Bell Witch: Difference between revisions
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[[John Bell (farmer)|John Bell Sr.]] was a farmer who lived with his family in Adams, Tennessee. According to folklore, the family was attacked by a witch in 1817. |
[[John Bell (farmer)|John Bell Sr.]] was a farmer who lived with his family in Adams, Tennessee. According to folklore, the family was attacked by a witch in 1817. |
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The 1894 book ''An Authenticated'' was intrigued by the story, but frightened away after traveling to investigate.<ref>{{cite book|last=McCormick|first=James|title=Ghosts of the Bluegrass|year=2009|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|pages=94|author2=Macy Wyatt}}</ref> Some stories relate that the family was haunted by scratching noises outside their door after Bell found a half-dog, half-rabbit creature. Other tales end with Bell being poisoned by the witch.<ref>http://www.bellwitch.org/biographies/johnbell.htm#ftn2</ref> Accounts vary about the witch or witch-like being, with .<ref>{{cite book|last=Hudson|first=Arthur Palmer|title=The Bell Witch of Tennessee and Mississippi: A folk legend|date=January–March 1934|publisher=The Journal of American Forklore|pages=45–63|author2=Pete Kyle McCarter}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Bell Witch: An American Haunting|last=Monahan|first=Brent|publisher=St. Martin's Griffin|year=2000|isbn=|location=|pages=|via=}}</ref> it as a very abusive daughter and her dad as the main victim for her violence. |
The 1894 book ''An Authenticated'' was intrigued by the story, but frightened away after traveling to investigate.<ref>{{cite book|last=McCormick|first=James|title=Ghosts of the Bluegrass|year=2009|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|pages=94|author2=Macy Wyatt}}</ref> Some stories relate that the family was haunted by scratching noises outside their door after Bell found a half-dog, half-rabbit creature. Other tales end with Bell being poisoned by the witch.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bellwitch.org/biographies/johnbell.htm#ftn2 |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2013-07-15 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130704095636/http://www.bellwitch.org:80/biographies/johnbell.htm |archivedate=2013-07-04 |df= }}</ref> Accounts vary about the witch or witch-like being, with .<ref>{{cite book|last=Hudson|first=Arthur Palmer|title=The Bell Witch of Tennessee and Mississippi: A folk legend|date=January–March 1934|publisher=The Journal of American Forklore|pages=45–63|author2=Pete Kyle McCarter}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Bell Witch: An American Haunting|last=Monahan|first=Brent|publisher=St. Martin's Griffin|year=2000|isbn=|location=|pages=|via=}}</ref> it as a very abusive daughter and her dad as the main victim for her violence. |
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==Goodspeed's ''History of Tennessee''== |
==Goodspeed's ''History of Tennessee''== |
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{{Commons category|Bell Witch}} |
{{Commons category|Bell Witch}} |
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* [http://monstertalk.skeptic.com/the-bell-witch-of-tennessee/ [[MonsterTalk]] episode on The Bell Witch] |
* [http://monstertalk.skeptic.com/the-bell-witch-of-tennessee/ [[MonsterTalk]] episode on The Bell Witch] |
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* [http://www.bellwitch.org/ The Bell Witch] by researcher Pat Fitzhugh. |
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041217031633/http://www.bellwitch.org:80/ The Bell Witch] by researcher Pat Fitzhugh. |
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* [http://www.bellwitchcave.com/ The Historic Bell Witch Cave] |
* [http://www.bellwitchcave.com/ The Historic Bell Witch Cave] |
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* [http://www.prairieghosts.com/b-cave.html Prairie Ghosts - The Bell Witch] |
* [http://www.prairieghosts.com/b-cave.html Prairie Ghosts - The Bell Witch] |
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Revision as of 08:20, 30 October 2016
The Bell Witch or Bell Witch Haunting is a 19th century poltergeist legend from Southern folklore, centered around the Bell family of Adams, Tennessee.
John Bell Sr. was a farmer who lived with his family in Adams, Tennessee. According to folklore, the family was attacked by a witch in 1817.
The 1894 book An Authenticated was intrigued by the story, but frightened away after traveling to investigate.[1] Some stories relate that the family was haunted by scratching noises outside their door after Bell found a half-dog, half-rabbit creature. Other tales end with Bell being poisoned by the witch.[2] Accounts vary about the witch or witch-like being, with .[3][4] it as a very abusive daughter and her dad as the main victim for her violence.
Goodspeed's History of Tennessee
The only known account of the haunting prior to Ingram's publication is dated as 1886, almost 70 years after the events. This single paragraph is in the Goodspeed Brothers book History of Tennessee and does not mention Andrew Jackson or Bell Senior's death.
A remarkable occurrence, which attracted wide-spread interest, was connected with the John Bell family, who settled near what is now Adams Station about 1804. So great was the excitement that people came from hundreds of miles around to witness manifestations of what was popularly known as the "Bell Witch." This witch was supposed to be some sort of spiritual being having a.[5]
Paranormal investigator Benjamin Radford, as well as Brian Dunning, conclude that there is no evidence that Andrew Jackson ever visited the Bell family home. Jackson's movements during the years in question are well documented, and nowhere in history or his writings is there evidence of knowledge of the Bell family. According to Dunning, "The 1824 Presidential election was notoriously malicious, and it seems hard to believe that his opponent would have overlooked the opportunity to drag him through the mud for having lost a fight to a witch."[6][7]
Martin Van Buren Ingram
The above accounts of the legend are drawn from two sources. The Goodspeed article is a source, but newspaper publisher Martin Van Buren Ingram provided most of the material. Seventy-five years after the Bell Witch events, he wrote An Authenticated History of the Bell Witch. Ingram states that his book is based on the diary of Richard Bell, who was a son of John Bell, Sr. The events happened when Richard Bell was 6–10 years old, but he didn't write his diary until he was 30. According to Brian Dunning no one has ever seen this diary, and there is no evidence it ever existed: Every person with first-hand knowledge of the Bell Witch hauntings was conveniently dead when Ingram Saturday Evening Post published a story in 1849 accusing the Bells' daughter Elizabeth of creating the witch. That article does not exist either.[6]
Evaluation
According to Radford, the Bell Witch story is important for paranormal researchers because "It shows how easily legend and myth can be mistaken for fact and real events, and how easily the lines are blurred" when sources aren't checked.[7] Dunning wrote that there was no need to discuss supposed paranormal activity until there was evidence that the story was true. "Vague stories indicate that there was a witch in the area. All significant facts of this story have been falsified, and the others come from a source of dubious credibility. Since no reliable documentation of any actual events exists, there is nothing worth looking into."[6]
Dunning concludes."[8]
Bell Witch today
There have been several movies based, at least in part, on the Bell Witch legend, including The Blair Witch Project in 1999, Bell Witch Haunting in 2004, An American Haunting in 2005, Bell Witch: The Movie in 2007, and The Bell Witch Haunting in 2013.
The Danish metal band Mercyful Fate has a song titled "The Bell Witch" on their 1993 album In the Shadows.[9]
Seattle-based doom metal band Bell Witch took its name from this legend.
The American television series Ghost Adventures filmed an episode at the Bell Witch Cave.[10]
There is a new series - "Cursed: The Bell Witch" - based on the latest members of the Bell family and their attempt to end the curse. It aired October 2015 on the A&E Network.
Tennessee author William Gay wrote a novel, published posthumously in 2015, entitled Little Sister Death, about the Bell Witch.
See also
Notes
- ^ McCormick, James; Macy Wyatt (2009). Ghosts of the Bluegrass. University Press of Kentucky. p. 94.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-07-04. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Hudson, Arthur Palmer; Pete Kyle McCarter (January–March 1934). The Bell Witch of Tennessee and Mississippi: A folk legend. The Journal of American Forklore. pp. 45–63.
- ^ Monahan, Brent (2000). The Bell Witch: An American Haunting. St. Martin's Griffin.
- ^ Godspeed Brothers (1886). History of Tennessee. Godspeed Publishing Co.
- ^ a b c Dunning, Brian. "Demystifying the Bell Witch". Skeptoid. Retrieved 2012-10-28.
- ^ a b Radford, Benjamin (January–February 2012). "The Bell Witch Mystery". Skeptical Inquirer Magazine. 36 (1): 32–33.
- ^ Nickell, Joe. "The 'Bell Witch' Poltergeist". Skeptical Inquirer. Center for Inquiry. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
- ^ "Mercyful Fate - In the Shadows". Encyclopaedia Metallum.
- ^ http://www.travelchannel.com/shows/ghost-adventures/episodes/bell-witch-cave
External links
- MonsterTalk episode on The Bell Witch
- The Bell Witch by researcher Pat Fitzhugh.
- The Historic Bell Witch Cave
- Prairie Ghosts - The Bell Witch