Natchez burial lore and reported noises in a New Orleans East subdivision
A caller who says they are calling from New Orleans tells Art Bell that they live in the New Orleans East suburbs, in a subdivision they call Village de Lesse. Local lore holds that the land was once Natchez Indian territory and that the Natchez placed their dead in oak trees. They report that many houses in the subdivision, especially on one block where a friend lives, are said to be haunted. The reports include late-night bells, beating on walls, and small gusts of wind from nowhere. Art Bell cuts the caller off at the bottom of the hour before they finish.
This clip comes from the source recording. AI chose where it starts and ends, so it may start or end a little early or late. The word-for-word transcript is not published. You can hear the source recording on the Internet Archive (file “Ghost to Ghost 1998.mp3”, starting at 1:53:32). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
The caller says they are calling from New Orleans and live in the New Orleans East suburbs. Unlike a previous caller, they say, they are in New Orleans rather than Metairie. The caller remarks that New Orleans is eerie for visitors, mentioning vampire tours and haunted mansion tours in the French Quarter and the above-ground cemeteries. They say they are calling to tell about a suburb called Village de Lesse, where, [quote withheld] the land used to be settled by the Natchez Indians and was largely swampland. According to the story they tell, when a Natchez person died, the body was placed in an old oak tree. When the tree fell, naturally or struck by lightning, the person’s soul would go up. They then say there are many haunted houses in the subdivision, especially on one block where a good friend of theirs, whom they call [name withheld], lives. In that house, they say, “we’ve heard” things going on late at night: a faint jingle of bells, beating on walls, and small gusts of wind from nowhere. They then begin to describe a friend who they say was Native American and had an uncle who practiced “tribe things” and went to gatherings in Mississippi. But Art Bell interrupts at the bottom of the hour for a break, and the story ends there. The caller does not describe seeing a figure, does not name a previous occupant, and does not say they personally witnessed the events. The house activity is described in general terms ([quote withheld] “you’d hear”).
Reported events, in order
- 0:14
The caller says they are calling from New Orleans and that they live in the New Orleans East suburbs.
- 0:22
The caller describes New Orleans as eerie for visitors, citing vampire tours, haunted mansion tours, and above-ground cemeteries.
- 1:33
The caller says the land of Village de Lesse was settled by the Natchez Indians and was swampland.
- 1:48
The caller tells the story that when a Natchez person died, the body was placed in an old oak tree, and the soul went up when the tree fell.
- 2:13
The caller says many houses in the subdivision are haunted, especially on one block where their friend [name withheld] lives.
- 2:30
The caller reports that in that house late at night you would hear a faint jingle of bells or beating on walls, and feel small gusts of wind from nowhere.
- 2:49
The caller begins describing a Native American friend whose uncle practiced “tribe things” and went to gatherings in Mississippi.
- 3:11
Art Bell cuts the call off at the bottom of the hour for a break. The story is left unfinished.
Claims
Each claim is labeled as something the person telling the story noticed (observation), what they made of it (interpretation), something others told them (hearsay), or something the host said (host statement).
- hearsay· 1:33
The land of Village de Lesse was formerly settled by the Natchez Indians and was mostly swampland.
- hearsay· 1:48
As the story goes, when a Natchez person died, the body was put in an old oak tree, and the soul went up when the tree fell.
- hearsay· 2:13
There are many haunted houses in the subdivision, especially on one particular block.
- hearsay· 2:30
In the friend’s house, late at night, a faint jingle of bells or beating on walls is said to be heard.
- hearsay· 2:43
Small gusts of wind from nowhere are said to be felt in the house.
- hearsay· 2:49
A Native American friend had an uncle who practiced “tribe things” and went to gatherings in Mississippi.
Scores, with reasons
An AI model gave these scores using a fixed set of scoring rules (scoring-v1). They are editorial judgments and rough guides, not the odds that anything paranormal happened. How scoring works.
The story is brief, largely secondhand, and cut off before any personal experience is described. The events are general, and ordinary explanations fit easily. It does give some concrete place details, and the sequence is consistent.
Evidence for and against
- Named places given: “new orleans east” and “Village de Lesse.”
- A coherent, ordered story without self-contradiction.
- The caller says when the sounds happen: [quote withheld]
- The events are described in general terms: [quote withheld]
- No firsthand witnessing is stated. “We’ve heard” frames it as reported.
- No figure, occupant, date, or duration is given.
- Common noise and draft explanations are not addressed.
- Whether the caller heard anything is unstated.
- The story breaks off mid-sentence.
- The labels showing who is speaking are smoothed and uncertain in places.
- 2:30
- 2:13
What the model inferred (not said on air): Source-proximity points are set low because the report is about houses on a block where a friend lives, not about events the caller describes experiencing. Specificity is middle-range for the place names but low for the events. Alternative-explanation points are low because drafts and house noises fit the described sounds well.
Nothing beyond the caller’s word is present: no photograph, recording, document, or named address, and no second witness speaks on air. Some details could be checked (subdivision name, friend’s first name), but they were not, and no outside check was done.
Evidence for and against
- The named subdivision, “Village de Lesse,” could be checked in principle.
- No physical evidence of any kind is claimed.
- No confirmation on air from any other person.
- No address, date, or records are given.
- Whether a secondhand “friend” story could be checked is unstated and not attempted.
- 1:29
What the model inferred (not said on air): This sits in the lowest range: the caller’s word only. The named places add little because nothing was verified and no outside check was done.
The reported events are mild and non-threatening: a faint jingle of bells, beating on walls, small gusts of wind. There is no figure, contact, or escalation. The folklore about burial in trees is more atmospheric than frightening.
Evidence for and against
- Late-night sounds in a home: [quote withheld]
- Tree-burial lore attached to the ground under the subdivision.
- No threat, harm, physical contact, or visible figure reported.
- The story is cut off before any escalation or climax.
- The unfinished part might have contained more unsettling material.
- 2:43
What the model inferred (not said on air): Scored at the low end of “mildly eerie” because the elements are quiet household noises rather than intrusion, threat, or steady dread.
The reported events (bells, wall-beating, gusts of wind) are stock haunted-house elements. But the setting, a modern New Orleans East subdivision standing on Natchez land, combined with the tree-burial soul-ascension legend, gives the story a distinctive local frame.
Evidence for and against
- Unusual framing: Natchez dead placed in an oak tree until it falls.
- Specific setting: a named subdivision in New Orleans East.
- The events themselves (knocking, bells, unexplained drafts) are familiar.
- The story is incomplete, so any distinctive later material is missing.
- Novelty compared with the rest of the archive is provisional in this pilot.
- 2:01
What the model inferred (not said on air): My score is 55: a familiar haunted-subdivision setup carrying one distinctive folk detail. A comparison with the rest of the archive is not available from this story alone.
Scoring confidence 0.40 · analysis confidence 0.50 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller’s live call (a secondhand report of activity in houses the caller does not claim to have witnessed).; No physical evidence claimed or examined.; No witness on air to back it up.. The originality score blends the model's score (55) with how rare the story's details are across the archive. This method is still provisional.
Ordinary explanations to consider
These are possibilities only. None is a finding about what happened.
- Ordinary house and weather noises, such as settling structures or wind through vents or gaps, could account for the beating on walls and the [quote withheld] · The caller describes “beating on walls” and [quote withheld] No source, location within the house, or timing is given.
- Local reputation and suggestion (haunted house tours, the subdivision’s fame for such stories) could shape what residents notice and repeat. · The caller notes vampire tours and haunted mansion tours in the French Quarter and says [quote withheld] in the subdivision.
What stands out
The story places a modern suburban subdivision with reported house noises on Natchez burial land. It ties the tree-burial soul-ascension story to present-day reports. The caller is cut off before the story reaches any personal experience or conclusion, so the events remain entirely secondhand and general.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.