Katharina Buczek
Sleep With One Eye Open
Then, at one point, the Bell Witch began to torment the children in their own bedrooms. The spirit first began by ripping the sheets off of their beds. Afterward, she escalated to scratching them and pulling their hair during the night.
And the Bell Witch always targeted Betsy the most. The daughter had to endure pinching, slapping and was sometimes even stuck with pins. Betsy would even wake up with large red hand prints and welts covering her body.
But, the spirit claimed she would not stop terrorizing the Bell family until Betsy broke up with her boyfriend, Joshua Gardner, and until John himself was dead.
John eventually confided in a friend, James Johnston, about the bizarre experiences occurring within the four walls of his home. James was intrigued by the tales and reportedly even stayed at the Bell farm for a few nights. And after James’ stay, the haunting of the Bell Witch was confirmed to be true.
News Of The Bell Witch Spreads
There are a few theories regarding who exactly the Bell Witch was. One states that the Bell family built their farm upon a Native American burial ground and disturbed a spirit.
Another points to a conversation the Bell family allegedly had with the spirit. Apparently, when they asked the spirit her name, she said she was the witch of Kate Batts– a peculiar old neighbor.
The spirit’s identity never being confirmed did not matter, though– because once the community learned of the Bell family’s curse, news of the witch began to spread like wildfire.
Soon, the Bell family farm began attracting people from throughout the southern U.S. who wanted to experience the Bell Witch and all of her antics for themselves.
And one of the people who supposedly made the trek to Tennessee was even future United States President Andrew Jackson.
