MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories

Episode: The Death Song | Campfire with MrBallen (Feb 6, 2026)

Host: John Allen (aka MrBallen)
Episode Theme:
A chilling tale from the oral history of Wisconsin’s Ho-Chunk Nation—a story of a mysterious cave, a haunting song of death, and a discovery that links myth to grim reality.

Episode Overview

Sitting beside an actual campfire, MrBallen delivers one of his “spookier variety” stories: an ancient legend involving a deadly cave, the mysterious disappearance of an entire search party, and a ritualistic chant known as the “Death Song.” The story, passed down through Ho-Chunk oral tradition, is punctuated by a real-life discovery in the 1930s that blurs the line between folklore and fact.

Key Discussion Points & Story Beats

Setting the Scene (00:00–02:54)

• MrBallen sets a literal and thematic campfire atmosphere, promising a very unsettling and possibly unbelievable tale grounded in indigenous legend and historical finds.
• “If this vibe is something you guys like, I’m more than happy to do more of these—it sort of adds a new flavor to the channel.” (00:38)
• [Skips to main story after brief banter and ads.]

The Disappearance (02:54–06:30)

• Timeframe: Hundreds of years ago, in the forested hills of what is now Richland County, Wisconsin.
• Cast: The Ho-Chunk Nation. Three teenage hunters disappear while supposed to be out in the woods.
  • After the boys fail to return for two days, their families insist on a search party.
  • The tribal chief is initially reluctant, as it’s “not entirely uncommon for hunters, even young hunters, to go out for a couple of days.” (03:44)
• Search Party: Led by a strong young warrior and nine others, they follow the teenagers’ tracks off the familiar hunting trail into increasingly unknown territory.
• The tracks lead directly to a cave with no evidence of the boys having left.

The Cave and the Death Song (06:31–14:56)

Inside the Cave:

• The search party finds nothing except darkness and silence—no sign of the hunters.

• The lead warrior sends two men in to scout; their voices soon vanish.

• The rest wait tensely outside until they hear “a wailing sound coming from deep inside this cave...at first it sounded like one voice, and then it sounded like multiple voices...he understood what he was hearing. It was a chant...the ‘Death Song.’” (09:10)

  • The Death Song: A traditional Ho-Chunk chant performed by warriors just before dying.

• Six more searchers rush in, followed by more silence. Only the lead warrior and one other remain, torn between moral duty and self-preservation.

  • “Even though it sort of went against every fiber in his body...he and the other, they turned and they ran miles and miles all the way back to their village.” (12:43)

• They report the situation to the chief, who vows: “Tomorrow, first thing in the morning, first light, we’re going to go back to that cave.” (14:25)

The Mass Rescue Attempt (15:28–21:52)

The Next Day:

• The entire village—over a hundred people—returns to the cave.
• New strategy: the group locks hands in a single line, led by the only two who fled the previous day. (15:44)
  • “We’re gonna go as one big group. We’re gonna lock hands in one big line so that we’re always connected.” (16:10)
• As they move deeper inside, the “Death Song” begins again, echoing louder.
  • “This chant, this chant that’s only done when you’re on the brink of death...” (17:30)
• The leader at the front suddenly vanishes; the second (lead warrior) now recites the Death Song involuntarily.
• Panic erupts; survivors flee the cave, but a headcount reveals “over a dozen people are gone.” (19:40)
• The chief decrees the cave forbidden, believing “there’s something evil inside of this cave...Our best bet is to go back to the village and hope that these men...eventually find their way out again.” (20:32)
• Eventually, “no one came out of that cave.” The mystery remains unsolved.

The Real-Life Discovery (22:40–27:45)

1930, Richland County:

• Paul Seifert, a local antique dealer, is drawn to an odd pile of rocks in a rural ravine while artifact hunting.
• Removes the rocks, discovers a blocked cave, and squeezes inside with a lantern. (23:12)
• Deep within, he finds an “enormous space” with “neat rows of human skeletons...kneeling with their hands over their head, like they’re bowing. All of them.” (24:25)
  • All skeletons appear posed identically, facing a “throne” carved from stone at the chamber’s center.
• Spooked, Seifert flees and later shares his findings with the Milwaukee Journal; details remain cryptic but haunting.
• The discovery seems to lend credence to the Ho-Chunk legend: “In 1930, and even still today, we’re left with a couple of distinct questions. One, what happened to all these people? And two, who or what was sitting on that throne?” (27:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the unsettling nature of the tale:
  “In fact, it’s so unsettling at times that you’re very likely going to think it’s just fake.” — MrBallen (00:10)

• On the death song:
  “He understood what he was hearing. It wasn’t a cry. He was hearing a chant...the ‘Death Song.’ And as soon as the main warrior is hearing the death song being chanted deep inside of this cave, the other men he’s with, these seven others who know exactly what that song is, they all sprung forward and said, 'What do we do? We have to go in. There’s something wrong.'” (09:55)

• On the reveal:
  “There are all these neat rows of human skeletons, and they’re all positioned the same way...kneeling with their hands over their head, like they’re bowing, all of them...and carved into the rock is this enormous chair, like a throne. And there was nothing on the throne.” (24:25)

• On the enduring mystery:
  “What happened to all these people? And two, who or what was sitting on that throne?” (27:30)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• Start & Campfire Introduction: 00:00–02:54
• The Boys Disappear / Search Party Forms: 02:54–06:30
• Tracking to the Cave / First Disappearances: 06:31–14:56
• Return with the Entire Village / Mass Disappearance: 15:28–21:52
• Closure of the Cave: 22:40–23:12
• 1930 Discovery & Aftermath: 23:12–27:45
• Closing Thoughts / End of Story: 27:45–28:48

Tone & Style

Throughout the episode, MrBallen delivers the story with his trademark tension, suspense, and respect for the unsettling nature of both folklore and history. His delivery emphasizes chilling moments and leaves the listener pondering the boundary between myth and truth.

Summary

This episode weaves an unforgettable legend into modern-day mystery: the “Death Song” haunts not just the secretive cave of the Ho-Chunk, but the imagination of anyone who hears the story—or who might one day set foot in those forgotten woods.