One day in 1817, John Bell was inspecting his corn field when he encountered a strange-looking animal sitting in the middle of a corn row. Shocked by the appearance of this animal, which had the body of a dog and the head of a rabbit, Bell shot several times. The animal vanished. Bell thought nothing more about the incident, at least not until after dinner. That evening, the Bells began hearing "beating" sounds on the outside walls of their log house.
The mysterious sounds continued with increased frequency and force each night. Bell and his sons often hurried outside to catch the culprit but always returned empty-handed. In the weeks that followed, the Bell children began waking up frightened, complaining that rats were gnawing at their bedposts. Not long after that, the children began complaining of having having their bed covers pulled from them and their pillows tossed onto the floor by a seemingly invisible entity.
As time went on, the Bells began hearing faint, whispering voices, which too weak to understand but sounded like a feeble old woman singing hymns. The encounters escalated, and the Bells’ youngest daughter, Betsy, began experiencing brutal encounters with the invisible entity. It would pull her hair and slap her relentlessly, often leaving welts and hand prints on her face and body. The disturbances, which John Bell told his family to keep a secret, eventually escalated to such a point that he decided to share his "family trouble" with his closest friend and neighbor, James Johnston.
Johnston and his wife spent the night at the Bell home, where they were subjected to the same terrifying disturbances that the Bells had experienced. After having his bedcovers removed and being slapped repeatedly, Johnston sprang out of bed, exclaiming, "In the name of the Lord, who are you and what do you want!" There was no response, but the remainder of the night was relatively peaceful.
The entity's voice strengthened over time to the point that it was loud and unmistakable. It sang hymns, quoted scripture, carried on intelligent conversation, and once even quoted, word-for-word, two sermons that were preached at the same time on the same day, thirteen miles apart. Word of this supernatural phenomenon soon spread outside the settlement, even to Nashville, where then-Major General Andrew Jackson took a keen interest.
John Bell, Jr., Drewry Bell, and Jesse Bell, John Bell's eldest sons, had fought under General Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans. In 1819, Jackson decided to visit the Bell farm and see what all the hoopla was about. Jackson's entourage consisted of several men, some well-groomed horses, and a wagon. As they approached the Bell property, the wagon stopped suddenly. The horses couldn't pull it.
After several minutes of cursing and trying to coax the horses into pulling the wagon, Jackson proclaimed, "By the eternal, boys! That must be the Bell Witch!" Then, a disembodied female voice told Jackson that they could proceed and that she would see them again later that evening. They were then able to proceed across the property, up the lane, and to the Bell home where Jackson and John Bell had a long discussion about the Indians and other topics while Jackson’s entourage waited to see if the entity was going to manifest.
One of the men claimed to be a "witch tamer." After several uneventful hours, he pulled out a shiny pistol and proclaimed that its silver bullet would kill any evil spirit that it came into contact with. He went on to say that the reason nothing had happened to them was because whatever had been disturbing the Bells was "scared" of his silver bullet.
Immediately, the man screamed and began jerking his body in different directions, complaining that he was being stuck with pins and beaten severely. A strong, swift kick to the man's posterior region, from an invisible foot, sent him out the front door. Angry, the entity them spoke up and announced that there was yet another "fraud" in Jackson’s party, and that he would be identified and tormented the following evening.
Now terrified, Jackson’s men begged to leave the Bell farm. But Jackson, on the other hand, insisted on staying so that he could ascertain who the other "fraud" was. The men eventually went outside to sleep in their tents, but continued begging Jackson to leave. What happened next is not clear, but Jackson and his entourage were spotted in nearby Springfield early the next morning, presumably enroute to Nashville.
Over time, Betsy Bell became interested in Joshua Gardner, a young man who lived not far from her. With the blessing of their parents, they decided to marry. Everyone was happy about their engagement. Well, almost everyone. The entity, for reasons unknown to this day, repeatedly told Betsy not to marry Joshua Gardner.
Betsy and Joshua could not go to the river, the field, or the cave to play without the entity taunting them persistently. Their patience finally reached critical mass, and on Easter Monday of 1821, Betsy met Joshua at the river and broke off their engagement. The disturbances decreased after Betsy ended the engagement, but the entity continued to express its dislike for John Bell and vowed relentlessly to kill him.
Bell had been experiencing episodes of twitching in his face and difficulty swallowing for almost a year, and the malady seemed to grow worse with time. By the fall of 1820, his declining health had confined him to the house, where the entity commenced removing his shoes when he tried to walk and slapping his face when he experienced seizures. Her loud, shrill voice could be heard all over the farm, cursing and chastising "Old Jack Bell," as she often referred to him.
John Bell breathed his last breath on the morning of December 20, 1820, after slipping into a coma the day before. Immediately after his death, the family found a small vial of unidentified liquid in the cupboard. John Bell, Jr. gave some of it to the cat, which died instantly. The entity then spoke up, exclaiming joyfully, "I gave Ol' Jack a big dose of that last night, which fixed him!" John, Jr. quickly threw the vial into the fireplace, where it burst into a bright, bluish flame and shot up the chimney.
John Bell's funeral was one of the largest ever held in Robertson County, Tennessee. As family and friends began leaving the graveyard, the entity laughed loudly and began singing a song about a bottle of brandy. It is said that her singing didn't stop until the very last person left the graveyard. The entity's presence was almost nonexistent after John Bell's demise, as if its purpose had been fulfilled.
In April of 1821, the entity visited John Bell's widow, Lucy, and told her that it would return for a visit in seven years. The entity returned in 1828, as promised. Most of its visit centered around John Bell, Jr., with whom the entity discussed such things as the origin of life, civilizations, Christianity, and the need for a mass spiritual reawakening. Of particular significance were its nearly accurate predictions of the Civil War and other events.
The entity that tormented the Bell family and the Red River Settlement almost 200 years ago is often blamed for unexplainable manifestations that occur near the old Bell farm today. The faint sounds of people talking and children playing can sometimes be heard in the area, and it's not uncommon to see "candle lights" dance through the dark fields late at night. Photography is especially difficult; some pictures taken in the area show mist, orbs of light, and other phenomena, including human-like figures who were not present when the pictures were taken.
The cause of the Bells’ torment almost 200 years ago, as well as today's horrid, unexplainable manifestations, remains a mystery. Numerous theories abound, but there is no one theory that is universally agreed upon by Bell Witch enthusiasts and researchers -- and there probably never will be. Different people have different standards of proof. Most do agree that there was "something" very wrong at the Red River Settlement in the early 1800s, and that there may very well be "something" wrong there today.
Oh and one more thing. The family that I just told you about. I'm actually related to that family and it is said that some generations might be haunted by her. So who knows, maybe I could be next.
1. When you hear music and you start marking time.
2. When you walk behind someone and you're in step with them.
3. When you try to guess the tempo of your favorite song.
4. When all your friends are in the band.
5. When you don't mind changing clothes on the bus.
6. When you point out key changes and dynamics while listening to the radio.
7. When every guy/girl you're interested in is in the band.
8. When you like wearing your uniform.
9. When people ask you about your social life and you say, "Oh, you mean my flute/trumpet/drum/etc.?"
10. When you consider your drill book a fashion accessory.
11. When you've had a "trombone-ectomy"
12. When you practice your instrument more than you talk to your dog.
13. When being mauled by a drum is a normal part of life.
14. When people worry when they see you without you instrument.
15. When "armed guard," means a girl with a pole instead of a guy with a gun.
16. When band camp is FUN
17. When you respond to "band fag"
18. When someone says the word "box" and you automatically put your head up.
19. When you remember flats and sharps more easily than your name.
20. When you dress the lunch line, and urge others to do the same.
21. When you're alone and you suffocate because there's no one telling you to breathe.
22. When slides feel normal.
23. When your instrument has a name.
24. When you remember your instrument's birthday and forget your mom's.
25. When making a line is you biggest accomplishment of the day.
26. When back marching no longer reminds you of ballet.
27. When you give your instrument a birthday party.
28. When you can make brown shoes look white.
29. When your uniform fits.
30. When white feathers become a fashion "do".
31. When you see your section more than you see your family.
32. When everyone wants to kill the other football team...and you want to kill the other band.
33. When you have dreams about selling Woody's Wings.
34. When you think evening practices should last a half-hour longer.
35. When you accidentally call your band director "Dad".
36. When you CAN sight-read.
37. When you can put on you uniform in less than 10 minutes.
38. When reeds taste good.
39. When Woody's Wings are part of you daily diet.
40. When you think your plume is alive.
41. When marking time is your favorite form of exercise.
42. When you have a neck strap/harness/dot book tan line.
43. When you subconsciously start practicing with a pencil.
44. When numbers past 8 aren't important.
45. When you're more opinionated about the Madison scouts/Phantom Regiment Rivalry than the O.J. trial.
46. When you roll-step through the cafeteria so you don't spill your lunch.
47. When you'd rather practice than read this list.
48. When letters past G aren't important.
49. When you CAN AND ARE WILLING to fall asleep on the band bus.
50. When you hear music and start conducting.
51. When your non-band friends have disowned you.
52. You've named your plume.
53. You attend a game only to watch the halftime show and then leave once it's over.
54. Your social life includes memorizing music.
55. You've practiced so long the color gaurd is together.
56. You memorize stand tunes for fun.
57. You know your school fight song by heart.
58. You root for the other football team to lessen the time of your season.
59. You don't mind singing on the bus so long as it's the show music.
60. You step on the field again after summer vacation, kiss the ground and yell "I'm home at last!"
61. You can sing not only your show from three years ago, but the other band's show that beat you.
62. You invest in a mouthpiece warmer.
63. Wide open spaces urge you to march your show.
64. You have at least 2 insturments - a junky one for marching and a good one for concert band.
65. Dreams of marching are constantly in your head.
66. Seeing the sun rise and sun set standing in the same spot on the same field doesn't seem odd.
67. You come back after graduation to watch the band on their first day of summer band.
68. You practice the show so much people think you have eyes in the back of your head.
69. You purposely get demerits/fail so you can have extra marching time.
70. You wear your marching shoes to school.
71. The most exciting thing in your life is marching band.
72. It feels odd to wake up in the morning when there is light outside.
73. You start to call the "football field" the "marching field".
74. You call to ask for marching advice from people who graduated years ago.
75. Your senior year you buy your own uniform, hat, and plume as a momento.
76. You no longer think of yourself as a person, but as a dot on a drill book page.
77. You remmeber each year of high school by the show that you marched in and not the grade.
78. You sit in ready position...at the dinner table.
79. You march in the summer to keep up good marching skills.
80. You have good marching skills.
81. You "Plume Kiss"
82. Your homecoming mum says "Go Band!" not "Go Team!"
83. You miss homecoming for a band function and don't mind.
84. Everyone fights like family.
85. Your band locker has more of your personal items in it than your closet.
86. You forget your sister's name but remember the first, middle, and last name of everyone in your +200 member band.
87. You see your section more than your family.
88. You know everyone in band's business.
89. You have no secrets.
90. Your pets enjoy hearing you play.
91. You can tell who's in the bathroom by looking at their sneakers under the stall.
92. The furniture is dented from your drummer friends banging on it.
93. You can still play your horn for 40 minutes straight after being awake on a bus for 40 hours.
94. You add "English Royal Gaurd" to your job choices after you graduate high school.
95. Changing your oil means opening up your case.
96. You think of sabatoging instruments at the solo & ensemble festival.
97. You can have an interesting conversation with a tuba player or a drummer.
98. You go trick or treating in you band uniform and can think of something your uniform could be (Royal Gaurd Uniform, Police Man Uniform, ect..)
99. You can tell someone's band jacket just by looking at the patches.
And finally the 100th way to tell if you've been in band too long...
100. You actually read through this whole list because it was funny and you got most of the jokes
