Tales of the Bell Witch of Tennessee are so well documented that it is difficult to believe the stories are not true. Richard Williams Bell, the youngest child of John and Lucy Bell, wrote about the happenings on the Bell farm. He was a young child at the time the hauntings began, but clearly remembered the details. Richard was born on the farm in 1811, he died in 1857. When an adult, he wrote the entire story in his diary, which was published in 1894 by M. V. Ingram, after every member of Richard's immediate family, including himself, had passed on.
In his diary, Richard covers the period of 1817 through 1828. It is interesting to note that Richard establishes right up front the credibility and moral character of his parents. Here then are Richard's beginning entries in his diary:
Our Family Trouble
The Story of the Bell Witch as Detailed by Richard Williams Bell
The Bell Farm, an artist's etching
of the Bell home, originally
published in 1894.
After settling on Red River in Robertson County, Tenn., my father prospered beyond his own expectations. He was a good manager, and hard worker himself, making a regular hand on the farm. He indulged no idleness around him, and brought up his children to work, endeavoring to make their employment pleasurable. Mother was equally frugal and careful in her domestic affairs, and was greatly devoted to the proper moral training of children, keeping a restless watch over every one, making sacrifices for their pleasure and well being, and both were steadfast in their religious faith, being members of the Baptist church, and set Christian examples before their children.
Father was always forehanded, paid as he went, was never in his life served with a warrant or any legal process, and never had occasion to fear the sheriff or any officer of the law, and was equally faithful in bearing his share of whatever burden was necessary to advance morality and good society. In the meanwhile he gave all of his children the best education the schools of the country could afford, Zadok being educated for a lawyer, while the other boys chose to follow agriculture. Jesse and Esther had both married, settled, and everything seemed to be going smoothly, when our trouble commenced.
I was a boy when the incidents, which I am about to record, known as the Bell Witch took place. In fact, strange appearances and uncommon sounds had been seen and heard by different members of the family at times, some year or two before I knew anything about it, because they indicated nothing of a serious character, gave no one any concern, and would have passed unnoticed but for after developments. Even the knocking on the door, and the outer walls of the house, had been going on for some time before I knew of it, generally being asleep, and father, believing that it was some mischievous person trying to frighten the family, never discussed the matter in the presence of the younger children, hoping to catch the prankster.
Then, after the demonstrations became known to all of us, father enjoined secrecy upon every member of the family, and it was kept a profound secret until it became intolerable. Therefore no notes were made of these demonstrations or the exact dates. The importance of a diary at that time did not occur to any one, for we were all subjected to the most intense and painful excitement from day to day, and week to week, to the end, not knowing from whence came the disturber, the object of the visitation, what would follow next, how long it would continue, nor the probable result.
Therefore I write from memory, such things as came under my own observations, impressing my mind, and incidents known by other members of the family and near neighbors to have taken place, and are absolutely true. However, I do not pretend to record the half that did take place, for that would be impossible without daily notes, but will note a sufficient number of incidents to give the reader a general idea of the phenomena and the afflictions endured by our family.
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Come my heart and let us try
For a little season
Every burden to lay by
Come and let us reason.
What is this that casts you down?
Who are those that grieve you?
Speak and let the worst be known,
Speaking may relieve you.
Christ by faith I sometimes see
And He doth relieve me,
But my fears return again,
These are they that grieve me.
Troubled like the restless Sea,
Feeble, faint and fearful,
Plagued with every sore disease,
How can I be cheerful?
This is the song supposedly sung by Kate the witch, who apparently had a sweet, lovely voice and sung like no other.
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Richard's entire account of the hauntings can be read in the 1894 chronicle, Authenticated History of the Famous Bell Witch, by Martin Van Buren Ingram.
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