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10 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Thesis Statement: |
The Bell Witch of Adams, TN, has been a told legend since the early 1800's. Whether or not this witch was once or still is a real being to fear has been debated and considered by many viewpoints. |
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Q.1: What is the topic of your report? |
I chose to do my report on the Bell Witch, an unpleasant entity whose goal was to ruin the lives of her victims and will stop at nothing to so do. The following cards will go into detail on what exactly this legend is about. |
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Q.2: What or who was the Bell Witch? |
The Bell Witch can better be known by the given name of Kate. This name was given to the unpleasant creature by residents of Adams, TN, who believed the witch to be the deceased neighbor of her victims' house. |
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Q.3: Who was specifically victimized by the Bell Witch, and what was her reasoning for torturing this particular household/family? |
Many have come to believe that the Bell Witch's motive for torturing John Bell and his daughter, Betsy, are due to the speculations that John had cheated his neighbor, "Kate," of her land. It is said that he somehow took ownership of what was to be her rightful property. As for the Bell daughter, Betsy, the Bell Witch made it noticeably clear that she was striven to keep Betsy from marrying a certain neighborhood boy named Joshua Gardener. Though, her reasoning towards splitting up the young couple is unknown. |
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Q.4: In what ways did the Bell Witch effect her victims or those who were left in her wake? |
The Bell family first had encounters with the witch's presence when they began receiving visits in their fields from strange looking animals. They were then spooked by progressively loud noises that imitated that of rats gnawing on their bedposts and knocking on hard surfaces. Eventually, the residents began to complain of their bed covers being stripped of them and Betsy was brutally abused with slaps to the face and the pulling of her hair in the midst of the night. She was said to wake with bruises and marks scattered prominently along her body. John and his daughter were given the worst of the torment, as he was also physically out of it on most days due to twitching and the swelling of his throat. Ultimately, John died and Kate smugly took full credit for his death. She was also triumphant in splitting up Betsy and Joshua. |
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Q.5: What is the setting, or when and where did it take place? |
The Bell Witch hauntings took place from the years 1807 through 1821. The witch supposedly left the residence in 1821, only to return 7 years later for a series of several weeks. She then, once more vanished, never heard to disturb the peace again. |
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Theories about the Bell Witch: |
"Personally, I think that the story of these hauntings did not really happen," says Alexa Hubenak of Awesome Ink. Alexa's opinion is shared by many others. Some who believe that there is no evidence whatsoever that could prove the legend to be true. The only proof that could be held accountable is the bruises on Betsy Bell's body that were apparently seen by nearby residents of Adams at that time, according to Pat Fitzhugh. |
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Closure/Proving of Thesis:
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Personally, I would have to say that there lacks total truth in this legend. I do not, in any way, believe this to be something that actually occurred at one point in time. My reasoning being that there is no factual, proven evidence that could say otherwise. This legend, to my knowledge, is purely built on opinions and conspiracies. |
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Works Cited/ Citations:
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Fitzhugh, Pat. "The Legend of the Bell Witch of Tennessee - by Pat Fitzhugh, Author / Historian." The Legend of the Bell Witch of Tennessee - by Pat Fitzhugh, Author / Historian. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2016. Hubenak, Alexa. "The Legend of the Bell Witch." The Legend of the Bell Witch. Awesome Ink, 24 Oct. 2012. Web. 25 May 2016. "The Bell Witch of Tennessee." Mental Floss. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2016. Young, Nicole. "A&E examines history behind Tennessee's Bell Witch." Adams, TN: USA Today Network. 20 October 2015. Web. 12 May 2016. |
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Annotated Bibliography: |
'The Legend of the Bell Witch of Tennessee' goes into depth on the chronological order in which this legend occurred. It states from the beginning to the end clearly what happened. Alexa Hubenak gives details of why she believes this legend to be true. 'The Bell Witch of Tennessee' published by Mental Floss is an article that describes when and where the legend took place, which would be during the early 1800's of Adams, TN. 'A&E examines history behind Tennessee's Bell Witch' goes into detail on the televised series in which the location of the legend is visited and observed. This article tells mostly about how the victims of the Bell Witch were affected by this situation. |
