The Belled Buzzard: A Kentucky Legend of Murder and Madness

An old Southern saying claims that a fool “ain’t got enough sense to bell a buzzard.” But what does that mean—and why would anyone put a bell around a buzzard’s neck? In 1920s Kentucky, a bitter property dispute between two neighboring farmers ends in murder. Sutton Metcalfe thinks he has hidden his crime forever in the depths of a mysterious cave. Then a lone buzzard begins circling overhead, an eerie bell clanging from its neck. And wherever Sutton goes, the belled buzzard seems to follow! Visit TheMoonlitRoad.com for more Southern ghost stories, legends, folklore, and original audio storytelling. "The Belled Buzzard: A Kentucky Legend of Murder and Madness" was collected, adapted and directed by Craig Dominey Storyteller: John Gentile Music: Craig Dominey Audio Production: Henry Howard Episode Photo by John Bunting. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 Deed Story Sources & Further Reading “The Belled Buzzard.” American Folklore and Legend. Reader's Digest Association, 1978. Cobb, Irvin S. “The Belled Buzzard.” The Saturday Evening Post, September 28, 1912. The Moonlit Road Podcast is a production of The Moonlit Road, LLC.