In the early 1800's John Bell moved his family from North Carolina to the Red River bottomland in Robertson County, Tennessee, setting in a community that later became known as Adams. Bell purchased some land and a large log home for his family. The Bells quickly made many friends and gained prominence in the community. John Bell acquired additional land and cleared a number of fields over the next several years. One day in 1817, John Bell was inspecting his cornfield when he encountered a strange-looking animal sitting in the middle of a cornrow. Shocked by the appearance of this animal, which had the body of a dog and the head of a rabbit, Bell shot at it several times without any apparent effect. The animal then vanished. Bell thought nothing more about the incident---at least not until after dinner. That evening, the Bells began hearing "beating" sounds on the outside of their house. These mysterious sounds continued with increased force each night. Bell and his sons often hurried outside to catch the culprit but always returned empty handed. The noises were soon followed by more problems. The Bell children began waking up frightened and complaining of sounds much like rats gnawing at their bedposts. It wasn't long until the children began complaining of more terrifying things---having their bed covers pulled and their pillows were tossed onto the floor by a seemingly invisible force.

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