The Bell Witch is believed by some to be the spirit of Kate Batts, an old neighbor of John Bell who believed she was cheated by him in a land purchase. She swore on her deathbed to get even and after she died, the haunting began. Modern researchers have found, however, that Mrs. Batts actually outlived Mr. Bell. It was true, however, that the spirit once referred to itself as "Kate Batts' witch."
The "witch" reportedly manifested herself as an invisible presence at first, gnawing on the bedposts, scratching at the walls, and jerking the blankets off of sleeping family members. Later, those in the house heard horrid noises, like that of someone strangling or choking, lips smacking, and loud gulping. Eventually the spirit began trying to speak, first whispering faintly, then later gaining power, enabling this entity to speak directly to anyone in the room. Often she would converse, sing, shriek, curse, and physically interact with the Bell family and other witnesses – most times with a high degree of physical violence. 'Kate', as everyone eventually called her, did not hesitate to slap, pinch, or claw those whom she considered deserving of her wrath. Once, during the haunting, an entire 'family' of spirits, who called themselves a 'witch family', appeared to arrive and began speaking with those in the house. These spirits called themselves 'Black Dog, Jerusalem, Mathmatics, and Cypocraphy.' Later, these spirits left, and only Kate remained to torment those in the house. It is notable to see that in our recorded history, this is one of few poltergeist cases where the entity could actually speak. The spirit also seemed to have a divine knowledge of things, such as being able to quote any scripture in the Bible flawlessly, predict the future, sing any hymn or song requested of it, or see events unfolding great distances away, accurately reporting the events later. Guests at the Bell farm were often horrified when the spirit would attack them verbally and divulge the most secret events of their lives to onlookers.
She tormented the family, especially John and his youngest daughter Betsy, while being indifferent to others and even especially fond of Mrs. Bell. She often referred to Mrs. Bell as 'Luce', and often said to others in the house, "Luce is a good woman." Later during the haunting, when Mrs. Bell became gravely ill with pleurisy, the spirit even deigned to stop the more terrifying antics so that Mrs. Bell could rest more easily. She would offer to sing hymns to her, or any song Mrs. Bell requested in the hopes of making her feel better. Once, when the afflicted woman was especially ill and others feared for her life, she stopped eating completely. The spirit pleaded with her to eat something, and when she wouldn't, the spirit offered to get her some walnuts from the nearby forest, in hopes of tempting her to eat. Minutes later, those in the room witnessed Kate return, and heard her ask Mrs. Bell to hold out her hands. When she did, they reported a shower of walnuts fell into her outstretched palms. When she did not eat them right away, the spirit asked her, " Say, Luce…why don't you eat the nuts? " To this Mrs. Bell responded, " I have no way to crack them, Kate." Seconds after this, witnesses reported hearing cracking sounds, and saw the shells crumbling beneath some unseen force. Later, Mrs. Bell recovered from her illness, and Kate soon went back to her normal antics.
The Bell Witch is said to have stopped Betsy from marrying a neighbor boy named Joshua Gardner, but for reasons unknown, allowed her to marry her schoolteacher Richard Powell. This leads some to claim that perhaps the haunting events were a hoax perpetrated by Powell. However, it was not explained in theory how Powell could have managed to slap, pinch and claw people without being noticed. Nor were theories forthcoming for other miraculous events that fascinated those who witnessed them, such as the moving of objects, predicting the future, divulging secrets, and the eventual poisoning of John Bell.
The death of John Bell, on December 20, 1820, is claimed to have been caused by the Bell Witch. She is said to have declared that she replaced his medicine with poison and gave him a dose of it as he slept. When this 'medicine' was tested on a house cat, the animal went into convulsions and died. "I've got Old Jack this time!", she laughed to the others, "He'll never get up from that bed again!" At his funeral, the witch is said to have sung loudly and joyously.
The witch departed soon afterwards, promising to return in seven years, which she did. The next time that she left, she promised to return in 107 years, in 1935. The year came and went without an incident though. Some believe that the Bell Witch still resides in Adams, Tennessee. There are also claims that the Bell Witch still haunts the area on the property once owned by the Bells. On that land is a cave, which has since become known as the Bell Witch Cave. Guided tours are available to the public at certain times of the year.
The Bell Witch is believed by some to be the spirit of Kate Batts, an old neighbor of John Bell who believed she was cheated by him in a land purchase. She swore on her deathbed to get even and after she died, the haunting began. Modern researchers have found, however, that Mrs. Batts actually outlived Mr. Bell. It was true, however, that the spirit once referred to itself as "Kate Batts' witch."
The "witch" reportedly manifested herself as an invisible presence at first, gnawing on the bedposts, scratching at the walls, and jerking the blankets off of sleeping family members. Later, those in the house heard horrid noises, like that of someone strangling or choking, lips smacking, and loud gulping. Eventually the spirit began trying to speak, first whispering faintly, then later gaining power, enabling this entity to speak directly to anyone in the room. Often she would converse, sing, shriek, curse, and physically interact with the Bell family and other witnesses – most times with a high degree of physical violence. 'Kate', as everyone eventually called her, did not hesitate to slap, pinch, or claw those whom she considered deserving of her wrath. Once, during the haunting, an entire 'family' of spirits, who called themselves a 'witch family', appeared to arrive and began speaking with those in the house. These spirits called themselves 'Black Dog, Jerusalem, Mathmatics, and Cypocraphy.' Later, these spirits left, and only Kate remained to torment those in the house. It is notable to see that in our recorded history, this is one of few poltergeist cases where the entity could actually speak. The spirit also seemed to have a divine knowledge of things, such as being able to quote any scripture in the Bible flawlessly, predict the future, sing any hymn or song requested of it, or see events unfolding great distances away, accurately reporting the events later. Guests at the Bell farm were often horrified when the spirit would attack them verbally and divulge the most secret events of their lives to onlookers.
She tormented the family, especially John and his youngest daughter Betsy, while being indifferent to others and even especially fond of Mrs. Bell. She often referred to Mrs. Bell as 'Luce', and often said to others in the house, "Luce is a good woman." Later during the haunting, when Mrs. Bell became gravely ill with pleurisy, the spirit even deigned to stop the more terrifying antics so that Mrs. Bell could rest more easily. She would offer to sing hymns to her, or any song Mrs. Bell requested in the hopes of making her feel better. Once, when the afflicted woman was especially ill and others feared for her life, she stopped eating completely. The spirit pleaded with her to eat something, and when she wouldn't, the spirit offered to get her some walnuts from the nearby forest, in hopes of tempting her to eat. Minutes later, those in the room witnessed Kate return, and heard her ask Mrs. Bell to hold out her hands. When she did, they reported a shower of walnuts fell into her outstretched palms. When she did not eat them right away, the spirit asked her, " Say, Luce…why don't you eat the nuts? " To this Mrs. Bell responded, " I have no way to crack them, Kate." Seconds after this, witnesses reported hearing cracking sounds, and saw the shells crumbling beneath some unseen force. Later, Mrs. Bell recovered from her illness, and Kate soon went back to her normal antics.
The Bell Witch is said to have stopped Betsy from marrying a neighbor boy named Joshua Gardner, but for reasons unknown, allowed her to marry her schoolteacher Richard Powell. This leads some to claim that perhaps the haunting events were a hoax perpetrated by Powell. However, it was not explained in theory how Powell could have managed to slap, pinch and claw people without being noticed. Nor were theories forthcoming for other miraculous events that fascinated those who witnessed them, such as the moving of objects, predicting the future, divulging secrets, and the eventual poisoning of John Bell.
The death of John Bell, on December 20, 1820, is claimed to have been caused by the Bell Witch. She is said to have declared that she replaced his medicine with poison and gave him a dose of it as he slept. When this 'medicine' was tested on a house cat, the animal went into convulsions and died. "I've got Old Jack this time!", she laughed to the others, "He'll never get up from that bed again!" At his funeral, the witch is said to have sung loudly and joyously.
The witch departed soon afterwards, promising to return in seven years, which she did. The next time that she left, she promised to return in 107 years, in 1935. The year came and went without an incident though. Some believe that the Bell Witch still resides in Adams, Tennessee. There are also claims that the Bell Witch still haunts the area on the property once owned by the Bells. On that land is a cave, which has since become known as the Bell Witch Cave. Guided tours are available to the public at certain times of the year.
http://www.bellwitch.org/
You can read all about it at this web site below. I only read a few lines and OMG she's horrific.