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Authors: Pat Fitzhugh
Tags: Armand Press
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frightening
demonstrations.
Calvin Johnston Shakes an Invisible Hand
While both brothers were devout Christians and
upstanding citizens of the community, the Spirit
openly expressed its distrust of John Johnston
because it seemed that he was always trying to trick
or outsmart the Spirit with leading questions and
conversation.
John Johnston was said to have been the
shrewder of the two brothers, and the “Sprit” pointed
out on several occasions that his motives were never
of an earnest nature and were only a ploy to
investigate and expose as much as he could. Calvin
Johnston, on the other hand, was of a much different
character than his brother. He was very plain and
straightforward about his intentions and never asked
the Spirit leading or “trick” questions.
One evening while visiting the Bells, Calvin
Johnston asked, “What do you use to slap the
children? The sounds are loud and high-pitched,
and the children say the slaps feel like stings.” The
Spirit replied, “Why my hand, what else?” After
much discussion and pleading from Johnston, the
Spirit agreed to shake hands with him provided he
agreed not to squeeze or hold its hand. Johnston
THE BELL WITCH: THE FULL ACCOUNT
57
stretched out his arm and felt a soft, delicate hand
press against his hand for a few seconds.
Then, Calvin’s brother John begged the Spirit to
shake hands; to which the Spirit quickly responded,
“No, you only want a chance to catch me!” Kneeling
on the floor, Johnston pleaded his case once more.
“Please let me shake your hand; I promise in the
name of the Lord that my intentions are sincere!” “I
know you, Ol’ Jack Johnston; you are a grand rascal,
trying to find me out, and I will not trust you!” the
Spirit exclaimed. While the Spirit stuck to its word
and never let John Johnston shake its hand,
Johnston did manage to engage the Spirit in many
interesting and thought-provoking discussions.
John Johnston Tests the Spirit
While spending an evening at the Bell home
conversing with the Spirit, John Johnston decided to
conduct some simple tests to see just how much it
knew about him and his family. His first question
was, “What does my Dutch step-grandmother in
North Carolina say when one of her slaves does
something wrong?” Speaking in the woman’s own
voice and using her Dutch accent, the Spirit replied,
“Hut, tut. What has happened now?” Hut tut is a
Dutch term meaning, “No-no,” and is used as a
chiding expression — almost a term of endearment.
Johnston later told others of this encounter and how
the Spirit knew the correct phrase and could imitate
his step-grandmother perfectly.
During another late-night discussion with
Johnston, the Spirit became angry and threatened to
kill him. He noticed the shadow of a long, sharp
knife just behind his head while walking home the
following morning. Knowing Kate was about to make
good on her threat, Johnston thought to himself, “If
58 P A T
F I T Z H U G H
the Lord wants me to die, then I will die; I will not
run.” He stood patiently in his tracks, waiting to see
what fate would deal him. The knife continued to
dangle behind his head.
After standing still for some time, he began looking
around and soon discovered that the “knife” was
actually the shadow of a cornstalk blade blowing in
the wind. Johnston hypothesized that many so-
called “encounters with Kate” were logical things like
the shadow of the cornstalk blade, but that most
people ran away without analyzing their
surroundings and finding the true sources of what
they saw.
On another occasion, Johnston asked the Spirit,
“Can you tell me what my wife has been doing
lately?” “Yes I can. She has been baking cakes for
you to carry along to eat on your trip to Nashville,
where you intend starting tomorrow,” the Spirit
replied. Like many other things the Spirit told
Johnston, only his immediate family knew of
demonstrations.
Calvin Johnston Shakes an Invisible Hand
While both brothers were devout Christians and
upstanding citizens of the community, the Spirit
openly expressed its distrust of John Johnston
because it seemed that he was always trying to trick
or outsmart the Spirit with leading questions and
conversation.
John Johnston was said to have been the
shrewder of the two brothers, and the “Sprit” pointed
out on several occasions that his motives were never
of an earnest nature and were only a ploy to
investigate and expose as much as he could. Calvin
Johnston, on the other hand, was of a much different
character than his brother. He was very plain and
straightforward about his intentions and never asked
the Spirit leading or “trick” questions.
One evening while visiting the Bells, Calvin
Johnston asked, “What do you use to slap the
children? The sounds are loud and high-pitched,
and the children say the slaps feel like stings.” The
Spirit replied, “Why my hand, what else?” After
much discussion and pleading from Johnston, the
Spirit agreed to shake hands with him provided he
agreed not to squeeze or hold its hand. Johnston
THE BELL WITCH: THE FULL ACCOUNT
57
stretched out his arm and felt a soft, delicate hand
press against his hand for a few seconds.
Then, Calvin’s brother John begged the Spirit to
shake hands; to which the Spirit quickly responded,
“No, you only want a chance to catch me!” Kneeling
on the floor, Johnston pleaded his case once more.
“Please let me shake your hand; I promise in the
name of the Lord that my intentions are sincere!” “I
know you, Ol’ Jack Johnston; you are a grand rascal,
trying to find me out, and I will not trust you!” the
Spirit exclaimed. While the Spirit stuck to its word
and never let John Johnston shake its hand,
Johnston did manage to engage the Spirit in many
interesting and thought-provoking discussions.
John Johnston Tests the Spirit
While spending an evening at the Bell home
conversing with the Spirit, John Johnston decided to
conduct some simple tests to see just how much it
knew about him and his family. His first question
was, “What does my Dutch step-grandmother in
North Carolina say when one of her slaves does
something wrong?” Speaking in the woman’s own
voice and using her Dutch accent, the Spirit replied,
“Hut, tut. What has happened now?” Hut tut is a
Dutch term meaning, “No-no,” and is used as a
chiding expression — almost a term of endearment.
Johnston later told others of this encounter and how
the Spirit knew the correct phrase and could imitate
his step-grandmother perfectly.
During another late-night discussion with
Johnston, the Spirit became angry and threatened to
kill him. He noticed the shadow of a long, sharp
knife just behind his head while walking home the
following morning. Knowing Kate was about to make
good on her threat, Johnston thought to himself, “If
58 P A T
F I T Z H U G H
the Lord wants me to die, then I will die; I will not
run.” He stood patiently in his tracks, waiting to see
what fate would deal him. The knife continued to
dangle behind his head.
After standing still for some time, he began looking
around and soon discovered that the “knife” was
actually the shadow of a cornstalk blade blowing in
the wind. Johnston hypothesized that many so-
called “encounters with Kate” were logical things like
the shadow of the cornstalk blade, but that most
people ran away without analyzing their
surroundings and finding the true sources of what
they saw.
On another occasion, Johnston asked the Spirit,
“Can you tell me what my wife has been doing
lately?” “Yes I can. She has been baking cakes for
you to carry along to eat on your trip to Nashville,
where you intend starting tomorrow,” the Spirit
replied. Like many other things the Spirit told
Johnston, only his immediate family knew of
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