The Bell Witch Returns: Resurgence Of A Legendary Tennessee Haunting

Nov 9

Jacob Miller woke up with his head still throbbing from the previous night. He had spent his time at a bar well into the late hours, drowning his worries in several pints. Being a paranormal investigator wasn’t particularly lucrative—sure, he got paid here and there. But he was lucky his parents left him a decent amount when they died. But New York City was expensive, and Jacob disliked living cheaply. Therefore, the money his parents had left him was rapidly depleting. He peeled himself from the bed, pulling out his pocket watch from the same trousers he had worn the night before. 11 a.m. He groaned, clutching his head before getting up and starting what’s of the day. He pulled his morning suit over his strong, muscular form and ran a hand over his salt-and-pepper beard. Jacob Miller was a man at the age of 59 and was quite handsome. Many people have told him he could easily find a young, pretty wife. The idea was appealing, but not as much as the adventurous life of chasing ghosts and banishing entities, which he would have to give up to provide for a wife and children.

He met the postman outside, holding his cup of joe. “Good afternoon, Jacob!”

“Good afternoon, Charles.” Jacob greeted as the smiling postman approached him, clutching several letters.

Charles Moore was a friendly, middle-aged man who never married and had much in common with Jacob, including enjoying a rowdy night at the bar. They bantered heartily about the previous night and bid each other farewell. Jacob turned toward the front door and glanced over the odd letter he had gotten. It was a letter from Adams, Tennessee, from the Pendergast Family. He sat on the Davenport next to the large window near the fireplace and opened the letter.

Mr. Miller,
I have heard of your expertise, and I hope that it may bring some relief to the situation. There have been unsettling occurrences at the silver mines that have taken the lives of three men. Others have seen sightings of what many assumed to be the Bell Witch. She has wreaked havoc on this town once before, and many fear her resurgence. If you choose to investigate the matter, please meet me at the Old Stone Church on Franklin Street tomorrow at noontime. I’m willing to pay you $500, which I will pay half once you get here and the other half once the task is complete if you live through it.

The letter wasn’t signed—which only added to the intrigue. Jacob folded the letter and stuck it in the pocket of his jacket, excited to get an investigation that was not only exciting but would likely pay well, and the possibility of him losing his life only made the job more fascinating. This was the kind of adventure he’d been hoping for. Finally, something interesting, he thought as he got up to pack his things.

~

The train ride to Tennessee was uneventful. Jacob slept until he had to board the next train. When he finally arrived at his destination, his muscles ached, and his bones creaked from the long journey. He let out a long, drawn-out yawn as he approached the church.

“Mr. Miller, is that you?” A man stood near the entrance with another man, waving at him from a few feet away.

“I hope your trip wasn't too tiresome. We have a lot to talk about.” one man stated as Jacob approached the two men.

“Eh, it wasn't so bad. Got caught up on some sleep and some reading.” Jacob responded.

One man extended a hand, “I’m Mortimer Pendergast, and this is my brother Thaddeus.”

Jacob shook both men's hands, “Good to meet the both of you. Shall we get down to business?”

They walked into the church to talk about the possible hauntings and recent deaths. As they entered the building, he met the priest and a young man who went by the name of Grover Pemberton, who was a laborer for Mortimer and Thaddeus.

“So, tell me specifically what happened in the mines.”Jacob insisted.

“We were doing our jobs when my brother and I heard groaning, and we thought one of the workers had gotten hurt. As we ran, we heard screaming, and it sounded—otherworldly. Our lamps went out, then I heard my brother scream, then I was alone.” Grover explained.

“How did you find out your brother died?” Jacob asked.

“We found the workers the next day.” Mortimer started.

“All arranged in a perfect circle near the cave.” Thaddeus finished.

“And you suspect this Bell Witch did it?” Jacob questioned, and the men nodded, “Will you take me to the mine?”

~

The gas lamps burned bright as they walked through the pitch-black cave. The silence was eerie, and their bodies cast shadows as the light illuminated the damp cave walls. It already felt as if ghosts were following them, and the deeper they went into the mines, the more the sinking feeling of dread set in. They began to hear water dripping and a strange howl that one could only assume was the wind. Not much happened until Grover's light went out, and he began to panic.

“Oh no!” Grover trembled as the memory of his brother and his fellow miners flashed in his memory.

As Mortimer and Thaddeus tried to calm Grover down, Jacob saw something strange, half buried in the earth. He bent down and put his gas lamp closer to it, pulling it out of the ground and dusting it off. He noticed it was a journal; he glanced over his shoulder and observed that Grover was beginning to calm down. Jacob stuck the journal in his coat pocket to look through later.

“We should probably head back,” Thaddeus mentioned as he walked toward Jacob.

Mortimer kept a hand on the young man's shoulder as he held the light in front of him. “It’s alright, we’ll try again another day,” Jacob reassured as everyone walked in the opposite direction to exit the cave.

~

Jacob Miller read the journal he found in the rubble; the accounts written on its pages were shocking. The journal spoke about the hideous appearance of the Bell Witch and the stories of those she tormented. It spoke of who she may have been before she became a malicious specter. It also had a passe of her vanquishing, which was on the very next page and written in a different language. He spoke to the locals about their personal experiences. Many locals felt they were being followed home and farm animals would be dead the next day. Sometimes, blankets would be ripped off in the middle of the night. Others have seen a woman dressed in all black with a black bonnet, unable to see her face. The two men who approached her were followed home and taunted for a week straight. Just as they were about to go mad, the hauntings stopped, and the poltergeist left them alone.

That night, he decided to spend the night in the cave; he packed a blanket, a comforter, and a pillow. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he felt an odd breeze brush across his face. He snapped his eyes open to see nothing but darkness. He slowly sat up, aware that the atmosphere was eerily silent and still. He reignited his gas lamp and noticed a shadow scurry from his vision; it happened so fast that he wondered if he saw anything. For a moment, he speculated if the air had just been a simple breeze or a dream that woke him from his slumber, and now his mind was playing tricks on him. Both theories were proven wrong when he heard a screech from a distance, frightening Jacob off the ground and leaving the blankets and pillow behind as he ran off with the gas lamp.

Jacob eagerly scribbled his experiences from his night in the cave and decided to explore it once more. Only this time, he would take Mortimer and Thaddeus with him. The three men discussed things over breakfast and agreed to go into the cave that night. As they trekked the dark path, they all heard the same howling noises that Jacob experienced the night before. Light bounced off the walls as the lamps swayed and shadows danced in their peripheral vision. Strange squiggles and sigils, some recognizable and others not, were carved and painted on the cave walls with what appeared to be blood. Water began dripping—an otherworldly presence had their hair standing on edge. A cold breeze whistled throughout the cave, and the three men anxiously glanced around for the source of the wind. As Mortimer and Thaddeus waved their lamps around, Jacob slowly craned his neck to look at the cave ceiling. He saw something, a figure of sorts that he could barely make out until he lifted his lamp. A horrendously gnarled beast snarled above him, and droplets of drool oozed on his forehead.

Jacob Miller couldn't help but scream, “Run!”

Mortimer and Thaddeus peered at the same spot and immediately regretted it. The witch lunged toward them, and they ran as fast as they could, barely making it out of the cave.

~

Many activities began to escalate in the mine, so much so that the miners were incapable of doing their jobs. Jacob Miller assumed that the activities have increased due to more people visiting the mines. One of the locals wondered if the entity fed on the energy that others gave it, and given the stories that he’d heard, one could only guess that the local was correct. He decided to try and decipher the ritual in the journal he found.

He spent hours in the library until he finally figured out what it was saying, so he returned to the cave to test it. He stated the incantation loudly and confidently, and immediately, the entity retaliated with great force. She screeched until it felt as if his ears would bleed, and she tossed him back into the cave wall, nearly knocking him unconscious. But then, the entity revealed itself, getting mere inches from his face. She was wrinkled and gray, and her eyes were blacker than coal. Her breath stunk of death as she bared her sharp, rotten teeth. She hissed at him to never return, and he happily obliged, running out of the cave and leaving the journal behind.

Mortimer and Thaddeus have avoided the mines for quite some time now, and Grover Pemberton’s only job was to inform the other miners to stay away from the cave. The Bell Witch was tormenting the Pendergast brothers. It had been only a day since the last encounter with the witch, and the two brothers had been pinched, scratched, and had their home torn apart.

“When did this start?” Jacob asked the brothers, who sat at the dining room table across from him.

“We’ve been having experiences for a while, but it just recently got this bad.” Thaddeus began, struggling to speak as one side of his face was puffy and red with a black eye and a swollen jaw.

“It started getting violent only a day ago.” Mortimer finished. He wheezed through his broken nose, and both his eyes were red and purple from the recent assault.

Jacob's heart sank, feeling partially responsible for the uptick of violence. He realized that if he wanted to ease his guilt and, of course, get paid, he would have to be the one to save them. However, the first task would be returning to the cave and retrieving the journal.

It was daytime when he decided to enter the cave, foolishly taking comfort in the light of the noontime sun. However, as he became engulfed by the dismal cave, that comfort rapidly vanished. Once again, Jacob was deep in the cave, seeing the same symbols before hearing the familiar dripping noise amongst the echoing silence. The Bell Witch was close; he needed to find the journal and leave quickly. He glanced around the debris, feeling a hostile gust of wind hit his face. Finally, his eyes were set on the journal, peeking between a line of jagged boulders. Jacob felt hands on his back, nearly shoving him onto the sharp rocks. Thankfully, he caught himself on the wall before being impaled. He grabbed the journal and ran until his calves burned and his Achilles ached, hearing the witch screeching from a distance.

Not even five minutes later, Jacob heard a knock on the door of his hotel. “Come back later.” He yelled, assuming it was the cleaning lady.

“Mr. Miller, it’s me, Grover Pemberton.”

Jacob got up and answered the door. Turns out, Grover had more information than he had anticipated, proving to be a helpful ally. The Bell Witch was rumored to be the spirit of a woman named Kate Batts, with whom John Bell had been a neighbor and whom he cheated in a land dispute. The cave the Pendergast family had been mining belonged to Kate before Mr. Bell took it from her. When Ms. Batts died, she haunted the Bell family and tormented them up until the death of John Bell in 1820. His descendants left Adams, Tennessee a few years ago. However, before they left, they spoke of similar experiences, which compelled them to sell their land and move on.

“I think we should return to the cave,” Grover stated.

“And what? Ask the witch why she’s harassing the Pendergast brothers? I just came from the cave and was nearly killed trying to retrieve this journal.” Jacob gestured toward the scratches on his neck and the journal he’d been holding. “No, I say we go to the library and do some research. That way, we don’t go in blindly.”

Grovers was shocked to see the deep gashes on the side of his neck, and so he agreed, not wanting to end up like his brother. Upon their research, they found some shocking history of the mine, along with the death of miners due to unethical practices. The strangest thing, however, was the death of Kate Batts. Her body was never actually found; she just went missing. The locals suspected that John Bell and his family were responsible. Others suspected that John and Kate had an affair and that the wife was responsible. John simply had the misfortune of cleaning up his wife's mess. No one knew what happened to Kate, but some guessed that her body was still in the mines.

Grover and Jacob went deep into the mines, much deeper than the witch would previously allow. Grover had mentioned that she likely knew what they were up to and was only looking for a challenge. The symbols on the cave wall were more ominous, seemingly drawn with a fresh coat of blood. The cave wreaked of death as they stumbled on a pile of dead animals and bones, some of which were more recent.

The two men found a clearing with no bones, carcasses, or even a rock. They cast a circle of salt, then opened the journal to the banishing ritual and began to speak it aloud. They heard whispering and laughing as if the witch were mocking them. They chanted louder, and the witch began to shriek, angered by their attempt at banishment. Suddenly, it was quiet. They assumed the beast had run off as they finished the incantation. However, water began dripping. They knew the witch was subdued but not defeated. Jacob remembered a crucial detail in the journal about the bell witches' remains; in a circle beyond the bones and fresh death, she lay there waiting. Of course! We’re right on top of her! Jacob Miller got on his hands and knees and began to dig furiously, clawing his fingers into the dirt.

“What are you doing?” Grover asked.

“Dig—help me dig,” Jacob demanded.

Grover didn’t argue; he got on his hands and knees and began to dig as well. The dirt covered the circle of salt, meaning they were no longer protected. It didn’t matter; with the witch subdued, it gave them time to dig up her remains. However, they were still not safe. They gathered her bones, and the witch seized the opportunity to extinguish the lamps. The two men were paralyzed, suddenly swallowed by the void. They clutched their bags tightly, hoping to make a run for it and end this nightmare once and for all. Once their eyes adjusted to the blackness, they slowly made their way through the line of carcasses. Their boots crunched on bone and rock as they carefully stepped over them. They panted as they hurried toward the entrance upon seeing the light. Suddenly, Jacob stumbled. He landed prostrate; his body lay heavy against the ground when he felt something, or someone, straddle him. Fortunately, this was merely the witch playing a predacious game, letting him know who the alpha was.

Grover and Jacob decide to take the remains to the home of the Pendergasts’, hoping they could aid in banishing the bell witch for good. Thankfully, they hadn’t had any violent attacks since the other day but were prepared to take on the bell witch.

“In the journal, it says to sprinkle her remains with salt and then to set them on fire,” Jacob explained.

“We’ll do whatever it takes. Right Thaddeus?”

“Yeah, right. Of course, brother.” Thaddeus stared solemnly at the floor, giving the impression that something other than the Bell Witch had been haunting him.

~

The Bell Witch growled as the four men walked further into the cave, still weakened from the last encounter. Despite being enfeebled, she was not defenseless. Luckily for Grover and Jacob, she had to be careful. In the journal, it stated that any damage to her remains could cause significant pain, just as fire would undoubtedly destroy her. The journal mentioned a sacrifice needed to be made, as to what that sacrifice was has yet to be revealed. Grover had proclaimed that he had it covered. Jacob dumped out the witched remains, igniting a blood-curdling scream, and Thaddeus jammed a knife into Mortimer’s gut.

Jacob jumped back, frightened by the sudden violence. “Jacob read the ritual aloud. You must!” Grover yelled above the agonizing shrieks of the Bell witch.

Jacob’s voice trembled as he recited the incantation. Mortimer fell to his knees, bleeding over the consecrated pile of bones. Thaddeus' expression went from one of pain to one of horror. Grover jammed a sharpened femur into Thaddeus’s gut, just as he did his brother. Jacob finally understood what the journal meant by sacrifice. The witch cackled, and her shadow flew across the cave walls. Grover painted a set of sigils and runes on the jagged walls with Thaddeus’ blood. As he finished the chant, the witch threw him up against the wall, appearing to him as the same horrible creature as before.

“Kate Batts!” the creature whipped her head toward Grover, who threw a gas lamp onto her bones.

As the witch cried in agony, Jacob began to grasp that her purpose in the mine was to protect it from greedy men like John Bell. Little did Jacob know that the Pendergast family had been taking shortcuts since their family bought the cave, which led to the death of some workers. They would have the workers dig in areas known to be dangerous and didn’t inform them of what was happening. Grover knew what was happening but was too timid to speak up.

Although the ritual was successful, it came at a significant cost. Grover Pemberton was now a murderer. He would never be convicted as no one remaining knew of his deeds. He would have to carry around the fact that he set the Pendergast brothers against each other. Someone left the journal on Grover's doorstep. Grover thought, “Did Jacob leave this? Why would he leave without claiming his remaining payment?”

A page was earmarked, but Grover was uncertain why.

Since then, Grover had taken over the mines, which were left in peace, allowing Grover to live comfortably without any more hauntings or the death that came with the Bell Witches' torment… or did he?