It was late in the afternoon when Jackson and his party of horsemen, accompanied by a covered wagon drawn by a team of four horses, slowly made their way up the turnpike toward the Bell house. A few hundred yards from the front door someone in the group made a disparaging remark about the witch. Suddenly the wagon stopped - the horses were unable to pull it any farther.

They were on level ground. The wagon driver yelled and cursed and snapped his whip, but to no avail. The horses pulled and strained, pulled and strained. They reared and snorted and bellowed. They jerked the hitch against the metal straps and threatened tot ear the wagon tongue out by the roots. But wheels still would no turn. Finally, in frustration, Jackson’s party stopped, the horses snorting and heaving.

Jackson dismounted and examined the wagon. He declared there was no reason why the horses could not pull it. So the driver climbed back into the boot, snapped his whip, and urged the horses onward.

Once again the four powerful horses pulled and jerked and pulled and jerked. Still they were unable to move the wagon.

Suddenly General Jackson shouted, "It is the witch!"

From the roadside came a disembodied voice: "They can go now, General."

No one was in sight. But the entire party had distinctly heard the voice - a woman’s voice calling out to the general. Then it spoke again and promised it would see all of them again that night.

A short time later the group arrived at the Bell house and began unloading the wagon. John Bell, himself, came outside to greet them. Since Jackson was not the usual curiosity seeker, but a distinguished guest, Bell invited all to come into the house. After eating dinner, while waiting for something to happen, they sat around the parlor talking about the Indians who had lived on the farm.

In Jackson’s party was a man who fancied himself a "witch tamer." Whether he actually believed he could control the supernatural or he believed the Bell haunting was the product of sheer fakery is uncertain. But he declared to all that no witch would appear while he was there.

Other members of the part appeared to humor him. They said that, indeed, no witch had ever appeared in his presence. The witch tamer declared he had the witch bluffed. He was carrying a pistol loaded with a silver bullet and said he had an itchy finger.

Jackson was clearly showing his impatience that nothing had yet happened. He wanted to see if his witch tamer carried any clout.

After several hours of silence from the witch, the frustrated witch tamer stood up and dared the witch to come out. Suddenly he leaped from his chair, grabbed the seat of his pants, and screamed, "Boys, I’m being stuck by a thousand pins."

The disembodied voice of the witch cried out, "I am in front of you. Shoot!"