Laura Wright 
James Johnson, or “Old Sugarmouth,” became a central figure in Bell Witch history, almost as much as Betsy’s siblings were. His sons, John and Calvin, were said to have caught Powell in the middle of something dubious. This story has been passed down through Johnson’s descendants, but has not been published in any known works.
John and Calvin Johnson stopped at the schoolhouse to speak with Powell one evening. School was out, so the blinds were drawn. They found the front door ajar and stepped inside. The schoolhouse had two levels. The main floor was the classroom, with Powell’s quarters in the basement.
The two men looked around the classroom, but there was no sign of life. They called out for Powell several times, but couldn’t get a response. Since they weren’t in a hurry, they decided to wait a little while to for him to return.
The two men ambled to the front of the classroom and Calvin noticed a strange, leather bound book on Powell’s desk. He picked it up, leafed through the pages, and was amazed by what he saw. He asked John to step over and look at it, too. The two men briefly examined it, but Powell came bounding up the steps from below. He didn’t even speak until he grabbed the book out of Calvin’s hands and locked it in a cabinet.
Powell said it was an antique geometry book and he didn’t like anyone else handling it due to its fragility.
The brothers were suspicious, but said no more about the book. Calvin was an advanced geometry student and knew the few symbols in the text were not for geometric study. They also didn’t see any mathematical or geometry notes on any of the pages. Aside from English, both men were familiar with Greek and Latin, but the language in the book wasn’t any of those.
It begs the question if Powell was somehow manipulating the witch from the basement, and if the arcane book helped him orchestrate the haunting. There is no record of what happened to this mysterious volume or of anyone else seeing it again.
>>It begs the question if Powell was somehow manipulating the witch from the basement, and if the arcane book helped him orchestrate the haunting. There is no record of what happened to this mysterious volume or of anyone else seeing it again.<<
Interesting theory, Laura. That's quite a leap to make. Just because the book is/was mysterious doesn't mean it is/was connected to witchcraft. I have to ask if there is more concrete evidence to substantiate this claim beyond the correlative nature between said book and the strange behavior of the spirit involved. Consistency is a start, not a finish. You'd need more.
Sorry. I don't mean to be skeptical here; just trying to be objective. Real skeptics WILL point this out and challenge you with it, so the question needs to be addressed beyond the idea that "it would make sense," which is a notion I can understand. I just wouldn't stop there.
Do you have more information/details on this story or the book in question? Interesting that the book disappeared. I wonder where it went and why no one has found it. Of course, if no one knew about it . . . Still, you know about it, since it was passed down through the years by word-of-mouth. Has anyone else attempted to look for it? Do you have any ideas as to what could have happened to the book, that is if it even existed? Unless and untill evidence arises to show the book, in fact, existed and clarifies its contents, the debate will rage and the skeptics will have their say.
All this is food for thought, for further study. 😉
No, there is no further information on the book. From time to time, I will use creative liberty when there just isn’t any factual info, and I did here. I thought that was a fascinating story, even if it has nothing to do with witchcraft. It was a good display of the behavior that made Powell the community puzzle he was. The only thing that’s really established in this regard is that he was secretive. There are rumors he had a personal diary, too, but those have never been substantiated.
I’m not worried about skeptics. They’re like literary critics, skeptics just focus on theory as opposed to the written word. I’ve had those forever, it seems. I’m a fringe writer (I guess that’s the term for it), so it’s more likely that people will disagree with me when it comes to non-fiction…lol. I like to shake things up with obscure stuff and when you do that to anything commonly known or established, it tends to ruffle some feathers. Although, I just aim to provoke curiosity. There needs to be more curiosity in the world.
I am right with you on this one, Laura. Your purpose for doing research is more for accumulating information and knowledge rather than trying to prove anything as factual or not. That, in itself, is admirable, and I research for the same reason, along with sharing my thoughts. That motivation allows for more intellectual flexibility. It’s not always about the facts, but exploring issues and expounding on points for the sake of personal satisfaction.
My apologies if I came off too much as a skeptic. As stated above, I wasn’t trying to do that. The questions posed can only add insight to drive further research, and that’s all I was trying to do. Sorry again.
And, yes, curiosity engages me to no end. We need it for personal drive in everything we do. I guess you can call me a fringe writer as well. 😉
Yes, most of what I get can’t be proved or disproved. It’s just there, but that’s what I like. We don’t know about much of this stuff now, but who can say in 10 or 20 years? New books are getting digitized daily, so our access to information is ever-growing. And I think so much is just phenomenal and it’s been utterly forgotten. That’s so sad. We have entire worlds that most living today don’t even know about.
Don’t apologize. It’s perfectly fine. I’m accustomed to disagreement and I don’t mind a bit.
Titanic is the same way. Much of it is unproven, but it engages people just the same, simply because it is unknown. Those fascinated by the Titanic are curious by the possibilities, which drive us to learn more The journey is a goal in itself.
I never disagreed with you, just expanded on what you had already said with additional thoughts. In any case, that’s good to know.
I think history would be a much more popular subject if the history books today engaged kids and presented interesting history, as opposed to censored and slanted history. I don’t see why they shouldn’t give questions that make the kids think. I’d mention conspiracies, the unexplained, unusual events, and everything else to keep their attention.
Feel free to disagree. I think there should be more mature disagreement in the world. It helps build tolerance and respect for others. I don’t like the “agree with me or else” mentality that’s so common. It’s not right. Although, I’m probably approaching curmudgeon territory, myself…lol.
I love Titanic stuff. I have more info to update my Frank Tower article, when I get to it.
>>I think history would be a much more popular subject if the history books today engaged kids and presented interesting history, as opposed to censored and slanted history. I don’t see why they shouldn’t give questions that make the kids think. I’d mention conspiracies, the unexplained, unusual events, and everything else to keep their attention. <>Feel free to disagree. I think there should be more mature disagreement in the world. It helps build tolerance and respect for others. I don’t like the “agree with me or else” mentality that’s so common. It’s not right. Although, I’m probably approaching curmudgeon territory, myself…lol.<>I love Titanic stuff. I have more info to update my Frank Tower article, when I get to it.<<
Titanic, like the paranormal, is ongoing,as new and fresh information and theories emerge all the time. That's what I like about it–the story and its mysteries never end. They always keep me engaged.
There are several exceptional sources out there, including THS, but http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org is worthhile as well if you haven't already been there. This particjular website features casual interaction involving all walks of life from every country, but it is, just the xame, scholarly. The site even has a 'ghost' section for those who want to discuss every aspect of the paranormal in relagtion to Titanic. Please take a look. I have been a member since 2004, although I haven't been there for a while.
What kind of article/post are you planning to write on Frank? That should be interesgting. 🙂
Also, in case you haven't read them, please check out my Titanic posts at: http://researcherone.wordpress.com .
Actually, I’ve visited encyclopedia quite a bit. I’ll probably just update my existing one, as opposed to writing a new one. I found some info that Hugh Williams, mentioned in the article, was on another shipwreck in the 1940s. Yes, I’ve visited your blog. I thought the articles were well done. I liked the discussion about Cameron’s Titanic portrayal didn’t really coincide with the actual event. Sometimes I don’t know why they do that. It’s like they can only make historic movies if they make the characters out to be 20th Century people, with 20th Century attitudes and 20th Century perceptions. History is full of fascinating drama and one of the best qualities is that it was a different world from the world we have. History can be a form of escapism, without resorting to sensation.
>>Actually, I’ve visited encyclopedia quite a bit. I’ll probably just update my existing one, as opposed to writing a new one.<>I found some info that Hugh Williams, mentioned in the article, was on another shipwreck in the 1940s.<>Yes, I’ve visited your blog. I thought the articles were well done.<>I liked the discussion about Cameron’s Titanic portrayal didn’t really coincide with the actual event.<>Sometimes I don’t know why they do that. It’s like they can only make historic movies if they make the characters out to be 20th Century people, with 20th Century attitudes and 20th Century perceptions.<>History can be a form of escapism, without resorting to sensation.<<
Indeed. The Titanic tragedy was filled with enough drama to inspire ongoing research, 7-8 movies, countless books (fiction and nonfiction), so detraction and/or elaboration would seem superfluous and overkill. Let history speak for itself. 😉
Oooops! That didn’t turn out as I had hoped. Let me try again, this time with each question/point addressed in its own box . . .
>>Actually, I’ve visited encyclopedia quite a bit. I’ll probably just update my existing one, as opposed to writing a new one.<<
What was your impression of the website? If you are planning on renewing your accoungt there, I presume you like it. I can picture you absorbed in that site for hours, lol.
I’m not a formal member, but I do go there just about every time I work on something related to the Titanic. I love the articles.
Indeed. So do I.
By the way, if you look in the discussion archives, you’re likely to find a high number of posts by me. I contributed a few things as well.
>>I found some info that Hugh Williams, mentioned in the article, was on another shipwreck in the 1940s.<<
What is it about this man and Frank Tower that fascinates you? You can find strangeness in the littlest, or most casual, things.
I know. I pick up on some odd stuff. Fortunately, I can use it in a constructive way. Sometimes I wonder if I was Rod Serling in a past life…lol. Sometimes things just grab my attention, not sure if it’s imagination, intuition, or what.
I love the repetition in the Hugh Williams/Frank Tower lore. It seems like no matter how much time passes, the same names keep popping up in the same circumstances.
>>Yes, I’ve visited your blog. I thought the articles were well done.<<
Thank you. Any suggestions you'd make? Any observations or points that grabbed you?
No, I thought it was well done. You use a variety of sources and that’s a big part of researching in anything. I’m getting there.
>>I liked the discussion about Cameron’s Titanic portrayal didn’t really coincide with the actual event.<<
Well, some aspects were closer than others, but some, I have noticed, were way off with regard to widespread testimony.
>>Sometimes I don’t know why they do that. It’s like they can only make historic movies if they make the characters out to be 20th Century people, with 20th Century attitudes and 20th Century perceptions.<<
It's called artistic liberty, but the modernization is intended to appeal to modern audiences. Since the youth of that time (i.e. late-90s) was the primary target audience, he needed a means of connecting to them or getting them to relate to the characters. In doing this, he ensured the movie's increased popularity. He has eleven Academy Awards/Oscars to show for it.
I am with you, though. When it comes to historical accuracy–especially in Titanic–I tend to be a stickler. The interesting thing about that: I write fiction as well as nonfiction, so I can understand both sides.
I think that has a detrimental effect, to some degree. It’s good to entertain audiences, but we have a society that actually believes much of what they see on the screen. I’m not sure how to even go about rectifying something like that. It seems after so long, people actually start to believe that’s how it was. Like Queen Elizabeth. I don’t believe for a second she had strings of lovers and illegitimate kids everywhere. She ruled under England’s greatest expansion, so I’d say she couldn’t even turn around without someone needing advice, council, commands, and everything else. While she dodged assassins and people who tried to damage her politically. Yet, all portrayals of her in recent times have just that. I think propaganda plays a big part of it. It wouldn’t be so bad if it was just used for entertainment, but it seems even scholars go out and start insinuating things are true after the fiction is made. Zombies are a modern example. Today, they’re on the History channel as “ancient creatures.” The term wasn’t even in the encyclopedia until the early 1930s. They weren’t ancient and had no significance in history. The big three historic monsters are vampires, werewolves, and ghouls.
>>History can be a form of escapism, without resorting to sensation.<<
Indeed. The Titanic tragedy was filled with enough drama to inspire ongoing research, 7-8 movies, countless books (fiction and nonfiction), so detraction and/or elaboration would seem superfluous and overkill. Let history speak for itself. 😉