Late summer, 1817, in Adams, Tennessee. Farmer John Bell was out tending his fields. He saw what appeared to be a dog with the head of a rabbit among his crops, so he shoots at it. The animal disappeared, leaving him wondering whether he hit it or not.

At about the same time as the animal disappeared, something moved into his family home where John lived with his wife, Lucy, and their six children, Betsy, Richard, John Jr., Drewry, Benjamin, and Jesse. There were scratching sounds, rapping against the walls and doors. Then blankets were pulled from beds while they were being slept in. Before long, John Bell’s family was being kicked, scratched, and having their hair pulled.

John’s daughter, Betsy, found herself the primary target. She was slapped, pinched, bruised and her hair mangled. Once, she even vomited pins and needles. Her family, thinking if she weren’t in the home, she would stop being tormented. Unfortunately, the disturbances followed her wherever she went.