Host describes a wine cellar photograph said to show a translucent figure
The host, Art Bell, tells listeners about a photograph he says was taken by a stonemason in Arizona after the man finished a wine cellar in a house roughly a hundred years old. Bell says a translucent being appeared in the finished picture. He says the image was published in his newsletter and can be downloaded from his bulletin board by calling a given number. He describes seeing a face, body, arms, and legs in it. He ends by calling it a spirit or entity in the photograph and moves on to a caller.
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 1995.mp3”, starting at 48:57). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
Art Bell, the host, tells the audience about a photograph he says he has received. He says a man in Arizona who worked as a stonemason ([quote withheld]) built a wine cellar for a fellow in a house roughly a hundred years old. According to Bell, when the work was finished, the stonemason was proud of it and took a photograph of his stone masonry work. Bell says that when the picture came out, [quote withheld] and was captured on film. Bell says the photograph has been published in the newsletter and is available on the bulletin board. He gives a telephone number (area code 702-727-1709) that listeners can call twenty-four hours a day to download it. He adds that those with ZModem protocol can download a photograph of “this ghost.” Bell then describes what he says he sees in the picture: [quote withheld] He calls it clear and in color and says [quote withheld] concluding that [quote withheld] He ends by saying he wants listeners to see what he sees so that they can see he is “not totally crazy.” The story ends there, and the transcript moves on to a caller.
Reported events, in order
- 0:03
The host says a man in Arizona worked as a stonemason, building stone basements.
- 0:13
The host says the stonemason built a wine cellar for a fellow in a house roughly a hundred years old.
- 0:20
The host says the stonemason was proud of the work and photographed his masonry when it was finished.
- 0:33
The host says that when the picture came out, a translucent being appeared in it, captured on film.
- 0:45
The host says the photograph was published in his newsletter and placed on his bulletin board.
- 0:51
The host gives a telephone number and ZModem instructions so listeners can download the photograph.
- 1:20
The host describes what he says is in the picture: a face, body, arms, and legs, clear and in color.
- 1:33
The host says there is [quote withheld] in the photograph.
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· 0:36
A stonemason in Arizona photographed his finished wine-cellar masonry, and a translucent being appeared in the developed picture.
- host statement· 0:45
The photograph has been published in the host's newsletter and placed on his bulletin board for download.
- host statement· 1:20
The host says the image shows a face, body, arms, and legs.
- host statement· 1:26
The host says the figure is clear and in color.
- interpretation· 1:33
The host concludes the photograph contains a spirit or entity.
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.
A secondhand story relayed by the host, with a few checkable details (Arizona, a stonemason, a house roughly a hundred years old, a phone number). But there is no date, name, or town, there is an easy ordinary explanation in photography, and no uncertainty is acknowledged.
Evidence for and against
- A concrete sequence of how the photo came about: [quote withheld] (0:49:18).
- A clear, ordered story with no contradictions.
- The host gives a specific telephone number for downloading the image (0:49:49).
- The claim that [quote withheld] (0:49:34) rests entirely on the host's retelling of someone else's photograph.
- No date, no personal names, and no identifiable town, only “Arizona” (0:49:01).
- The host goes further without hedging: [quote withheld] (0:50:27).
- The host's relationship to the stonemason and to the photograph is not stated.
- 0:20
- 1:29
What the model inferred (not said on air): The scores for each part (closeness to the source about 8, specific detail about 10, consistency about 14, other explanations about 5, and how carefully the claims are stated about 4) are my judgment, not transcript content.
A physical photograph is claimed to exist, and the host says he holds a scan and has published it. But beyond his spoken description, the transcript records no examination or verification.
Evidence for and against
- A claimed artifact: [quote withheld] (0:49:43).
- The host says it is on his bulletin board for download: [quote withheld] (0:49:49).
- No independent witness speaks on air.
- The image itself is not shown or checked in this part of the broadcast, and the description is general.
- That the host has actually looked at the image rests only on his own word in this part of the broadcast.
- 0:45
- 0:51
What the model inferred (not said on air): The score is at the top of the 26–40 range rather than in the 41–50 range because the host's spoken description is not a documented examination on air, and nothing in the image can be checked from the transcript.
A translucent figure in a photograph, with no threat, contact, or intrusion into anyone's space. It is mildly eerie at most.
Evidence for and against
- The line [quote withheld] (0:49:34).
- The host's framing: [quote withheld] (0:48:57).
- No harm, threat, physical contact, or intrusion into a safe space is described.
- The story is largely promotional, pointing listeners to a download.
- The figure's appearance is described only in general terms.
- 0:36
What the model inferred (not said on air): Creepiness is a judgment about the story, not about whether anything happened.
A ghost in a photograph is a stock type of strange event, but the framing is mildly distinctive: a stonemason photographing his own wine-cellar masonry.
Evidence for and against
- A specific frame: [quote withheld] (0:49:11).
- An unusual origin: the photo was taken to show off masonry work, not to look for a ghost.
- The claim that [quote withheld] (0:49:34) is a familiar [quote withheld] theme.
- The description given is general (face, body, arms, legs).
- The comparison with the rest of the archive is provisional. The content score is a judgment about a brief host monologue.
- 0:13
- 0:36
What the model inferred (not said on air): The content-only score (about 35) is my own comparison against common ghost-story themes. The comparison with the rest of the archive is not computed here.
Scoring confidence 0.55 · analysis confidence 0.60 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The host's own spoken description of a claimed photograph (he says he holds a scan and has published it); No photograph examined or displayed in the transcript; No second witness speaking on air; No documents, records, or dates. The originality score blends the model's score (35) 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.
- A flaw in the photograph (a double exposure, a film or processing fault, or lighting and reflection in a cellar) rather than a figure present at the time. · The host says [quote withheld] (0:49:32). The strange figure is reported only in the developed picture, not seen by anyone on site.
- Shapes in the image read as a human form by the viewer, a common trick of perception. · The description offered is general: [quote withheld] (0:50:18).
- The image as circulated may not be the original photograph of the work, or may have been altered before publication. · The host says only that [quote withheld] (0:49:43) and that he has a scan. Nothing is said about the negative or who has kept it.
What stands out
This is not a witness's story at all but the host's promotional announcement of an image listeners can download. The “evidence” is a claimed photograph offered for listeners to fetch by modem, described only in general terms.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.