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.
John wanted to keep the sinister happenings secret, but soon confided in his friend, James Johnson. James stayed the evening at the Bell home, and was awoken in the night by the strange phenomenon. The next morning, he told John it was a “spirit, just like in the Bible.”
James put together an investigative committee, who then discovered that the force in the home was intelligent. It identified itself as the “witch” of Kate Batts. Kate Batts was a neighbor of John Bell’s, with whom he had had some bad business dealings.
The witch, or “Kate” as she became known, visited the Bell family home daily, wreaking havoc on everyone there. John Bell’s secret didn’t remain secret for long though, as Kate began to make appearances, in sound and voice, all over the county.
Kate was often kind to John’s wife, Lucy, giving her fresh fruit and singing hymns. She had no love for John Bell though, calling him “Old Jack,” she claimed she intended to kill him, spouting curses, threats and afflictions at him.
When John Bell fell ill, Kate claimed responsibility. She would poke and prod him in bed, refusing to allow him rest. One day he went to bed and could not recover. His breath smelled of a strange black liquid found in a bottle nearby. Wondering what it could be, a drop of the liquid was placed on the tongue of a cat, and the cat dropped dead. John Bell died shortly after, and the witch, Kate, screamed in triumph.
At his funeral, the witch laughed, cursed, and sang, letting everyone know how pleased she was at his passing.
Kate hated John Bell so much, that everyone thought she would leave when he died, but she decided to stick around . She threatened Betsy, telling her not to marry the man she loved, Joshua Gardner. When Betsy breaks off her engagement to Mr. Gardner, the witch begins to leave her alone. Once Betsy marries the local schoolteacher, Richard Powell, Kate left the family, but promised to return in seven years.
Seven years later, the witch returned and tormented the family for two solid weeks. She left again, but it’s not certain how far or for how long.
Be sure to check out the movie, An American Haunting
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