| For several years, her ghost pinched,
| |
| | there it was again, that greenish glow.
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| slapped, scolded and otherwise tormented
| |
| | After we left the cave, we headed to the
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| a prominent Tennessee family in one of
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| | old Bell farm. I knew that it was going
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| America's best-known poltergeist cases.
| |
| | to be difficult to look around or to find
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| The Legend
| |
| | anything there because the farm is now
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| Adams, Tennessee, in 1817, was the site
| |
| | closed to the public and is owned by a
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| of one of the most well-known hauntings
| |
| | private trust corporation.
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| in American history. The haunting was so
| |
| | The first thing we did was stash the car,
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| well known that it eventually caught the
| |
| | grab our equipment and hike about a mile
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| attention and then the involvement of a
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| | and a half to where the old Bell House
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| future president of the United States.
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| | once stood. It was about 5:45 p.m. when
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| Word of the haunting soon reached
| |
| | we arrived at the Bell property. My
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| Nashville. With a party of friends
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| | photographer and I waited until it got
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| including Sam Houston, one of Nashvilles
| |
| | dark and then began to set up our
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| most famous citizens, General Andrew
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| | equipment. We placed motion detectors
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| Jackson decided to leave his plantation
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| | around a two acre perimeter and then set
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| The Hermitage, and travel by horse and
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| | digital sound recorders (DATS) in several
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| carriage to Adams in order to investigate
| |
| | of the trees. We didnt want to attract
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| the accusations of a demonic entity
| |
| | any unwanted attention to ourselves so we
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| terrorizing his good friend, John Bell
| |
| | were unable to use the lights on our
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| and his family. The General, who had
| |
| | cameras. The DATS were also motion
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| earned his tough reputation as an Indian
| |
| | sensitive. At about 2:45 a.m. all of the
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| fighter in many conflicts with Native
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| | digital recorders simultaneously
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| Americans, was determined to confront the
| |
| | activated and began recording. However,
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| phenomenon and either expose it as a hoax
| |
| | none of the visual motion detectors were
|
| or send the spirit away. Little did he
| |
| | ever activated nor could we pick up any
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| know that the force would be too strong
| |
| | sound on the directional microphone.
|
| even for Old Hickory himself. Known as
| |
| | Something was definitely being recorded;
|
| The Bell Witch, the strange and often
| |
| | we just were not sure what.
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| violent poltergeist activity which
| |
| | By now, after the green glow incident and
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| provoked fear and curiosity in the small
| |
| | motion detectors going off like crazy, my
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| farming community has remained
| |
| | photographer began getting a little
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| unexplained for nearly 200 years, and is
| |
| | jumpy. I have to admit, I was starting to
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| the inspiration for many fictional ghost
| |
| | feel a little nervous myself. We then
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| stories, including the recent film, The
| |
| | split up and walked the perimeter
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| Blair Witch Project.
| |
| | checking for EMF readings and manually
|
| However, the facts of The Bell Witch case
| |
| | tripping the outer perimeters motion
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| share little in common with the mythology
| |
| | detectors to make sure that they were in
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| that was created for The Blair Witch,
| |
| | working condition. All of the motion
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| except for the fact they both attracted a
| |
| | sensors were working and there were no
|
| great deal of public interest. What makes
| |
| | unusual EMF readings, so we grabbed our
|
| The Bell witch more frightening is that,
| |
| | stuff and called it a night. Back at the
|
| unlike The Blair Witch, the Bell Witch
| |
| | hotel, we once again checked all of the
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| was real. One of the earliest accounts of
| |
| | equipment; again we determined that
|
| The Bell Witch haunting was written in
| |
| | everything was in perfect working
|
| 1886 by historian Albert Virgil
| |
| | condition. We then replayed the recording
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| Goodpasture in his History of Tennessee.
| |
| | of what we believed would be nothing more
|
| He wrote, in part: "A remarkable
| |
| | than white noise. To our astonishment we
|
| occurrence, which attracted wide-spread
| |
| | heard a clear and distinct sound of what
|
| interest, was connected with the family
| |
| | appeared to be a baby nursing from its
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| of John Bell, who settled near what is
| |
| | mother. This went on for more then 20
|
| now Adams Station sometime around 1804.
| |
| | minutes.
|
| So great was the excitement that people
| |
| | The following day I consulted Brad
|
| regularly came from hundreds of miles
| |
| | Steiger, Author of Real Ghosts, Restless
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| around to witness the manifestations of
| |
| | Spirits, and Haunted Places. Steiger
|
| what was popularly known as the "Bell
| |
| | stated that the Bell family as well as
|
| Witch." This witch was supposed to be
| |
| | other people throughout the history of
|
| some spiritual being having the voice and
| |
| | the occurrences were confronted by a
|
| attributes of a woman. It was invisible
| |
| | sucking noise that seemed to fill the
|
| to the eye, yet it would hold
| |
| | entire house. These people heard what
|
| conversation and even shake hands with
| |
| | sounded like the sucking noise of a baby
|
| certain individuals."
| |
| | being nursed, and lips smacking together.
|
| A Closer Look
| |
| | Several investigators of ghost phenomena
|
| In October 2003, I flew from Orlando
| |
| | have noted the peculiar sounds of psychic
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| International airport to Nashville
| |
| | nursing. Some researchers have noted that
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| International. I then drove about 100
| |
| | these haunting noises often signal the
|
| miles Northwest to the small community of
| |
| | beginning of a particularly violent
|
| Adams, Tennessee located in Robertson
| |
| | episode of disturbances. Sacheverell
|
| County. After arriving in Adams it did
| |
| | Sitwell wrote in his book, Poltergeists
|
| not take long for me to grasp how deeply
| |
| | that such a being might be an embryonic
|
| ingrained the legend of the Bell Witch is
| |
| | phantasm that comes into existence on the
|
| in this small rural town. There were
| |
| | borderlands, upon one frontier or the
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| signs and plaques everywhere with
| |
| | other, of human life. It is all things
|
| historical information about the key
| |
| | unholy, unhallowed, and not human."
|
| players in the Bell Witch legend. The
| |
| | Talk of the Town
|
| first place that I wanted to visit was a
| |
| | After a little more research, we headed
|
| local tourist attraction, The Bell Witch
| |
| | into town and spoke to several local
|
| Cave. I stopped for gas and while there,
| |
| | residents. People come here all the time
|
| I had a chance to strike up a
| |
| | looking for the Bell Witch. Mostly though
|
| conversation with the young man working
| |
| | all they find are t-shirts and ghost
|
| at the station. Why you wanna go there
| |
| | stories, said Erin Thompson.
|
| for? Aint nothing to see, they dont let
| |
| | "When I was sixteen years old, me and my
|
| tourist get anywhere near the old Bell
| |
| | girlfriend were walking though the old
|
| farm anymore, said Beason Lane.
| |
| | Batts cemetery. It used to be a popular
|
| The Bell Witch Cave can be found by
| |
| | place for the teenagers to sneak off to.
|
| turning right after the small Amoco
| |
| | On one particular night when my
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| station and taking Eden Road until you
| |
| | girlfriend and me snuck off to the old
|
| see the sign for the cave. Admission to
| |
| | cemetery, we had been there about a half
|
| the cave is only $7 per person and in my
| |
| | an hour and all of a sudden there was a
|
| opinion it is well worth the cost.
| |
| | strange smell in the air, like
|
| Once my photographer and I arrived at the
| |
| | honeysuckles. The next thing we knew it
|
| cave, he began taking a few pictures.
| |
| | felt like a cat had jumped from a tree
|
| While he was taking the pictures, I
| |
| | and landed plum on the center of our
|
| noticed a group of young school children
| |
| | faces, dug in and took off. We jumped up
|
| hanging around the ticket office. One of
| |
| | and started to run, we never saw a cat,
|
| the little girls asked me What are you
| |
| | but we both had fresh scratches on our
|
| taking pictures for, Lady? I told her
| |
| | faces and my girlfriends clothes smelled
|
| that I was a reporter and that I was
| |
| | like honeysuckles, said Carl Langford.
|
| looking for the Bell Witch. She laughed
| |
| | After speaking with Mr. Langford and
|
| and replied, Everyone knows all you gotta
| |
| | still feeling a little ambitious I went
|
| do is go in your bathroom at night, turn
| |
| | to check out a few more key locations
|
| off the lights and face the mirror and
| |
| | that had stories of involvement with the
|
| say, I do not believe in the Bell Witch
| |
| | Bell Witch legend. We checked out the
|
| thirteen times and then she will appear.
| |
| | Batts family cemetery land and the sight
|
| But, I dont know why you wanta to do that
| |
| | of Betsy Bells grave. However, there was
|
| though, everyone knows that you dont
| |
| | nothing unusual in either location.
|
| wanta go around poking fun at old Kate
| |
| | Things to Come?
|
| Batts, nice Lady."
| |
| | For now, it seems that the Bell Witch
|
| Kate Batts was an old angry unfriendly
| |
| | legend still holds more secrets then
|
| neighbor of John Bell who believed that
| |
| | answers. However, throughout the Bell
|
| she had been cheated and treated unfairly
| |
| | Witch haunting, in between her torment
|
| by Bell in a land purchase. On her
| |
| | and childish pranks it seems that she has
|
| deathbed, she swore that she would haunt
| |
| | also provided a window into the future on
|
| John Bell and his descendents until she
| |
| | more than one occasion. Bell descendent,
|
| was satisfied for the wrong that had been
| |
| | Dr. Charles Bailey Bell noted that the
|
| done to her.
| |
| | precognitive powers of the witch in a
|
| Once in the cave, it pretty much seems
| |
| | series of "wonderful things" and
|
| like any other cave. The first thing that
| |
| | prophecies that the entity revealed to
|
| I noticed was an unusual rock formation
| |
| | his grandfather, John Bell, Jr. According
|
| on the cave wall. When you look at the
| |
| | to Dr. Bell, the witch predicted the
|
| formation, you notice that it looks a lot
| |
| | Civil War, the emancipation of the
|
| like a silhouette of a Halloween witch.
| |
| | slaves, the acceleration of the United
|
| The further we proceeded down the passage
| |
| | States as a world power, the two world
|
| way of the cave, I noticed that the
| |
| | wars (the date for World War II was off
|
| temperature seemed to be getting cooler,
| |
| | by only 4 years), and the destruction of
|
| and however, I was certain that this was
| |
| | our civilization by "rapidly expanding
|
| a result of moving deeper into the belly
| |
| | heat followed by a mighty explosion." The
|
| of the cave. But, I decided to take a
| |
| | final prediction the witch provided the
|
| reading with an EMF meter. EMF meters are
| |
| | world as we know it will end; the witch
|
| used to determine if objects in a giving
| |
| | provided no date for this occurrence.
|
| area are producing higher than normal
| |
| | Recently, after the train station
|
| magnetic fields. I was unable to detect
| |
| | bombings in Madrid Spain on March 11,
|
| any abnormality in the EMF readings. I
| |
| | 2004, a van that was used by the
|
| also used a laser directed thermometer to
| |
| | terrorist who orchestrated the bombings
|
| check for any unusual temperature
| |
| | was discovered and inside the van was a
|
| fluctuations. Again, nothing.
| |
| | copy of the quran and a video tape with a
|
| As we continued down the passage way, my
| |
| | person of Middle Eastern descent saying
|
| photographer began to take random
| |
| | that their plans for jihad were 90%
|
| photographs on a digital camera. Toward
| |
| | complete and the black wind of death
|
| the end of the corridor, one of the other
| |
| | would soon be released upon America and
|
| guests on the tour noticed over my
| |
| | its allies.
|
| photographers shoulder that there seemed
| |
| | The Bell Witch legend is again becoming
|
| to be a strange green glow on the
| |
| | Americas most popular ghost story. The
|
| photograph but when we looked to the end
| |
| | Bell Witch movie was just released in
|
| of the corridor there was nothing there.
| |
| | July, 2005 and you can check out trailers
|
| So he began to take a few more pictures
| |
| | and historical information on the Bell
|
| in the area and on every picture he took,
| |
| | Witch movie website.
|
