The Ghost of the Banta Inn

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MYS404: A saloon built in 1879. A bartender who died behind the bar in 1968. And decades of witnesses who insist he never left. Jimmy Akin speaks with parapsychologist Lloyd Auerbach about the Banta Inn in Tracy, California — a case packed with multiple eyewitnesses, physical phenomena, and events captured on camera.

Patrons reported seeing Tony Gukan sitting in the corner playing two-handed poker — even if they had never seen him alive. Others watched coins stack themselves in neat rows inside the register. Bottles slid across the bar. Glasses flew without breaking. A jukebox reportedly played while unplugged.

Can objects move without a living agent? Can a ghost interact intelligently with witnesses? If multiple strangers identify the same apparition from a photo lineup, what does that mean?

Psychics independently described Tony before being shown photographs. A physicist from Lawrence Livermore National Lab admitted he might need to “rethink physics.” Even a skeptical sheriff’s deputy changed his mind after witnessing a spoon rise from water and shoot across a kitchen. Jimmy analyzes the case from both faith and reason. Could this be demonic? Could it be poltergeist activity? Under the principle of phenomenal conservatism, the simplest explanation may be the one the witnesses themselves reported: an apparition.

Is this one of the strongest modern ghost cases on record?

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Links for this episode:

Chapters:

  • 0:12 – Intro
  • 3:51 – Thank you to Patrons
  • 4:22 – Sponsor: Rosary Army and School of Mary
  • 4:45 – Sponsor: The Grady Group
  • 5:02 – History of the Banta Inn
  • 10:23 – Tony’s death and first ghost reports
  • 18:23 – Physical phenomena
  • 26:33 – Skeptics confronted
  • 35:22 – Unplugged jukebox plays
  • 43:37 – Other investigators
  • 53:02 – Chandelier stops mid-swing
  • 56:14 – Caught on camera
  • 58:32 – Ongoing activity and later years
  • 1:00:48 – Lloyd’s books and courses
  • 1:06:32 – Lloyd’s web site and YouTube
  • 1:09:00 – Faith Perspective
  • 1:10:34 – Reason Perspective
  • 1:11:26 – Bottom Line
  • 1:11:51 – Further Resources
  • 1:12:17 – Mysterious Feedback: #393 Sword of St. Michael and More Weird Questions
  • 1:19:10 – Your mysterious feedback
  • 1:19:46 – Thank you to Oasis Studio 7
  • 1:19:51 – Jimmy’s YouTube channel
  • 1:20:21 – Next Time: The Myth of the Zodiac Killer?
  • 1:20:54 – Share the show
  • 1:21:04 – Get your Mysterious merch
  • 1:21:11 – Show notes
  • 1:21:19 – Become a Patron
  • 1:21:27 – Become a Sponsor
  • 1:22:27 – Outro

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