area at the time, coupled with John Bell’s

documented financial condition, make this notion

highly unlikely. f

Another popular opinion among skeptics was that

while in New Orleans during the War of 1812 and on

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63

later flatboat trips, John Jr. and Drewry learned

ventriloquism and the mystical arts, and then

transferred their knowledge to Elizabeth and a select

few neighbors. A Dr. William Fort traveled all the

way from Missouri to the Bell farm in an attempt to

prove this theory.

Dr. Fort sat in the front room with the family one

evening when the Spirit began its nightly routine of

gabbing, singing hymns, and physically abusing

people. He placed his hands over the mouths of

Elizabeth and several of the other Bell children as

the Spirit spoke. Not once did the Spirit stop

speaking or change its voice in any way. Fort

concluded that the Spirit’s demonstrations were not

the product of ventriloquism and left early the next

morning without further comment.

The Spirit treated visitors differently depending on

their character and intentions. People of good

character were treated with respect, whereas those of

questionable character were quickly exposed and

ridiculed, often leaving quickly. The thing that

seemed to frighten visitors most was the Spirit’s

propensity to divulge their deepest and darkest

secrets, which usually embarrassed them.

On one such occasion, four visitors who had

traveled a great distance arrived late one night at the

Bell home and were greeted by John Bell. As they

began introducing themselves, the Spirit called one

of them by name and proclaimed, “He is the grand

rascal who stole his wife. He pulled her out of her

father’s house through a window, and hurt her arm,

making her cry; then he whispered to her, ‘hush

honey don’t cry, it will soon get well.’’’

As the four dumbfounded men quickly proceeded

to the door, one asked, “Is what we just heard true?”

The man who had been accused replied, “Yes, every

single word of it.”

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F I T Z H U G H

Peddlers and Quacks

The most unwelcome visitors to the Bell farm were

peddlers, skeptics, and those who claimed the ability

to rid the place of the Spirit. Visitors who had the

misfortune of belonging to one of these groups

quickly fell victim to the Spirit’s pranks and ridicule,

and in some cases, even physical abuse.

Peddlers, such as the Shakers, were met by the

dogs and turned away as soon as they were seen

coming down the lane, often having to hold their

wide-brim hats on because their horses ran away so

quickly. Those who claimed to possess supernatural

powers or psychic abilities were referred to as “witch

doctors” by the Bells and others in the community. g

The Spirit took great pleasure in ridiculing, abusing,

and exposing these “frauds” as it liked to call them.

Skeptics were forced to endure ear-piercing noises,

the mimicked screams and voices of their families,

and color visions that caused significant mental

disorientation. The minds of skeptics who visited the

Bell farm succumbed to a temporary form of

psychosis until enough courage could be mustered to

step outside the door and leave.

The Englishman

One afternoon, an Englishman visiting relatives in

nearby Kentucky came to visit the Bells and see what

all the talk of “a Spirit” was about. Sitting in the

family room, he told John Bell, “I have heard of such

Spirits before in my home country and have done

extensive research on their origin and purpose. I

assure you that there is a rational explanation for

what is going on in your home, Mr. Bell. There is

always a rational explanation for such things, and I

intend to seek out and share with you the

explanation for what has been happening here. With

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65

your permission, Mr. Bell, I wish to stay here for the

next three nights until I have to begin my journey

back to England. That should give me more than

ample time to determine what is really happening

here.”

“You are more than welcome to stay here and look

around the farm all you want to, even if it takes more

than three nights,” Bell replied. “Thank you, Mr.

Bell. That is most generous of you, and I appreciate

your hospitality,” replied the Englishman. “I am

missing my parents dearly and they must be missing

me too; so I think I will be on my way after three

nights.”

Suddenly, the disembodied voices of a male and

female with British accents were heard. “Oh, Phillip,

I am missing Charles more and more each day; I do

hope we hear from him soon.” “So do I, my dear

Anne. It takes a long time for a letter to travel across

the world, but I am sure we will hear from him soon.”

Now very pale and trembling from head to toe, the

Englishman turned to John Bell and exclaimed,

“Those were the voices of my parents! How can that

be! They are on the other side of the world, and

nobody in this household knows their voices. Did

you hear that, Mr. Bell?”

“Indeed I did,” Bell replied with a mischievous grin

on his face; “Well Charles, I shall leave you alone

now. It seems you have your work cut out for you

and I need to check on Lucy and the children. If you

need me, don’t hesitate to let me know.” Charles

wiped the perspiration from his forehead and

continued sitting in the family room, not falling

asleep until almost 5 o’clock in the morning when he

was awakened by his mother’s screaming voice some

three thousand miles away.

“Charles, my God! I don’t know what has

happened to you or if I am losing my mind, but I just

66 P A T

F I T Z H U G H

distinctly heard you say ‘Those were the voices of my

parents! How can that be? They are on the other

side of the world, and nobody in this household

knows their voices. Did you hear that, Mr. Bell?’ I

don’t know where you are now, or if there is a Mister

Bell, but I am very worried about you; your father is

concerned that I am beginning to lose my mind! I do

know what I just heard. For God’s sake, Charles,

come home quickly and tell me I am not losing my

mind!”

Upon hearing this, Charles quickly proceeded to

change into some new clothes, which were now a

necessity, and leave the Bell farm before anyone

knew what happened. The Bells received a letter

from him some two months later, stating that his

mother had indeed heard his voice and that the

conversation he heard repeated at the Bell home did

actually take place. He went on to concede that

there was not, nor would there ever be, a rational

explanation of the goings-on at the Bell farm. He

also went to great lengths to apologize for acting so

arrogantly during his visit.

Mr. Williams

While some visitors left the Bell farm at the first

inkling of trouble, others stayed and tried to either

determine the Spirit’s identity or prove the

disturbances to be a hoax. Detectives traveled great

distances to investigate the disturbances, often with

hopes of furthering their careers by exposing some

type of hoax” and the masterminds behind it.

One such detective was a Mr. Williams, who had

gained great notoriety as a detective in the northern

part of the United States. Upon his arrival at the

Bell home, Williams shook hands with John Bell and

proclaimed, “I am a professional detective and have

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67

heard much about the mysterious disturbances that

are taking place here. I do not believe in

supernatural things, and I am an expert in detecting

jugglery, ventriloquism, and the like. Having had

extensive experience in solving mysteries, I would

like to stay here and investigate the matter, with

your permission of course.” Bell replied, “Then you

are just the man we have been needing here for some

time. Make my house your home, and make free

with everything here as your own as long as you

think it proper to stay.” Williams unpacked his

belongings and ate a hearty dinner that evening.

As was usually the case after dinner, several

visitors from around the community visited the Bells

to pray, sing hymns, and witness the Spirit’s

demonstrations. Everyone sat in the family room for

hours listening to Mr. Williams describe his various

encounters in the detective business, where at many

points he insisted that he would quickly expose the

disturbances at the Bell farm. The Spirit did not

appear in any form that night or the next night. All