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