Séance contact with a presence claiming to be John Dillinger
A caller from Monticello, Minnesota, who says they and a partner do semi-professional ghost work in the Twin Cities, describes a group gathering held about a year and a half earlier. It took place on the anniversary of John Dillinger's death. They say the group first invited whatever spirits wished to come, then called on Dillinger. Something claiming to be Dillinger answered questions aloud, through what they call psychic impressions, for roughly half an hour. They report that the tape of the first half of the evening recorded only room noise and conversation, while the tape of the Dillinger session went blank. Several people at the table believed the presence was lying about the fate of gang member Red Hamilton.
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 1998.mp3”, starting at 1:27:06). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
The caller, who gives their location as [quote withheld] and says they are listening on KSTP AM 1500, tells the host that they and a partner do ghost work in the Twin City area, which they describe as semi-professional. They say that about a year and a half earlier they had their “brush with fame”: a long conversation with [quote withheld] or, as they put it, [quote withheld] They say they dislike the word séance and prefer [quote withheld] A group of people with a strong interest in 1930s gangsters decided to hold such a gathering on the anniversary of Dillinger's death, July 22. They say the first half of the evening was a warm-up in which they invited whatever spirits wanted to come and spoke to several. They ran a tape recorder in the hope of capturing electronic voice phenomena (EVP). On playback of that first half they got no EVP, only room noise and the human side of the conversation. After a short break they called on Dillinger. Five to ten seconds into the work, they say, something entered the room claiming to be John Dillinger. They say they spoke with it aloud for about thirty to forty-five minutes, not with a Ouija board, receiving what they call psychic impressions in reply. They say they asked about the fate of gang members, including Red Hamilton. Hamilton was supposedly shot in the back in a chase from Hastings, Minnesota, to St. Paul, Minnesota, and died several days later, though rumors held that he survived. The presence, they say, answered that Red got out and lived to a ripe old age. Three or four people at the table, they report, had the distinct impression they were being lied to, and some suspected Dillinger had killed associates to move faster. On playback, they say, the tape of that session went completely blank about five to ten seconds in, with not even the human conversation recorded, although most at the table could see the recorder running. Asked whether they kept recordings, they say they have kept them but have never obtained decent EVPs. They say they had not had good equipment, usually pocket recorders.
Reported events, in order
- 0:00
The caller says they are in Monticello, Minnesota, listening on KSTP AM 1500.
- 0:11
The caller says they and a partner do semi-professional ghost work in the Twin City area.
- 0:49
The caller says their most famous conversation was with John Dillinger, about a year and a half earlier.
- 1:01
The caller adds that it was an entity claiming to be Dillinger.
- 1:32
The caller describes holding a [quote withheld]
- 1:48
A group with a strong interest in 1930s gangsters decides to make contact on the anniversary of Dillinger's death, July 22.
- 1:58
In the first half of the evening, they invite whatever spirits want to come and speak to several.
- 2:14
The caller describes precautions: calling on higher powers, God, and angels.
- 2:37
Tape recorders are running in the hope of documenting the evening and capturing EVP.
- 3:10
Playback of the first half yields no EVP, only room noise and the human conversation.
- 3:20
After a short break, they call on Mr. Dillinger.
- 3:30
Five to ten seconds in, something enters the room claiming to be John Dillinger.
- 3:33
They speak with it for about thirty to forty-five minutes.
- 3:44
The exchange is aloud, not with a Ouija board, with psychic impressions coming back.
- 4:15
They ask specific questions about the fate of gang members.
- 4:36
On playback, the tape of the Dillinger session goes completely blank about five to ten seconds in.
- 5:01
The caller says they kept the recordings but have never obtained decent EVPs, using pocket recorders.
- 5:25
They ask about Red Hamilton, reportedly shot in a chase from Hastings to St. Paul and rumored to have survived.
- 5:51
The presence answers that Red got out and lived to a ripe old age.
- 5:59
Three or four people at the table have the impression they were being lied to. Some suspect Dillinger killed associates.
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).
- observation· 3:30
Something entered the room claiming to be John Dillinger shortly after the group called on him.
- observation· 3:33
The group spoke with the presence aloud for roughly thirty to forty-five minutes and received psychic impressions in reply.
- observation· 4:15
The presence answered specific questions about the fate of Dillinger's gang members.
- observation· 4:36
The tape of the Dillinger session went completely blank about five to ten seconds in, with not even the human conversation recorded.
- observation· 4:41
Most people at the table could see the tape recorder was running at the time.
- observation· 3:10
The playback of the first half of the evening produced no EVP, only room noise and the human side of the conversation.
- interpretation· 1:01
The caller describes the contact as an entity claiming to be Dillinger, not Dillinger himself.
- interpretation· 5:59
Three or four people at the table had the distinct impression they were being lied to.
- hearsay· 5:51
The presence said Red Hamilton survived and lived to a ripe old age.
- interpretation· 6:10
Some at the table suspected Dillinger killed associates to speed their deaths so he could move faster.
- host statement· 6:17
The host remarks that such behavior would be expected of Dillinger.
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 firsthand story from someone present, with a specific date, named places, and a coherent sequence. But the core contact rests on “psychic impressions” that cannot be verified, and the tape problem has an easy equipment explanation that the caller partly accepts.
Evidence for and against
- The caller states they were present at the gathering and describes its sequence.
- Specific details are given: the July 22 anniversary, the Hastings-to-St. Paul chase, and the name Red Hamilton.
- The caller separates the presence from Dillinger himself and describes their own work as only semi-professional.
- The communication is described only as “psychic impressions,” with nothing that can be checked beyond the presence's answer.
- The caller notes poor recording equipment, which fits an ordinary tape failure.
- The group had a strong prior interest in 1930s gangsters and prepared questions in advance.
- The labels showing who is speaking shift during this part of the broadcast.
- The number of participants is never stated.
- The tape itself was never examined on air.
- 1:01
- 3:44
- 5:08
What the model inferred (not said on air): Scores by part: closeness to events 20 (firsthand, but the paranormal content is subjective); specifics 12; consistency 15; other explanations 7; calibration 12. The story is coherent and the caller hedges their central claim, but the events described are largely impressions that cannot be verified.
The caller says tape recordings of the session exist and that they kept them. That places the story in the range for claimed but unexamined physical evidence. Several witnesses are claimed, but none speaks on air.
Evidence for and against
- The caller says tape recorders were running and that they have kept the recordings.
- The caller claims several people at the table saw the recorder running during the blank passage.
- No recording is played, and the host does not describe examining one.
- No second participant speaks on air.
- The caller says they have never obtained any decent EVPs.
- Whether the tapes still exist and what they contain is not stated beyond the caller's word.
- 5:01
- 4:41
What the model inferred (not said on air): The 26 to 40 range applies because physical evidence (tape recordings) is claimed to exist but was not examined. No outside check was done, so the cap of 50 is not approached.
The story is a deliberate, controlled attempt at contact, not an intrusion. The strange events, a blank tape and a presence that may have lied, are more puzzling than frightening.
Evidence for and against
- The caller describes precautions and calling on higher powers, which frames the event as managed rather than threatening.
- The suspicion that the presence lied and that Dillinger may have killed associates adds a mildly sinister note.
- No threat, physical contact, harm, or bedroom intrusion is reported.
- The setting is a planned group gathering with a warm-up phase.
- The mood of the encounter for those taking part is not described beyond the impression of being lied to.
- 2:14
- 4:36
What the model inferred (not said on air): Judged as entertainment value: an unresolved but nonviolent séance story with one eerie detail (the blank tape).
A séance aimed at a named 1930s gangster on the anniversary of his death, with a blanked tape and a presence suspected of lying, is a distinctive frame, not the standard haunted-house repertoire.
Evidence for and against
- The target is a specific historical criminal, contacted on the anniversary of his death.
- The reported strange event is an inverted one: the first tape recorded, and the session tape did not.
- The caller's reading is that the presence may have been lying about a gang member's fate.
- Séance and EVP elements are themselves common motifs in this archive.
- The setting and structure (a group around a table, a tape recorder) are familiar.
- The comparison with the rest of the archive is provisional at this pilot stage.
- 1:48
- 4:36
What the model inferred (not said on air): Score set at 72: a familiar séance frame with a distinctive target figure and an unusual tape outcome.
Scoring confidence 0.65 · analysis confidence 0.75 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller's firsthand story; Claimed tape recordings kept by the caller, not examined; Claimed multiple witnesses at the table, none speaking on air. The originality score blends the model's score (72) 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.
- Shared expectation and subtle cues within a group that had prepared specific questions and had a strong prior interest in 1930s gangsters could explain the “psychic impressions” participants reported. · The caller says the group had [quote withheld] and had prepared specific questions for the session.
- The blank stretch of tape could come from a recorder or tape failure, not anything strange. The caller notes their equipment was poor. · They say [quote withheld] and that they were “usually pocket recorders.”
- The impression that the presence was lying may reflect the participants' own earlier beliefs about Dillinger's reputation, not anything from the session. · The caller notes Dillinger [quote withheld] and that some at the table reasoned from it.
What stands out
The story is framed not as a haunting but as a deliberate, taped attempt to contact a named historical criminal on the anniversary of his death. The strange event is an inverted one: the first tape recorded normally while the session tape went blank. The caller's own reading is that the presence may have been lying, not that it was Dillinger.
Related stories
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