WEBVTT - Short Stuff: The Bell Witch

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, and welcome to the short Stuff. It's Josh and

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<v Speaker 1>Chuck here in our scary October rolls on. It's rolling

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<v Speaker 1>along with the short stuff on the bell Witch.

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<v Speaker 2>That's right rolling along the Red River of Tennessee, because

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<v Speaker 2>that's where the Belwitch is now Adams, Tennessee. But that's

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<v Speaker 2>where the Belwich story finds its roots, about an hour

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<v Speaker 2>north of Nashville. And that was a family, the Bells,

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<v Speaker 2>that moved from North Carolina in eighteen oh six to

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<v Speaker 2>Tennessee and did pretty well. They were landowners, they were

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<v Speaker 2>very respected, they had a pretty good life. And about

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<v Speaker 2>nine uh years after they moved there, they started to

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<v Speaker 2>get haunted by a angry ghost witch.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah. And before we get too much deeper into I

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<v Speaker 1>want to shout out a historian named Pat fits You

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<v Speaker 1>who runs Bellwitch dot org and wrote the book The

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<v Speaker 1>Belwitch Colon the Full Account Legends of America Victoria Kleine

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<v Speaker 1>Peter at the Tennessee State Museum.

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<v Speaker 2>Okay, got it, Rocky top baby.

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<v Speaker 1>So the haunting of the Bell family began in eighteen

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<v Speaker 1>seventeen when John Bell, the patriarch of the family sometimes

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<v Speaker 1>called Old Jack Bell. Just remember this is eighteen seventeen

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<v Speaker 1>in Tennessee. Yeah, he was in his fields. He was

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<v Speaker 1>a huge planter in the area and he was in

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<v Speaker 1>one of his fields at one point and he noticed

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<v Speaker 1>a big animal sitting in his field. So he looked

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<v Speaker 1>at it a little closer, and he found that it

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<v Speaker 1>was quite disturbing. This large animal had the body of

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<v Speaker 1>a dog but the head of a rabbit.

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<v Speaker 2>Okay.

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<v Speaker 1>John Bell was like, did I eat mushrooms this morning?

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<v Speaker 1>He's like, no, I didn't. And he said, well, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>going to shoot at this because I'm a homesteader in

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<v Speaker 1>Tennessee in eighteen seventeen. And when he did, the animal

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<v Speaker 1>either vanished or scurried off to the nearby woods, depending

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<v Speaker 1>on who's telling the story, but either way, John Bell

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<v Speaker 1>let it be.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah. So that's dad's first incident. There would also be

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<v Speaker 2>successive incidents with kids. Dewy his son, and Betsy his daughter.

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<v Speaker 2>Dewree saw and if you're wondering how that's spelled, it's

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<v Speaker 2>d E w r Y. I've never seen that name before,

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<v Speaker 2>but I think I love it.

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<v Speaker 1>I I'm glad that you love it. I think I

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<v Speaker 1>misspelled it. I think it might be Drury because I

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<v Speaker 1>also saw him referred to as Drew before.

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<v Speaker 2>I like Dowy.

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<v Speaker 1>I like more too, so we're gonna rename Drury Bell.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah. So Dewrey was haunted by a giant bird, supposedly

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<v Speaker 2>a bird that he had never seen before. It was

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<v Speaker 2>sitting on a fence post, so of course he shot

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<v Speaker 2>at it as well, but it disappeared into thin air.

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<v Speaker 2>And then daughter Betsy maybe the most frightening thing, although

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<v Speaker 2>the dog rabbit's pretty frightening. Yeah, but also so is

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<v Speaker 2>a little girl in a green dress hanging from a tree,

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<v Speaker 2>and I assume that means by a rope and not

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<v Speaker 2>just by her hands.

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<v Speaker 1>I could not get any further uh information about that.

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<v Speaker 2>Okay, I mean, if it was haunting, it had to

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<v Speaker 2>be like that girl's hand there as a child or

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<v Speaker 2>writer and came back.

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<v Speaker 1>Yes, So these appearances seem to portend all of the

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<v Speaker 1>haunting that followed haunting by the ghost of a witch.

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<v Speaker 1>Don't forget that's the worst kind. Yeah, because I think

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<v Speaker 1>the same night after John Bell saw the rabbit dog

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<v Speaker 1>or the dog rabbit, I guess, depending on your perspective. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>the family was awakened by beating noises on the outside

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<v Speaker 1>of the walls of their home like it was being

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<v Speaker 1>pounded on. And that was just the first night. These

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<v Speaker 1>things continued night after night after night. Sometimes they would

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<v Speaker 1>be pounding really hard, sometimes kind of light, but either way,

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<v Speaker 1>Bell and his sons, he had several sons. They would

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<v Speaker 1>get out of bed and try to catch the person

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<v Speaker 1>who was pounding on their house. This is basically like

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<v Speaker 1>eighteen seventeen Ding Dong ditch, I guess. But they never

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<v Speaker 1>found a trace of anybody.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and the hauntings or the sounds continued. Rather, the

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<v Speaker 2>children know were haunted by the sounds of what they

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<v Speaker 2>thought was rats chewing on their bedposts at night, which

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<v Speaker 2>was probably just rats to the other.

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<v Speaker 1>Bed post to night. But you gotta toss that one in.

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<v Speaker 2>You gotta toss that in because it's scary. The hauntings

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<v Speaker 2>would turn physical. Sometimes the sheets were pulled off of

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<v Speaker 2>the kids while they slept. Young Betsy was ghost slapped,

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<v Speaker 2>apparently hard enough to leave welts and bruises. She was

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<v Speaker 2>ghost pinched, she was ghost hair pulled, and it became

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<v Speaker 2>pretty clear that Betsy and old Jack the dad, were

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<v Speaker 2>the main targets in this family.

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<v Speaker 1>Yes, and we'll see why in a few but I

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<v Speaker 1>think probably what makes the whole thing the most disturbing

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<v Speaker 1>is that the witch began to talk. It's one thing

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<v Speaker 1>for poultry guys activity. Poultry guys don't talk. Everybody ask

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<v Speaker 1>your parents. The witch started speaking, the witch ghost, and

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<v Speaker 1>at first it was faint. They were just barely whispered.

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<v Speaker 1>You couldn't really make out what the ghost was saying.

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<v Speaker 1>But over time the voice grew louder, clearer, and would

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<v Speaker 1>sometimes hold conversations, like entire conversations with the Bell family

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<v Speaker 1>and their home, so much so that John Junior was

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<v Speaker 1>known to debate the witch voice. Sure, I don't know

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<v Speaker 1>over what nuclear energy maybe, and whether it was safe

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<v Speaker 1>or not. Probably, But he later wrote the conversations down

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<v Speaker 1>that he had with the Bell witch and he published

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<v Speaker 1>it I think self published in nineteen thirty four.

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<v Speaker 2>That's right. And if you think maybe just this family

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<v Speaker 2>had some weird mold in their house, it was driving

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<v Speaker 2>them all to the brinks of sanity, not true, because

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<v Speaker 2>you know, unfortunately it was eighteen seventeen and they had

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<v Speaker 2>enslaved people on their land, and they also had similar experiences,

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<v Speaker 2>the most famous of which was an enslaved man there

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<v Speaker 2>named Dean, who encountered the witch multiple times in the

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<v Speaker 2>form of a two headed dog man with o sensibly dogheads.

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<v Speaker 1>I saw a drawing of it of this Dean being

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<v Speaker 1>met by a two headed dog, and it actually kind

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<v Speaker 1>of missed the mark because it looked like it was

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<v Speaker 1>hopping up to like play with them. Well maybe it

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<v Speaker 1>was because in this picture the drawing, Dean is holding

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<v Speaker 1>a ball, but it's not supposed to be like a

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<v Speaker 1>ball that the two headed dog wants to him to

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<v Speaker 1>toss for it. It was a witch ball that Dean's

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<v Speaker 1>wife made, and that's a real thing. A witch ball

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<v Speaker 1>is a blown glass spear, usually kind of colorful, and

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<v Speaker 1>depending on where you're using this or who you ask,

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<v Speaker 1>it's either used to trap witches reward off witches. And

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<v Speaker 1>Dean's wife made it for him, I think after the

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<v Speaker 1>first time he saw the bell witch to protect himself.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and he was like, you know, a no, tradition

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<v Speaker 2>says it's got to be a ball, but these this

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<v Speaker 2>two headed dog just wants to get that ball. Can

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<v Speaker 2>we go with something else?

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<v Speaker 1>She's like, sure, how about a witch's dick?

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<v Speaker 2>Right exactly? Shall we take a break, all right, We'll

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<v Speaker 2>come back and finish up with the Bell Witch right

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<v Speaker 2>after this, all right, So where we left off, there

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<v Speaker 2>were two headed dogs wanting to play with that witch ball.

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<v Speaker 2>Betsy's getting ghost pinched, Dad is getting haunted, the whole

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<v Speaker 2>family's getting haunted. And it became pretty clear that Betsy

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<v Speaker 2>was getting haunted because this belwitch did not like the

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<v Speaker 2>fact that she was engaged to a guy named Joshua

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<v Speaker 2>Gardner local kid, and she tried to keep this wedding

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<v Speaker 2>on but eventually would break it off in eighteen twenty

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<v Speaker 2>one and marry an old guy so old. How old

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<v Speaker 2>was he? He was so old that she ended up

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<v Speaker 2>nursing the man for eleven years before he eventually died.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, Betsy fell on hardships of her own after she

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<v Speaker 1>moved out of her father's house. She had eight children,

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<v Speaker 1>and four of them.

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<v Speaker 2>In that eleven years with the old sick guy.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know if it was during or before. I

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<v Speaker 1>don't know how long they were married before he fell ill.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know. But yes, they had eight children for sure,

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<v Speaker 1>but only four made it to adulthood sadly, so, Betsy

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<v Speaker 1>had her own troubles because of the Joshua Gardner thing.

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<v Speaker 1>But John Bell, the Witch saved the worst for him.

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<v Speaker 1>Like she was verbally abusive to him, she was physically

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<v Speaker 1>abusive to him. Shortly after she appeared, John Bell was

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<v Speaker 1>afflicted by some unknown illness and just kept getting worse

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<v Speaker 1>and worse over the next few years. As the haunting

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<v Speaker 1>war on, he would have seizures sometimes Chuck, and as

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<v Speaker 1>he came out of the Caesars seizures, the Bell Witch

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<v Speaker 1>would slap him around.

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<v Speaker 2>Man.

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<v Speaker 1>She was really mean and ruthless toward John Bell. She

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<v Speaker 1>hated John Bell.

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<v Speaker 2>Can you imagine that that? Like he comes out of

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<v Speaker 2>a seizure and she's like, hey, what do you think

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<v Speaker 2>of this?

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<v Speaker 1>Smack smacks, man, I've been waiting for you to come

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<v Speaker 1>out of it. O.

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<v Speaker 2>He sadly passed on in December eighteen twenty. He believed

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<v Speaker 2>that the Witch had poisoned him, and apparently the Witch

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<v Speaker 2>confirmed this, and the day before he died said, it's

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<v Speaker 2>useless for you to try and relieve Old Jack. I've

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<v Speaker 2>got him this time. He will never get up from

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<v Speaker 2>that bed again. I put it there and gave Old

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<v Speaker 2>Jack a big dose of it last night while he

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<v Speaker 2>was asleep, which fixed him.

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<v Speaker 1>Nice. There's a nice little preview of our Halloween episode.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh, I hope. So the neighbors found out about the

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<v Speaker 2>stuff too.

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<v Speaker 1>Right, Yeah, so he swore his family, John Belswar's family

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<v Speaker 1>to secrecy. This is just kind of not the thing

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<v Speaker 1>that you wanted your fellow townsfolk in eighteen seventeen Tennessee

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<v Speaker 1>to know about. But it just became such a big

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<v Speaker 1>deal that it spread and got out, and so some

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<v Speaker 1>of the townsfolk tried to catch the witch. They tried

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<v Speaker 1>to one guy tried to shoot the witch to no vail. Right,

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<v Speaker 1>No one could do anything to asswage the Bell Witch.

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<v Speaker 1>They even came up with their own legends too. The

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<v Speaker 1>one that stood out to me the most was that

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<v Speaker 1>at one point, the Bell Witch recited two different sermons

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<v Speaker 1>verbatim that were being given delivered at two different churches

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<v Speaker 1>at that moment, miles away from one another. And I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>if that's not an eighteen seventeen Tennessee folk superstition, that

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<v Speaker 1>you'd just be like, damn when somebody told you that, Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know what it is.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, because that's literally impossible in that time to know

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<v Speaker 2>exactly what was being said in two different places at once.

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<v Speaker 1>There's a lot there's a lot of holes in that

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<v Speaker 1>legend for sure.

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<v Speaker 2>Thankfully, after John died, maybe taken care of by the

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<v Speaker 2>Bell Witch, the hauntings basically stopped. I don't think we

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<v Speaker 2>mentioned that at his funeral the witch even haunted him.

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<v Speaker 2>There was like singing, drinking songs and interrupting the wake

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<v Speaker 2>in the funeral. But much later, in eighteen forty nine,

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<v Speaker 2>the Saturday Evening Post would publish a story that people

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<v Speaker 2>basically said, it's like the first commercial publication of this story,

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<v Speaker 2>and it accused Betsy of being behind the whole thing,

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<v Speaker 2>and she threatened to sue unless they printed an apology

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<v Speaker 2>and a retraction, which they did so I guess they

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<v Speaker 2>did make that up, and Betsy just, you know, she

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<v Speaker 2>never wanted to talk about it, she aged, she never

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<v Speaker 2>spoke of the Bellwitch.

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<v Speaker 1>Yes, so the Bellwich, I'm pretty sure even at the time,

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<v Speaker 1>but certainly shortly afterward. In Tennessee and the parts of Tennessee,

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<v Speaker 1>it was attributed to a local woman named Kate Bats.

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<v Speaker 1>And there's a couple different explanations for why Kate Bats

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<v Speaker 1>would care about the Bell family so much that she

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<v Speaker 1>would hound them beyond the grave. The first one takes

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<v Speaker 1>place entirely in Tennessee, because we didn't say but not

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<v Speaker 1>just Tennessee, but also North Carolina and Mississippi put some

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<v Speaker 1>claim on the Bell Witch even though it all happened

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<v Speaker 1>in Tennessee. But in the first explanation, John Bell, remember

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<v Speaker 1>we said he was one of the bigger planters. He

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<v Speaker 1>had a three hundred plus acre homes dead that he'd

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<v Speaker 1>built by acquiring land from neighbors. And there was one

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<v Speaker 1>land deal that he had with the brother in law

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<v Speaker 1>of Kate Bats, a man by the name of Benjamin,

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<v Speaker 1>and Bell is said to have taken advantage of Benjamin

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<v Speaker 1>on the deal, and that in her death Kate hounded

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<v Speaker 1>John Bell to the grave and revenge for this land deal.

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<v Speaker 2>Why would he do Benjamin Brant like that, I don't know,

0:12:23.440 --> 0:12:24.280
<v Speaker 2>such a fine actor.

0:12:24.559 --> 0:12:25.839
<v Speaker 1>Yeah.

0:12:25.880 --> 0:12:28.720
<v Speaker 2>The other version, like you said, takes place also in

0:12:28.760 --> 0:12:31.160
<v Speaker 2>North Carolina, because they also do lay claim. And this

0:12:31.320 --> 0:12:37.640
<v Speaker 2>is that Bell well, seemingly he had sex with Kate

0:12:37.679 --> 0:12:40.680
<v Speaker 2>Bats and had an affair with Kate Bats and that

0:12:40.880 --> 0:12:43.480
<v Speaker 2>is why he left to go to Tennessee because he

0:12:43.520 --> 0:12:47.160
<v Speaker 2>had had this affair broke it off. Kate was really

0:12:47.320 --> 0:12:50.280
<v Speaker 2>sore at this, obviously, and threatened to tell everybody, including

0:12:50.280 --> 0:12:53.040
<v Speaker 2>the family, and so, as the legend goes, Bell tied

0:12:53.040 --> 0:12:55.040
<v Speaker 2>her up in a smokehouse and left her there to die,

0:12:55.160 --> 0:12:58.840
<v Speaker 2>and she haunted him there, and so they had to

0:12:58.880 --> 0:13:00.920
<v Speaker 2>pack up and leave the Tennessee and she was like, Oh, no,

0:13:01.240 --> 0:13:03.559
<v Speaker 2>I don't think you know how ghost witches work. We

0:13:03.640 --> 0:13:06.880
<v Speaker 2>can we can travel interstate Tennessee's and not that far away.

0:13:07.200 --> 0:13:09.480
<v Speaker 1>Yep. The whole way. She just kept going, are we

0:13:09.559 --> 0:13:14.360
<v Speaker 1>there yet? So one of the things that makes the

0:13:14.400 --> 0:13:17.160
<v Speaker 1>story so unsettling, aside from all the details of it,

0:13:17.240 --> 0:13:18.959
<v Speaker 1>and if you really want to dive into it, check

0:13:19.000 --> 0:13:23.600
<v Speaker 1>out Pat Fitzhugh's website Bellewitch dot org. Like really has

0:13:23.640 --> 0:13:26.720
<v Speaker 1>a lot of exhaustive research on it. But one of

0:13:26.720 --> 0:13:29.160
<v Speaker 1>the things that makes it unsettling, like I was saying,

0:13:29.200 --> 0:13:31.520
<v Speaker 1>is that these people like really did live in North

0:13:31.520 --> 0:13:35.600
<v Speaker 1>Carolina and Tennessee at the time. This legend covers like, Yeah,

0:13:35.640 --> 0:13:38.960
<v Speaker 1>genealogists have found Kate Bats in Edgecombe County. They found

0:13:39.040 --> 0:13:42.680
<v Speaker 1>Kate Bats and Adams, Tennessee. Apparently Bats is still live

0:13:42.720 --> 0:13:47.000
<v Speaker 1>in Adams, Tennessee, and there's Bells as well. That the

0:13:47.080 --> 0:13:50.320
<v Speaker 1>Bell family graveyard has all these people's headstones from the

0:13:50.679 --> 0:13:54.440
<v Speaker 1>correct timeframe. So the idea that these people really did

0:13:54.520 --> 0:13:57.200
<v Speaker 1>live and that at the time they believed that this

0:13:57.360 --> 0:14:00.440
<v Speaker 1>was happening to the Bell family, as did the Bell family.

0:14:01.800 --> 0:14:03.679
<v Speaker 1>That that, I don't know. I think that makes it

0:14:03.720 --> 0:14:06.280
<v Speaker 1>even cooler. It's not like it's not like the the

0:14:06.640 --> 0:14:10.280
<v Speaker 1>the hitchhiker with the hook hand or something like that,

0:14:10.360 --> 0:14:11.600
<v Speaker 1>Like this actually happened.

0:14:11.760 --> 0:14:13.679
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I mean this, I think throws it in there

0:14:13.679 --> 0:14:16.320
<v Speaker 2>with a category of like the Amiteville House and stuff

0:14:16.320 --> 0:14:19.360
<v Speaker 2>like that, of these supposed real hauntings that took place,

0:14:19.600 --> 0:14:22.120
<v Speaker 2>for sure, but you can still go there. It's like

0:14:22.160 --> 0:14:25.880
<v Speaker 2>a tourist destination. Apparently, the town of six hundred and

0:14:25.880 --> 0:14:29.240
<v Speaker 2>seventy four people. It's a pretty big boon for their economy,

0:14:29.520 --> 0:14:31.760
<v Speaker 2>you think, because they have rebuilt the house has gone,

0:14:31.800 --> 0:14:34.760
<v Speaker 2>but they really rebuilt a replica and it's in its place.

0:14:34.920 --> 0:14:36.520
<v Speaker 2>It must be so popular.

0:14:37.120 --> 0:14:39.840
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, you can tour it inside the replica of the house.

0:14:40.240 --> 0:14:43.840
<v Speaker 1>There's also a cave on John Bell's property that they

0:14:43.880 --> 0:14:48.160
<v Speaker 1>believe the Bell Witch lives in, and you can tour

0:14:48.240 --> 0:14:51.800
<v Speaker 1>that cave as well. I can't remember how much it was,

0:14:51.840 --> 0:14:54.160
<v Speaker 1>but it was reasonably priced. It's not going to break

0:14:54.200 --> 0:14:57.760
<v Speaker 1>you for a family of four and again, it's just

0:14:57.840 --> 0:15:00.440
<v Speaker 1>an hour north of Nashville. It looks quite quite neat.

0:15:00.640 --> 0:15:04.400
<v Speaker 1>They also offer lantern guided tours in the dark, so

0:15:04.480 --> 0:15:08.400
<v Speaker 1>if you're really feeling scary, maybe do that one.

0:15:08.680 --> 0:15:11.560
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and if they don't have some sort of animatronic

0:15:11.760 --> 0:15:13.040
<v Speaker 2>rabbit dog, they're doing it wrong.

0:15:13.560 --> 0:15:16.560
<v Speaker 1>That's right. The whole town's saving up for it. Don't

0:15:16.560 --> 0:15:19.040
<v Speaker 1>you worry. Tell them, Chuck.

0:15:19.800 --> 0:15:24.360
<v Speaker 2>I think that means short stuff is out.

0:15:24.960 --> 0:15:27.280
<v Speaker 1>Stuff you Should Know is a production of iHeartRadio.

0:15:27.760 --> 0:15:30.960
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0:15:31.160 --> 0:15:34.080
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