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Authors: Pat Fitzhugh
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child little not much more than just a baby!” Miles
yelled. “She is not a baby, Frank; she is a young
woman,” the Spirit responded. Miles then shouted,
“Why don’t ya mess with me, ya ol’ fiend from hell,”
to which the Spirit promptly replied, “well at least I
still have my teeth, and that’s a whole lot more than I
can say for you, Ol’ Frank Miles. You are already
acquainted with the least I can do to you. And even
you, as you sit there as dumb as a sack of turnips,
should recognize that it’s in your best interest to
leave here now!”
THE BELL WITCH: THE FULL ACCOUNT
61
It took little time for Miles to realize that the
angrier he became, the worse the Spirit would treat
Elizabeth. Although he continued regularly visiting
the Bells, the Spirit seemed much calmer once Miles
learned to bite his tongue.
Later in life, Elizabeth Bell spoke of the kindness
and concern that Frank Miles’ showed during her
times of need. “Frank was always tender and good to
me and to all the family. He was never forgotten by
any of us; and as long as there are Bells in the world,
I hope they will never forget the man who I know
meant what he said when he offered to fight a fiend
of hell for the Bell family, even though he might die
on the spot.” 16
16 Dr. Charles Bailey Bell, The Bell Witch: A Mysterious Spirit , 1934.
62 P A T
F I T Z H U G H
CHAPTER SIX
Visitors from Near and Far
T HE BELLS began receiving a steady stream of
visitors both day and night as word of the
Spirit traveled beyond the Red River
community. There were horses tied to every
fencepost along the lane leading to the Bell home,
and the Bells rarely had fewer than four overnight
guests at any given time.
Skepticism
It was suggested by some that the Bells were
staging the hauntings in an attempt to make money;
however, the Bells never charged visitors a cent and
always offered them food and lodging if they stayed
long enough. The economic conditions in the Red
River area at the time, coupled with John Bell’s
documented financial condition, make this notion
highly unlikely. f
Another popular opinion among skeptics was that
while in New Orleans during the War of 1812 and on
THE BELL WITCH: THE FULL ACCOUNT
63
later flatboat trips, John Jr. and Drewry learned
ventriloquism and the mystical arts, and then
transferred their knowledge to Elizabeth and a select
few neighbors. A Dr. William Fort traveled all the
way from Missouri to the Bell farm in an attempt to
prove this theory.
Dr. Fort sat in the front room with the family one
evening when the Spirit began its nightly routine of
gabbing, singing hymns, and physically abusing
people. He placed his hands over the mouths of
Elizabeth and several of the other Bell children as
the Spirit spoke. Not once did the Spirit stop
speaking or change its voice in any way. Fort
concluded that the Spirit’s demonstrations were not
the product of ventriloquism and left early the next
morning without further comment.
The Spirit treated visitors differently depending on
their character and intentions. People of good
character were treated with respect, whereas those of
questionable character were quickly exposed and
ridiculed, often leaving quickly. The thing that
seemed to frighten visitors most was the Spirit’s
propensity to divulge their deepest and darkest
secrets, which usually embarrassed them.
On one such occasion, four visitors who had
traveled a great distance arrived late one night at the
Bell home and were greeted by John Bell. As they
began introducing themselves, the Spirit called one
of them by name and proclaimed, “He is the grand
rascal who stole his wife. He pulled her out of her
father’s house through a window, and hurt her arm,
making her cry; then he whispered to her, ‘hush
honey don’t cry, it will soon get well.’’’
As the four dumbfounded men quickly proceeded
to the door, one asked, “Is what we
child little not much more than just a baby!” Miles
yelled. “She is not a baby, Frank; she is a young
woman,” the Spirit responded. Miles then shouted,
“Why don’t ya mess with me, ya ol’ fiend from hell,”
to which the Spirit promptly replied, “well at least I
still have my teeth, and that’s a whole lot more than I
can say for you, Ol’ Frank Miles. You are already
acquainted with the least I can do to you. And even
you, as you sit there as dumb as a sack of turnips,
should recognize that it’s in your best interest to
leave here now!”
THE BELL WITCH: THE FULL ACCOUNT
61
It took little time for Miles to realize that the
angrier he became, the worse the Spirit would treat
Elizabeth. Although he continued regularly visiting
the Bells, the Spirit seemed much calmer once Miles
learned to bite his tongue.
Later in life, Elizabeth Bell spoke of the kindness
and concern that Frank Miles’ showed during her
times of need. “Frank was always tender and good to
me and to all the family. He was never forgotten by
any of us; and as long as there are Bells in the world,
I hope they will never forget the man who I know
meant what he said when he offered to fight a fiend
of hell for the Bell family, even though he might die
on the spot.” 16
16 Dr. Charles Bailey Bell, The Bell Witch: A Mysterious Spirit , 1934.
62 P A T
F I T Z H U G H
CHAPTER SIX
Visitors from Near and Far
T HE BELLS began receiving a steady stream of
visitors both day and night as word of the
Spirit traveled beyond the Red River
community. There were horses tied to every
fencepost along the lane leading to the Bell home,
and the Bells rarely had fewer than four overnight
guests at any given time.
Skepticism
It was suggested by some that the Bells were
staging the hauntings in an attempt to make money;
however, the Bells never charged visitors a cent and
always offered them food and lodging if they stayed
long enough. The economic conditions in the Red
River area at the time, coupled with John Bell’s
documented financial condition, make this notion
highly unlikely. f
Another popular opinion among skeptics was that
while in New Orleans during the War of 1812 and on
THE BELL WITCH: THE FULL ACCOUNT
63
later flatboat trips, John Jr. and Drewry learned
ventriloquism and the mystical arts, and then
transferred their knowledge to Elizabeth and a select
few neighbors. A Dr. William Fort traveled all the
way from Missouri to the Bell farm in an attempt to
prove this theory.
Dr. Fort sat in the front room with the family one
evening when the Spirit began its nightly routine of
gabbing, singing hymns, and physically abusing
people. He placed his hands over the mouths of
Elizabeth and several of the other Bell children as
the Spirit spoke. Not once did the Spirit stop
speaking or change its voice in any way. Fort
concluded that the Spirit’s demonstrations were not
the product of ventriloquism and left early the next
morning without further comment.
The Spirit treated visitors differently depending on
their character and intentions. People of good
character were treated with respect, whereas those of
questionable character were quickly exposed and
ridiculed, often leaving quickly. The thing that
seemed to frighten visitors most was the Spirit’s
propensity to divulge their deepest and darkest
secrets, which usually embarrassed them.
On one such occasion, four visitors who had
traveled a great distance arrived late one night at the
Bell home and were greeted by John Bell. As they
began introducing themselves, the Spirit called one
of them by name and proclaimed, “He is the grand
rascal who stole his wife. He pulled her out of her
father’s house through a window, and hurt her arm,
making her cry; then he whispered to her, ‘hush
honey don’t cry, it will soon get well.’’’
As the four dumbfounded men quickly proceeded
to the door, one asked, “Is what we
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