Journey Into The Paranormal

The Phantom Whistler

Back in 1950 in Paradis, La., 18-year-old Jacqueline Cadow was haunted by a man who whistled a funeral dirge outside of her house at night.

It all started before her engagement to State Trooper Herbert Belsom. Cadow would hear wolf whistles outside of her window at her home that she shared with her mother. On at least one occasion, their home was broken into. She continued to hear the whistles night after night. Until she announced her engagement to Belsom. Then it got worse...

The whistles then changed to a menacing . Often times as the whistles started to fade away, the whistler would let out blood-curdling moans. Other people heard the whistler on several occasions, but he was never seen.

Cadow also began receiving phone calls. The voice on the other end was a man who promised to stick a knife in her if she went through with her marriage to Belsom. That's when newspapers began to pick up her story.

She suffered a collapse when she, her mother, her aunt, and a New Orleans States-Items reporter heard the whistler at work. The yard was searched, but no one was found. Investigations by the State Police and sheriff's office turned up nothing.

The bride-to-be, her nerves shattered, went to stay at Belsom's parents house to try to get some rest. Cadow's mother received a phone call from the whistler as he stated, "Tell Jackie I know she's at Herbert's house."

On October 1, she married Belsom without incident, and she was never bothered by him again.

Was the whistler at the wedding, and didn't go through with his threats? Who was he?

The local sheriff firstly thought it was a hoax, and said so in the paper. He soon changed his tune, though, and said the whistler had been caught. No charges were recorded, or names released to the media.