The Seller w/ audio

The Seller

Introduction

Following the alarming claims made by truck owner Dave Gibson, the investigation turned to the source of the alleged threats: Bobby Hill Jr., the Plainfield resident who sold Gibson the truck. Shane Bugbee, author of "I STOLE ED GEIN'S TOMBSTONE" and architect of the tour, initiated the call to verify Gibson's story and document the raw anger of a community whose dark history was being commercialized. The objective was to capture the authentic, unfiltered reaction that such a provocation was calculated to produce.

The conversation immediately revealed a competing narrative of fraud and betrayal. Hill vehemently denied the truck's authenticity and pointed the finger for the most violent threats directly at the victim's own family. This transcript captures a pivotal moment where the story's foundation began to crack, revealing a far more complex and personal feud. To understand how this confrontation fits into a larger pattern of artistic provocation, read the new book, "I STOLE ED GEIN'S TOMBSTONE." The original audio is included above.

Transcript: The Bobby Hill Jr. Phone Call

Shane Bugbee: Hello? Hi, is Bob in?

Bobby Hill Jr.: Just a minute. Hello.

Shane Bugbee: Hey, how you doing Bob? My name's Shane. You met me once when I was down there with Dave. Do you remember Dave, the guy who bought that truck off you?

Bobby Hill Jr.: Yeah.

Shane Bugbee: Yeah. So Dave recently called me about some problem you guys have and I said since I've been working with Dave, forget Dave. I go right to the source. What's the problem man?

Bobby Hill Jr.: You talking about Dave Gibson?

Shane Bugbee: Yeah.

Bobby Hill Jr.: What the problem is, is what the hell does he think he's doing putting that truck on eBay?

Shane Bugbee: Is he full of shit or something?

Bobby Hill Jr.: Fucking right. He is.

Shane Bugbee: Okay, well I don't mean to bother you man at home or anything, but me and Dave got business so I figured, and Dave calls me and tells me his stuff and I said, I'm just going to call you and figure out what's going on here instead of listening to Dave.

Bobby Hill Jr.: Well the thing is, is he wanted me to sign a piece of paper that it was Ed Gein's truck and I said, you're fucking nuts man. I said, that was Bruce Beggs's. I said, that shit don't want to be talked about in fucking Plainfield. And I says, if the Wardens find out about it, he is going to be in deep shit because I know Leon ain't going to fuck around. He'll take care of it.

Shane Bugbee: Oh, Leon Warden. But who's Bruce Beggs?

Bobby Hill Jr.: Bruce Beggs is the guy that my dad bought the truck from. I never told him it was fucking Ed Gein's and he knows that for a fucking fact.

Shane Bugbee: Oh okay. Oh that's how you found out about this was at the gas station.

Bobby Hill Jr.: Exactly. Somebody confronted her about it being on eBay and I got on eBay and I seen the article myself and I notified my sisters about it and my sisters called Waushara County about it. The guy, that shit, especially when you bring up somebody's fucking family into it and especially the deceased is family. There's sick fuckers out there that are into that shit, but there's also people out there that definitely don't want it fucking going on. And I told him that for a fact that he is going to get himself in some trouble if he fucking does it.

Shane Bugbee: Well, yeah, I remember. Do you remember meeting me? You told me about selling those meat grinders, the college kids and stuff. Do you remember that? I bought some paperwork off you.

Bobby Hill Jr.: Yeah, I think some old stuff or...

Shane Bugbee: Well yeah, Dave just said you guys, you called and threatened to skin him alive or some shit. And I was like...

Bobby Hill Jr.: I didn't fucking call nobody.

Shane Bugbee: Oh, someone else called him?

Bobby Hill Jr.: Well it was Leon Warden. I talked to him. He fucking knows he told him his name.

Shane Bugbee: Oh, Leon Warden called to threaten to skin him.

Bobby Hill Jr.: He told him that he is going to fucking hang him in a fucking tree and skin him like Ed skinned his grandmother.

Shane Bugbee: Damn man. That's crazy.

Bobby Hill Jr.: Well now think about it dude. Would you want somebody fucking profiting off your grandmother's death that some fucking idiot fucking went out and butchered her out?

Shane Bugbee: Well, I'm not saying I would or wouldn't. I wouldn't want it rubbed in my face. I understand. I mean I definitely wouldn't want it to be some guy who lives in my community down the block... People are profiting off Ed Gein, they make movies about him, books all day long. The judge in the case wrote a book.

Bobby Hill Jr.: Exactly.

Shane Bugbee: So there's a ton of people making a ton of money off Ed Gein. But I mean if he lived three doors down from me, I'd definitely think about going and punching him in the throat...

Bobby Hill Jr.: Well I tell you what, when a guy specifically tells you that he ain't going to sign a fucking piece of paper stating the fact that it was Ed Gein's truck and everybody that knows Ed Gein didn't have a fucking Dodge truck. So I don't know where he thinks he's going to get off getting $90,000. He is going to be lucky if he makes the money that he bought it from me back.

Shane Bugbee: What'd he pay for it?

Bobby Hill Jr.: $800.