The Bell Witch: The Full Account by Pat Fitzhugh Page B

fear, John
    Bell interrupted Reverend Fort’s prayer with a prayer
    of his own. “Why, dear God? Why is this happening
    to our family? What have we done to deserve this?
    What? We have always tried to live according to your
    word! My family and I cannot continue living this life
    of pain, delusion, and torment. If it means I must
    go, then so be it; I would give my own life in but a
    minute if it meant the well being of Lucy and the
    children. Please, dear God, have deliver us from this
    evil and sinister force before it’s too late; please, I beg
    of you!”
    Immediately after Bell’s prayer, a strong draft blew
    through the room and put out the candles as the
    voice of a small child was heard saying, “We will see
    you in hell, and that’s where you will rot, Ol’ Jack
    Bell.” The candles then mysteriously started burning
    again all by themselves and the child’s voice faded
    into the fierce and howling January wind that swept
    around the outside the house.
    Sounds that resembled whips popping were then
    heard and John Bell fell to the floor screaming.
    When Reverend Fort and Bell’s sons tried to help
    him, they found his face and arms covered with
    reddish, purple marks from where he had been
    struck by a seemingly invisible whip. “A whip just
    slapped both sides of my face and both my arms! I
    have never felt such pain, and I pray that it never
    happens again to Elizabeth, me, or anyone else,” Bell
    cried loudly. Reverend James Gunn was in the area
    later that evening and stopped to pay the Bells a
    visit.
    The Spirit Quotes Two Sermons
    Reverend Gunn, Reverend Fort, John Jr., and

    THE BELL WITCH: THE FULL ACCOUNT
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    Lucy Bell went to the family room after dinner for
    some conversation and prayer. After they had
    conversed for some time, they the Spirit spoke up
    and asking Reverend Gunn about several points he
    had made in a recent sermon.
    Reverend Gunn angrily responded, “And just how
    do you know what I preached about that morning?”
    “I was present and I heard you,” replied the Spirit.
    “That is impossible! You were not there, and there’s
    no way you could know what my sermon was about!”
    Gunn exclaimed. The Spirit proceeded to quote
    Reverend Gunn’s entire sermon and closing prayer
    using his own voice, word for word.
    Amazed by the Spirit’s rendition of Reverend
    Gunn’s sermon, Lucy Bell remarked that Reverend
    Fort had the advantage because having attended
    Reverend Gunn’s sermon, there was no way the
    Spirit could have known anything about Reverend
    Fort’s sermon. “Oh, Yes I do!” exclaimed the Spirit; “I
    was there and heard him.” Assimilating the voice
    and character of Reverend Fort, the Spirit quoted his
    sermon and closing prayer, word for word.
    The most astonishing aspect of this demonstration
    was that at precisely eleven o’clock in the morning,
    Reverend Gunn preached at Bethel Methodist
    Church, six miles southeast of the Bell home, and
    Reverend Fort preached at Drake’s Pond Baptist
    Church, seven miles northwest of the Bell home.
    Both ministers confirmed that the Spirit had quoted
    their sermons correctly.
    The Spirit Tells About a Wedding
    The group began discussing a similar incident that
    had taken place a few weeks prior, when Reverend
    Thomas Gunn took ill and was unable to marry a
    couple he had promised to. In a letter to Martin

    92 P A T
    F I T Z H U G H
    Ingram, Mr. Henry Pickering, son of Major Garaldus
    Pickering, j relayed his father’s account of this
    remarkable incident:

    “While the family and guests were at supper, the
    subject of a wedding that was to take place at that
    hour came up. Father stated the names of the
    contracting parties, which I have forgotten, but
    remember the circumstance very distinctly, as it
    impressed me at the time.
    However, some one remarked that the hour for
    the marriage had about passed, and the parties
    were no doubt then man and wife. Another
    remarked that Reverend Thomas Gunn performed
    the