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

only
    long enough for an angry voice to ask, “So, which one
    of the Bells do you think I am?” The slapping
    resumed with more force, then stopped several
    minutes later. Williams sat in a chair and held a
    burning candle by his side for the rest of the night.
    Williams heard the mysterious voice insult and
    ridicule him every few minutes, repeatedly ordering
    him to answer the question about which one of the
    Bells “it” was, and whether he was satisfied with the
    findings of his investigation. No longer able to speak,
    Williams sat trembling and gasping for breath while
    occasionally being kicked onto the floor where he was
    beaten, choked, and stabbed with pins by the angry,
    invisible force.
    When day broke, Mr. Williams loaded his
    saddlebags and bade John Bell and his family a
    quick goodbye. The horse would not move forward.
    Williams kicked, whipped, and yelled at the horse,
    but it continued raring up and kicking in its tracks.
    He began petting and consoling the horse, hoping to
    calm whatever fear had developed. Upon mounting
    the horse again several minutes later, he found that
    it still would not go. Suddenly, a voice that
    seemingly came with the wind exclaimed, “I can
    make that horse go. Let me get on behind!”

    THE BELL WITCH: THE FULL ACCOUNT
    69
    The horse took off in a wild rage; galloping in a
    circle around the yard with the Spirit yelling, “Hold
    on old man, hold on!” After several circles around
    the yard, the horse ran to the gate and down the lane
    with Mr. Williams clinging tightly to its neck and
    screaming for his life. For the next week, the Spirit
    told of the incident with much glee and laughter.
    “Lord Jesus, I scared that old man nearly to death. I
    stuck him full of brass pins. He will spit brass pins
    and foxfire for the next six months. Lord Jesus, how
    he did beg. I told the old scoundrel that he came
    here to kill me, and I was not going to let him off
    easy. He said if I would let him alone, he would
    never come here again. I broke him from trying that
    caper anymore!
    Dr. Mize the Witch Hunter
    Nothing that had been asked or tried thus far
    yielded a definitive clue with respect to the Spirit’s
    identity and purpose, and everyone involved was
    overwhelmed by the perplexity that resulted from its
    astonishing and terrifying demonstrations. Those
    who came from far-away places and claimed there
    was no Spirit, or acknowledged the Spirit but could
    not get rid of it, numbered in the hundreds. Their
    predictable antics and the consequences that
    followed were all pretty much the same, and the Bells
    quickly grew tired of these so-called, “witch hunters.”
    One evening when John Bell, James Johnston,
    and Drewry Bell were discussing the Spirit, they
    concluded that the time had come to bring in an
    outside party — someone knowledgeable about evil
    Spirits and possessing the ability to remove them.
    “I’ve asked many of our guests if they knew of any
    man who is knowledgeable about such matters and
    can lay claim to having actually removed evil Spirits,”

    70 P A T
    F I T Z H U G H
    commented Drewry, “and a good many have told me
    that if any man can do it, it is a ‘Dr. Mize’ of
    Franklin, Kentucky.” “From where or what power
    does this man derive his authority to eradicate evil
    Spirits?” inquired James Johnston; “evil Spirits are
    mentioned all throughout the Bible, and I firmly
    believe that the Almighty Creator is the only power
    that can eradicate them.” “I know not from where
    his authority comes,” replied Drewry, “but he is
    known as both a magician and master of the surreal
    world. Some very fine people have recommended
    him.”
    “James, it’s worth a try. This man is certainly not
    God, but neither is the Spirit. Let us fight fire with
    fire and see what happens. As a family, we are at the
    end of our wits,” John Bell exclaimed, “and, these
    disturbances have gone on for a long time without an
    explanation; we can’t take it