Page 49 - Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Vol. 3

Ghosts and Phantoms 29

witch’s laughter could be heard ringing victo- 1935 without hearing the slightest unexplained
riously from every room in the house. scratch or undetermined rapping. Charles Bell
Shortly after the entity had accomplished has written the official record of the mysterious
the severing of Betsy’s marriage agreement disturbances endured by his ancestors in The Bell
with her fiancé, it once more began to concen- Witch: A Mysterious Spirit, or Our Family Troubles
trate its energy on the destruction of John Bell. (reprint of pamphlet, 1985).
Richard was walking with his father on that Today, the abandoned homestead of the
day in December of 1820 when John Bell col- Bell family is owned by a private trust, and no
lapsed into a spasmodically convulsing heap. visitors are allowed to explore the property.
John Bell was brought home to his bed The only site connected with the legends of
where he lay for several days in a weakened the Bell Witch and open to the public is the
condition. Even during the man’s illness, the Bell Witch Cave, which continues to produce
witch would not leave him in peace, but con- accounts of unusual lights and eerie images on
tinued to torment him by slapping his face photographs.
and throwing his legs into the air. On the
M Delving Deeper
morning of December 19, 1820, John Bell
Bell, Charles, and Harriet P. Miller. Mysterious Spirit:
lapsed into a stupor from which he would
The Bell Witch of Tennessee. Forest Knolls, Calif.:
never be aroused. The witch sang bawdy songs
Elders Publishing, 1985.
all during John Bell’s funeral and annoyed the
Carrington, Hereward, and Nandor Fodor. Haunted
assembled mourners with sounds of its crude
People. New York: New American Library, 1968.
celebration throughout the man’s last rites.
Fodor, Nandor. The Haunted Mind. New York: New
After the death of her father, the witch American Library, 1968.
behaved much better toward Betsy. It never
Hays, Tony. “The Bell Witch Project.” World Net
again inflicted pain upon her and actually
Daily, June 14, 2001. [Online] http://www.
addressed her in terms of endearment. During
worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_
the rest of the winter and on into the spring
ID=2312.
months, the manifestations decreased steadily.
Norman, Michael, and Beth Scott. Historic Haunted
Then, one night after the evening meal, a
America. New York: Tor, 1996.
large smoke ball seemed to roll down from the
Stevens, William Oliver. Unbidden Guests. New York:
chimney of the fireplace out into the room. As
Dodd, Mead & Co., 1957.
it burst, a voice told the family: “I’m going
now, and I will be gone for seven years.”
True to its word, the witch returned to the Borley Rectory
homestead in 1828. Betsy had entered into a The haunting phenomena usually began each
successful marriage with another man; John Jr. night in Borley Rectory shortly after Reverend
had married and now farmed land of his own. and Mrs. Smith had retired for the evening.
Only Mrs. Bell, Joel, and Richard remained on They would be lying in bed, and they would
the home place. The disturbances primarily hear the sound of heavy footsteps walking past
consisted of the witch’s most elementary their door. Reverend G. E. Smith soon took to
pranks—rappings, scratchings, pulling the cov- crouching in the darkness outside of their room
ers off the bed—and the family agreed to with a hockey stick gripped firmly in his hands.
ignore the unwanted guest. Their plan worked, Several nights he lunged at “something” that
and the witch left them after two weeks of pes- passed their door—always without result.
tering them for attention. The entity sought Bells began to ring at all hours and became
out John Jr. and told him in a fit of pique that an intolerable nuisance. Hoarse, inaudible
it would return to one of his descendants in whispers sounded over their heads. Small peb-
“one hundred years and seven.” bles appeared from nowhere to pelt them. A
Dr. Charles Bailey Bell should have been the woman’s voice began to moan from the center
recipient of the Bell Witch’s unwelcome return of an arch leading to the chapel. Keys popped
visit, but Bell and his family survived the year from their locks and were found several feet

The Gale Enc y clopedia of the Unusu al and Unexplained