church
minutes:
“Brother Bell was found guilty of the first charge
but gave satisfaction for the second charge & the
specifications. The question was taken whether
Bell's acknowledgements for the 1st charge were
satisfactory? Answer, No. Whereupon the vote
was taken, and he the said John Bell was
excommunicated from our fellowship.” 25
Many believed, and still believe, that the real
reason behind Bell’s excommunication from Red
River Baptist Church was that the Spirit visited and
tormented his family.
John Bell lived at a time in history when there was
much superstition regarding the unexplained, the
Spiritual world, and witchcraft. The widespread
theological turmoil already inherent to the era, when
25 Red River Baptist Church Minutes (1791-1826) , p. 191.
86 P A T
F I T Z H U G H
coupled with these superstitions, led many to believe
that people, places, and events of a mystical nature
were manifestations of God’s dissatisfaction with the
world, and that the devil was robbing Christian souls
in exchange for the satisfaction of seeing the demise
of Christianity.
It should come as no surprise that someone like
John Bell, known to have an evil Spirit living around
his home, would be excommunicated from any
church in the land at the time. As a side note,
Benjamin Batts himself was excommunicated from
Red River Baptist Church in March of 1825. 26
John Bell’s most prestigious honor, that of being
an elder of Red River Baptist Church, had been
taken away from him. Even a minor reprimand by
the church would have been considered an
embarrassment, but the idea of an elder being barred
from the church was unthinkable.
As Bell’s feelings of embarrassment and depression
were evident in his every word and action, his family
did everything they could to raise his Spirits. Bell
kept to himself for most of the remaining year, only
speaking to visitors and the slaves when he felt he
had to. It was a time for him to think about how he
was going to get his spiritual life back together and
regain the respect he lost. Bell’s demeanor showed
signs of improvement toward the end of the year, and
in January of 1819 he made it a point to participate
in Elizabeth’s thirteenth birthday party and socialize
with her friends and their parents.
The Spirit Attends Elizabeth’s Party
People from all over the community brought lots of
food and gifts to the party. The parents socialized
26 Red River Baptist Church Minutes (1791-1826) , p. 241.
THE BELL WITCH: THE FULL ACCOUNT
87
inside while the children played games outside in the
snow that had fallen the night before. Sitting near
the house was a slide used in the late summer to
haul heavy loads of tobacco from the fields to the
barn. The slide had runners on the bottom and
made for an excellent sleigh during the winter, so the
children decided to take a ride around the farm.
As soon as the children had gotten situated on the
slide, the Spirit yelled, “Hold tight when we get to the
corner!” The slide immediately took off without the
horses attached, circling the house several times
before returning and stopping where the ride first
began.
All of the children were scared, but in amazement
nonetheless. After another ride, this time with the
horses attached to the sleigh, they went inside to
quench their appetites and tell of the amazing ride
around the house on a sleigh pulled by an “invisible
horse.”
As they sat down and prepared to eat, the Spirit
spoke up and announced, “I have something for you!
Look behind you!” Curious, the children turned
around and found lots of wild fruits and berries,
most of which had never been seen in Robertson
County. As they began peeling fruit, the Spirit
remarked, “Those came from the West Indies. I
brought them myself. Now eat and be merry!”
This was one of the few times that the Spirit
treated Elizabeth nicely, which came as a very
pleasant and welcome
minutes:
“Brother Bell was found guilty of the first charge
but gave satisfaction for the second charge & the
specifications. The question was taken whether
Bell's acknowledgements for the 1st charge were
satisfactory? Answer, No. Whereupon the vote
was taken, and he the said John Bell was
excommunicated from our fellowship.” 25
Many believed, and still believe, that the real
reason behind Bell’s excommunication from Red
River Baptist Church was that the Spirit visited and
tormented his family.
John Bell lived at a time in history when there was
much superstition regarding the unexplained, the
Spiritual world, and witchcraft. The widespread
theological turmoil already inherent to the era, when
25 Red River Baptist Church Minutes (1791-1826) , p. 191.
86 P A T
F I T Z H U G H
coupled with these superstitions, led many to believe
that people, places, and events of a mystical nature
were manifestations of God’s dissatisfaction with the
world, and that the devil was robbing Christian souls
in exchange for the satisfaction of seeing the demise
of Christianity.
It should come as no surprise that someone like
John Bell, known to have an evil Spirit living around
his home, would be excommunicated from any
church in the land at the time. As a side note,
Benjamin Batts himself was excommunicated from
Red River Baptist Church in March of 1825. 26
John Bell’s most prestigious honor, that of being
an elder of Red River Baptist Church, had been
taken away from him. Even a minor reprimand by
the church would have been considered an
embarrassment, but the idea of an elder being barred
from the church was unthinkable.
As Bell’s feelings of embarrassment and depression
were evident in his every word and action, his family
did everything they could to raise his Spirits. Bell
kept to himself for most of the remaining year, only
speaking to visitors and the slaves when he felt he
had to. It was a time for him to think about how he
was going to get his spiritual life back together and
regain the respect he lost. Bell’s demeanor showed
signs of improvement toward the end of the year, and
in January of 1819 he made it a point to participate
in Elizabeth’s thirteenth birthday party and socialize
with her friends and their parents.
The Spirit Attends Elizabeth’s Party
People from all over the community brought lots of
food and gifts to the party. The parents socialized
26 Red River Baptist Church Minutes (1791-1826) , p. 241.
THE BELL WITCH: THE FULL ACCOUNT
87
inside while the children played games outside in the
snow that had fallen the night before. Sitting near
the house was a slide used in the late summer to
haul heavy loads of tobacco from the fields to the
barn. The slide had runners on the bottom and
made for an excellent sleigh during the winter, so the
children decided to take a ride around the farm.
As soon as the children had gotten situated on the
slide, the Spirit yelled, “Hold tight when we get to the
corner!” The slide immediately took off without the
horses attached, circling the house several times
before returning and stopping where the ride first
began.
All of the children were scared, but in amazement
nonetheless. After another ride, this time with the
horses attached to the sleigh, they went inside to
quench their appetites and tell of the amazing ride
around the house on a sleigh pulled by an “invisible
horse.”
As they sat down and prepared to eat, the Spirit
spoke up and announced, “I have something for you!
Look behind you!” Curious, the children turned
around and found lots of wild fruits and berries,
most of which had never been seen in Robertson
County. As they began peeling fruit, the Spirit
remarked, “Those came from the West Indies. I
brought them myself. Now eat and be merry!”
This was one of the few times that the Spirit
treated Elizabeth nicely, which came as a very
pleasant and welcome
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