Trucker's family tale of Aunt [name withheld] stirring apple butter with her arm
A caller driving in Central California tells a family story that they say is about one hundred years old. It was passed down from their father through his father. The story is about their grandfather's great-uncle and the great-uncle's brother, who met a local woman called Aunt [name withheld], reputed in folklore to be a witch. In the story, Aunt [name withheld] was making apple butter in her front yard when the men warned her it would pop and burn her. She reportedly smiled, said something transcribed as [quote withheld] and then stirred the apple butter with her bare arm. The host asks whether she was a relative. The caller says the great-uncle would be like a great-great-great-uncle. The call then ends.
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 1997.mp3”, starting at 5:45:22). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
On the Wild Card Line, a caller who says they are [quote withheld] tells a family story that they say is [quote withheld] and came [quote withheld] In the story, their grandfather's great-uncle was out hunting rabbits with his brother when they came across an old lady who lived in the area, called Aunt [name withheld]. The caller says the folklore was that she was a witch. They say she was in her front yard making apple butter. The caller adds that they have never made it, but that apple butter [quote withheld] The men warned her, saying, [quote withheld] The caller says she looked at him, smiled, and said, in the automatic transcript's wording, [quote withheld] According to the story, she then pulled over her sleeve, stuck her arm into the apple butter, and stirred it with her arm. Host Art Bell reacts and asks whether this is a relative of the caller. The caller answers that it would be like a great-great-great-uncle. Bell asks whether the caller ever has strange urgings themselves, and the caller says, [quote withheld] Bell thanks the caller and tells them to be careful on the road. The story ends without saying what happened to Aunt [name withheld] or her arm.
Reported events, in order
- 0:02
The caller introduces a family story that they say is probably about one hundred years old, handed down from their father through his father.
- 0:12
The story says their grandfather's great-uncle was out hunting rabbits with his brother.
- 0:20
They come across an old lady who lived in the area, called Aunt [name withheld]. The folklore reportedly said she was a witch.
- 0:30
Aunt [name withheld] is described as being in her front yard making apple butter, which the caller says can pop and blow over rapidly.
- 0:45
The men warn her that the apple butter will get her. She reportedly looks at him, smiles, and says something transcribed as [quote withheld]
- 0:55
She pulls over her sleeve, puts her arm into the apple butter, and stirs it with her arm.
- 1:02
The host asks if this is a relative. The caller says it would be like a great-great-great-uncle.
- 1:13
The host asks if the caller ever has strange urgings themselves. The caller says no.
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· 0:26
The folklore in the family story said Aunt [name withheld] was a witch.
- hearsay· 0:55
Aunt [name withheld] reportedly pulled over her sleeve, put her arm into the apple butter, and stirred it with her arm.
- hearsay· 0:51
Aunt [name withheld] reportedly smiled and made a statement transcribed as [quote withheld] in answer to the warning that the apple butter would hurt her.
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.
This is a secondhand family legend, framed by the caller as folklore passed down through generations, with few checkable details. It holds together, and the caller presents it as a handed-down story. But ordinary explanations, such as embellishment or apple butter that was not scalding at the moment, fit easily.
Evidence for and against
- It includes concrete details: hunting rabbits, a front yard, apple butter, a sleeve, an arm.
- The caller makes clear the story comes from ancestors: [quote withheld] and [quote withheld]
- The caller answers the host's questions without changing the story.
- No exact place, full names, or firm date are given.
- The story is secondhand, through the caller's father and grandfather.
- An ordinary explanation such as family-legend embellishment fits readily.
- The transcribed phrase [quote withheld] seems odd in context and may be a transcription error.
- The labels showing who is speaking change within the same call.
- 0:10
- 0:26
What the model inferred (not said on air): I treat this as a brief secondhand legend, not a direct witness story. The score reflects how well it holds together and some detail, offset by the distance from the events and the easy ordinary explanations.
The only support is the caller's word for a family story. There is no physical evidence, no checkable record, no second witness on air, and no exact place or date.
Evidence for and against
- The caller gives a family chain for the story: [quote withheld]
- The caller names a woman of local reputation, Aunt [name withheld], and an approximate era.
- No photograph, document, recording, or physical trace is claimed.
- No second witness speaks on air.
- The location is only “Central California,” and the era is only [quote withheld]
- The names and relationships in the story are incomplete.
- The transcript does not make clear whether the caller is repeating the family legend exactly as they received it.
- 0:02
- 0:10
What the model inferred (not said on air): Because nothing can be checked independently, the evidence score belongs in the lowest range.
A reputed witch stirring hot apple butter with her bare arm is mildly eerie, but there is no threat, intrusion, harm, or lasting dread. The host's reaction keeps the tone light, like an anecdote, not frightening.
Evidence for and against
- The story includes a “witch” label and an unsettling physical act: [quote withheld]
- No one is reported harmed.
- The story is short and ends with a light exchange between caller and host.
- There is no evil presence, pursuit, bedroom intrusion, or building tension.
- The transcript does not say whether the apple butter was actually boiling at the time.
- 0:26
- 0:55
What the model inferred (not said on air): I score this low because it reads as an eerie folk anecdote, not a frightening story.
The frame is a familiar witch legend, but stirring apple butter with a bare arm is a distinctive detail. Comparison with the rest of the archive is not available here, so this is a provisional score based on the content.
Evidence for and against
- The central image is unusual: an old woman reputed to be a witch using her arm as a stirring tool in apple butter.
- The story mixes an ordinary cooking detail with the witch motif.
- Witch folklore and displays of immunity are familiar story elements.
- The story is very brief and not developed.
- Comparison with the rest of the archive was not done in this analysis.
- The transcript phrase [quote withheld] is uncertain and affects how the act is understood.
- 0:26
- 0:55
What the model inferred (not said on air): I give a middle score because the witch frame is stock but the apple-butter act is a notable twist.
Scoring confidence 0.55 · analysis confidence 0.60 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller's secondhand family story only. No photograph, recording, document, or second witness on air..
Ordinary explanations to consider
These are possibilities only. None is a finding about what happened.
- The story may be a family legend that has been embellished over the generations. · The caller says, [quote withheld] and dates it only as [quote withheld]
- The apple butter may not have been scalding hot when she stirred it, or the action may have been brief or symbolic. · The caller says apple butter [quote withheld] but does not say it was boiling at that moment.
- The “witch” label may be a local reputation or folklore, not a supernatural claim. · The caller says, [quote withheld]
What stands out
The strange part is not a ghost sighting but a reputed witch who seems immune to heat while stirring apple butter with her bare arm. It is a family legend passed down through generations, with an ordinary cooking detail and no stated outcome.
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