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A BLUEPRINT THAT HOLDS THE KEY
TO ONE OF THE MOST TRAGIC DISASTERS IN U.S. HISTORY...
IT ALL HAPPENED IN WHAT SEEMS LIKE A FRACTION OF A SECOND.
A CHILD'S DOLL THAT HARBORS A SINISTER SECRET...
(woman) I DIDN'T WANT TO GO NEAR IT.
I DIDN'T WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.
(Don) AND AN ANCIENT JOURNAL THAT PROVES TRUTH
REALLY IS STRANGER THAN FICTION.
THEY HAD BEEN TO THE DEPTHS OF HELL
AND BACK.
I'M DON WILDMAN.
(Don) JOIN ME ON A JOURNEY ACROSS THE UNITED STATES
AS WE GO DEEP INTO THE VAULTS
OF THE NATION'S MOST REVERED INSTITUTIONS,
UNEARTHING WONDROUS TREASURES FROM THE PAST,
EXTRAORDINARY ARTIFACTS,
AND BIZARRE RELICS,
(gunshot)
AND A SECRET TO BE REVEALED.
THESE ARE THE MYSTERIES AT THE MUSEUM.
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
Captioned by Closed Captioning Services, Inc.
MONROE, CONNECTICUT--
THIS IDYLLIC NEW ENGLAND TOWN
IS HOME TO A BIZARRE COLLECTION OF ARTIFACTS
THAT ARE NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART.
THIS IS THE WARREN'S OCCULT MUSEUM.
I WOULD DESCRIBE THIS MUSEUM
AS PROBABLY THE MOST HAUNTED LOCATION,
I'D SAY, ON EARTH,
BECAUSE THE OBJECTS THAT ARE HERE
ARE UNHOLY. THEY'RE UNBLESSED.
SINCE 1952,
THIS UNCONVENTIONAL MUSEUM
HAS HOUSED A SINISTER ARRAY
OF SKULLS, SATANIC IDOLS,
AND OTHER CURSED OBJECTS.
BUT ACCORDING TO CURATOR TONY SPERA,
THE MOST DIABOLICAL ITEM HERE
IS A SIMPLE CHILD'S DOLL
NAMED ANNABELLE.
THE DOLL, AT FIRST GLANCE, LOOKS LIKE ANY OTHER RAG DOLL.
IT'S GOT THE STRINGY HAIR.
IT'S GOT THE BUTTON EYES.
AND IT'S GOT STRIPED FEET.
IT'S JUST A BEAUTIFUL LITTLE DOLL TO SOME LITTLE GIRL.
BUT THIS DOLL IS NOT THE KIND OF DOLL
YOU WANT TO GIVE TO YOUR DAUGHTER.
THE CURATORS AT THE WARREN'S OCCULT MUSEUM
BELIEVE THAT ANNABELLE
HAS THE POWER TO KILL.
WE BELIEVE IT'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATH OF A YOUNG MAN
THAT CAME HERE TO THE MUSEUM.
SO WHAT IS THE REAL STORY
BEHIND THIS DEVILISH DOLL NAMED ANNABELLE?
CONNECTICUT, 1970--
A NURSING STUDENT NAMED DONNA
IS CELEBRATING HER 28th BIRTHDAY
WITH HER ROOMMATE ANGIE.
TO MARK THE OCCASION,
DONNA'S MOTHER HAS SENT HER A RAG DOLL.
BUT WHAT NONE OF THEM KNOW
IS THAT THIS IS NO ORDINARY DOLL.
DONNA KEEPS THE TOY ON HER BED
AS A REMINDER OF HER MOTHER'S LOVE.
THEN ONE DAY WHEN THE GIRLS COME HOME FROM CLASS,
THEY NOTICE SOMETHING STRANGE.
AND THEY COME HOME,
AND THE DOLL'S LEGS WOULD BE CROSSED,
OR THE ARMS WOULD BE CROSSED.
AND THEY STARTED TO GET A LITTLE SUSPICIOUS.
LIKE, WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THIS DOLL?
AND IT SEEMS THAT THE DOLL'S POWERS DON'T STOP THERE.
THEY FIND NOTES WRITTEN ON PARCHMENT PAPER IN PENCIL
SAYING THINGS LIKE "HELP ME," "HELP US,"
LITTLE NOTES THAT DIDN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.
AT FIRST THE GIRLS SEEK A RATIONAL EXPLANATION
THE GIRLS THOUGHT
MAYBE SOMEONE'S GETTING INTO THE APARTMENT.
WHAT THEY DID IS THEY WOULD MARK THINGS TO SEE IF--
WHEN YOU WALK IN THE DOOR,
YOU'RE GONNA MOVE THE RUG A LITTLE BIT.
THE NURSES SAID, "WE'LL KNOW IF SOMEONE WAS IN HERE."
WELL, NOTHING WAS MOVED
EXCEPT THE DOLL.
THAT FREAKED 'EM OUT.
FEARING THAT THERE MAY BE A MALIGNANT FORCE
AT WORK IN THEIR APARTMENT,
THE GIRLS CALL IN A MEDIUM AND HOLD A SéANCE.
THE PSYCHIC SAID,
"YOU HAVE A SPIRIT OF A LITTLE GIRL NAMED ANNABELLE.
SHE WAS KILLED IN-- IN THIS APARTMENT."
THEN THE MEDIUM REVEALS
THAT THE SPIRIT OF THE DEAD GIRL
HAS POSSESSED THE DOLL.
"SHE'S IN THAT DOLL.
SHE'S THE ONE THAT'S TRYING TO COMMUNICATE."
NOW THEY'RE CONCERNED FOR ANNABELLE.
AND NOW THEY'RE REALLY, REALLY STARTING
STARTING TO TREAT ANNABELLE AS A HUMAN.
BUT NOT EVERYONE IS CONVINCED.
DONNA'S FRIEND LOU REFUSES TO BELIEVE
THE DOLL IS POSSESSED--
A MISTAKE HE WOULD COME TO REGRET.
ONE AFTERNOON, WHILE LOU IS TAKING A NAP,
HE HAS A TERRIFYING NIGHTMARE.
ANNABELLE WAS CRAWLING UP HIS LEG,
COMING AT HIM.
HE SAID, "AND THEN SHE GETS TO THE TOP NEAR MY NECK,
"AND SHE STARTS TO SQUEEZE MY NECK,
LIKE SHE'S TRYING TO STRANGLE ME."
LOU WAKES UP GASPING FOR BREATH.
AND WHEN HE LOOKED DOWN AND OPENED HIS SHIRT UP,
HE COULD ACTUALLY SEE CLAW MARKS.
NOW THEY KNEW. THEY WERE FRIGHTENED.
DESPERATE TO BE RID OF THE EVIL EFFIGY,
DONNA AND ANGIE CONTACT ED AND LORRAINE WARREN,
FOUNDERS OF THE WARREN'S OCCULT MUSEUM.
AND THE WARRENS HAVE SOME ALARMING NEWS.
THEY BELIEVE THAT THE SPIRIT LURKING WITHIN THE DOLL
ISN'T A DEAD GIRL, BUT A DEMON.
(Lorraine) I DIDN'T WANT TO TAKE THE DOLL.
AND I DIDN'T WANT TO GO NEAR IT.
I DIDN'T WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.
BUT ED WARREN IS WILLING TO FACE DOWN THE DOLL.
HE AGREES TO COLLECT ANNABELLE
AND BRING HER BACK TO THE MUSEUM.
THE CAR RIDE HOME WAS TERRIBLE.
YOU KNEW THAT YOU WERE CARRYING SOMETHING
THAT WAS BAD,
EVIL.
(Tony) HE'D BE TAKING CORNERS,
(tires squealing)
AND THEN IT WOULD START TO STALL OUT ON HIM--
VERY UNCHARACTERISTIC OF THE CAR.
FINALLY, HE STOPPED THE CAR.
HE TOOK A VIAL OF HOLY WATER,
AND HE SPRINKLED IT ON ANNABELLE IN THE BACK SEAT,
AND HE MADE THE SIGN OF THE CROSS.
ED'S ACTIONS MAY HAVE SAVED THEIR LIVES.
HE SEEMED TO CALM ANNABELLE DOWN
ENOUGH TO MAKE IT HOME SAFELY.
AND FOR A TIME,
IT SEEMS AS IF THE SPIRIT
THAT APPEARED TO INHABIT ANNABELLE
HAS BEEN CAST OUT,
UNTIL SEVERAL YEARS LATER,
WHEN ONE SKEPTICAL VISITOR
CHALLENGES ANNABELLE TO DEMONSTRATE HER POWERS.
THIS YOUNG MAN-- HE RUNS UP TO THE CASE.
HE SAYS, "THIS IS A BUNCH OF BUNK.
"I DON'T BELIEVE ANY OF THIS STUFF.
"IF THIS THING CAN PUT SLASHES ON SOMEBODY,
DO SOMETHING TO ME RIGHT NOW." ED WAS, LIKE, FLABBERGASTED.
HE SAID, "SON, I'M SORRY, YOU HAVE TO LEAVE."
THREE HOURS LATER
THIS YOUNG MAN WAS DEAD.
HE DIED INSTANTLY
WHEN HE HIT A TREE HEAD-ON WITH HIS MOTORCYCLE.
DID ANNABELLE PUT A CURSE ON THE MAN
AND CAUSE HIS DEATH?
OF COURSE, THERE'S NO WAY TO PROVE IT.
THE LESSON YOU LEARN FROM THIS STORY
IS YOU DO NOT CHALLENGE EVIL.
YOU DO NOT CHALLENGE THE DEMONIC.
AND WHETHER YOU BELIEVE IT OR NOT,
THIS CHILLING TALE IS ENOUGH TO PERSUADE VISITORS
TO THE WARREN'S OCCULT MUSEUM
TO CHOOSE THEIR WORDS CAREFULLY
WHEN IN THE PRESENCE OF ANNABELLE THE DOLL.
CLEVELAND, OHIO--
IN THE HEART OF THIS MIDWESTERN CITY
IS ONE OF ITS MOST PROMINENT AND TREASURED LANDMARKS--
THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART.
ACCORDING TO MUSEUM DIRECTOR DAVID FRANKLIN,
ITS GALLERIES HOUSE MORE THAN 40,000 OBJECTS
FROM AROUND THE WORLD,
SPANNING 6,000 YEARS OF ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT.
YOU REALLY SEE THE BEST OF THE BEST
IN THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM-- DRAWINGS BY MICHELANGELO,
SCULPTURE BY PRAXITELES,
MASTERPIECES BY CARAVAGGIO AND MONET,
ARTISTS OF THAT STATURE.
BUT ONE OF THE MOST INTRIGUING PIECES
IN THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION
SITS NOT INSIDE ITS WALLS
BUT OUTSIDE ITS FRONT DOORS.
IT'S MADE OF BRONZE,
WEIGHS 1,600 POUNDS,
AND ON TOP OF ITS PEDESTAL
RISES 6 FEET HIGH.
IT'S CALLED "THE THINKER,"
AND ACCORDING TO ART HANDLER JOHN BEUKEMANN,
IT'S ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC SCULPTURES
IN THE WORLD.
IT'S BECOME A SYMBOL OF PHILOSOPHY,
SELF-REFLECTION.
IT IS A SYMBOL
OF MAN'S ABILITY TO CONTEMPLATE
HIS PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE.
THIS STATUE IS 1 OF MORE THAN 20 CASTS OF "THE THINKER"
THAT THE FRENCH ARTIST AUGUSTE RODIN
MADE OVER 100 YEARS AGO.
BUT EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE ALL CAST
FROM THE EXACT SAME MOLD,
THIS MUSEUM'S "THINKER" IS DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT
FROM THE OTHERS.
THE FEET ARE GONE.
AND THE BASE OF THE PEDESTAL
IS COMPLETELY OPEN.
AND THE SHEER UNEXPECTEDNESS OF THAT
ALWAYS STARTLES PEOPLE.
SO HOW DID ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS WORKS OF ART
COME TO BE SO BADLY DAMAGED
AND WHY?
MARCH 24, 1970,
12:45 A.M.--
A VIOLENT EXPLOSION GOES OFF
IN FRONT OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART.
AT THE CENTER OF THE BLAST
IS THE STATUE OF "THE THINKER."
THE STATUE WAS BLOWN COMPLETELY OFF ITS PEDESTAL
AND LANDED FACE-DOWN IN A PITIFUL CONDITION.
LUCKILY NO ONE IS INJURED IN THE BLAST,
BUT THE AFTERMATH LEAVES THE CITY REELING.
IT WAS AS IF SOMEONE HAD SLASHED
THE FACE OF "MONA LISA" OR SOMETHING, TO ME.
BUT WHO WOULD DESTROY AN ARTISTIC MASTERPIECE?
WE'VE RECEIVED NO-- NO WARNINGS,
NO NOTICES, NO PHONE CALLS.
AND, UH, WE SIMPLY HAVEN'T THE FOGGIEST IDEA
OF WHO-- WHO COULD'VE DONE IT.
FEARING THIS COULD BE THE OPENING SALVO
IN A SPATE OF TERRORIST ATTACKS,
POLICE LAUNCH AN IMMEDIATE INVESTIGATION.
IN A SPENT DYNAMITE CAP
THEY DISCOVER A HOMEMADE FUSE.
ITS CRUDE DESIGN
LEADS THEM TO CONCLUDE
THAT IT'S THE WORK OF AN AMATEUR BOMB-MAKER.
THE POLICE DID BELIEVE THAT IT WAS A HOMEMADE BOMB,
AND IT WAS PLACED IN BETWEEN THE LEGS.
INVESTIGATORS STILL HAVE NO IDEA
AS TO THE IDENTITY OF THE BOMB-MAKERS,
BUT AN EXAMINATION OF THE CRIME SCENE
DOES REVEAL ANOTHER CLUE.
THERE WAS A GRAFFITI ON THE SIDE OF THE MONUMENT'S BASE.
WE CAN ONLY MAKE OUT THE WORD "CLASS"
AT THE BOTTOM.
IT WAS SOMETHING SOMETHING SOMETHING "CLASS."
IF THAT GRAFFITI LINKED IT, THEN IT--
IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN CLASS WARFARE.
THE EARLY '70s ARE A SOCIALLY
AND POLITICALLY CHARGED TIME.
AND CLASS WARFARE IS A COMMON RALLYING CRY
FOR LEFT-WING GROUPS.
SO DID A CELL OF SOCIALIST RADICALS
BOMB "THE THINKER"?
♪♪
ON THE FRONT STEPS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART
IS ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC STATUES OF THE 19th CENTURY,
RODIN'S "THE THINKER."
BUT ITS HEAVY STEEL BODY IS HORRIBLY DISFIGURED.
(explosion)
AND THE NUMBER ONE SUSPECT-- AN UNNAMED GROUP OF RADICALS.
BUT WHO WOULD TARGET THIS PRECIOUS WORK OF ART
AND WHY?
POLICE DRAW UP A LIST OF ORGANIZATIONS
THEY BELIEVE COULD BE BEHIND THE BOMBING.
THE GROUP THAT TOPS THE LIST
IS A GANG OF HOMEGROWN REVOLUTIONARIES
WHOSE STATED AIM IS TO TOPPLE THE U.S. GOVERNMENT ITSELF.
THEIR NAME--
THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND
OR THE WEATHERMEN.
THEY HAD THE RALLYING CRY OF "BRING THE WAR HOME,"
AND THEY WERE KNOWN TO BOMB.
AND THEY WERE JUST GETTING GOING
IN--IN THE FALL OF '69 AND THE SPRING OF '70.
IN FACT,
THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND HAD RECENTLY USED
A HOMEMADE EXPLOSIVE
TO BLOW UP A POLICE MEMORIAL STATUE IN CHICAGO.
BUT WHY WOULD THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND
TARGET STATUES?
NEW YORK CITY,
FEBRUARY, 1970--
IT'S THREE WEEKS BEFORE THE "THINKER" BOMBING.
IN THE BASEMENT OF A GREENWICH VILLAGE TOWN HOUSE,
MEMBERS OF THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND
ARE SECRETLY ASSEMBLING NAIL BOMBS
PACKED WITH DYNAMITE.
AT THE TIME THEY WERE PLOTTING TO BOMB A DANCE
AT FORT DIX, NEW JERSEY, AND KILL OUR SOLDIERS.
BUT WHILE THEY'RE BUILDING THE BOMBS, DISASTER STRIKES.
(explosion)
THEY OBVIOUSLY WEREN'T VERY SOPHISTICATED BOMB-MAKERS,
AND THEY ENDED UP BLOWING THEMSELVES UP.
THE TOWN HOUSE IS REDUCED TO A PILE OF RUBBLE,
LEAVING THREE OF THE TERRORISTS DEAD.
DEVASTATED BY THIS LOSS,
THE GROUP MAKES A PIVOTAL DECISION
TO STOP TARGETING PEOPLE
AND ATTACK ICONIC LANDMARKS AND BUILDINGS INSTEAD.
AND POLICE WONDER IF THEIR FIRST STRIKE
IN THIS NEW CAMPAIGN OF TERROR
IS AGAINST "THE THINKER."
BY BOMBING THE STATUE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT,
THEY WOULD HAVE MADE
AN ANTIESTABLISHMENT STATEMENT,
WHILE MINIMIZING THE CHANCES OF CIVILIAN CASUALTIES.
BUT DESPITE THE CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE
POINTING TO THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND,
POLICE LACK SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
TO MAKE ANY ARRESTS,
AND THE CASE IS EVENTUALLY CLOSED.
THE STATUE IS RETURNED,
IN ITS STRIKINGLY MODIFIED CONDITION,
TO ITS ORIGINAL HOME AT THE FRONT OF THE MUSEUM,
WHERE IT STILL SITS TODAY.
IT WAS DECIDED THAT THAT VANDALISM
IN ITSELF COULD BECOME PART OF THE PIECE,
PART OF ITS HISTORY,
PART OF THE HISTORY OF CLEVELAND.
WE MAY NEVER KNOW WHO BOMBED "THE THINKER" IN 1970,
BUT ITS POSITION ON THE STEPS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART
SERVES AS A REMINDER
OF A TURBULENT TIME IN AMERICAN HISTORY
AND THE VIOLENT DEEDS OF A TERRORIST CELL
WHO WERE NEVER CAUGHT.
AT THE MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY IN BOSTON,
THE PROUD HISTORY OF ONE OF AMERICA'S OLDEST CITIES
IS ON DISPLAY.
IN ITS HOLDINGS ARE THOUSANDS
OF RARE DOCUMENTS AND ARTIFACTS
THAT TELL THE STORY OF OUR NATION'S COLORFUL PAST.
BUT DEEP IN THE MUSEUM'S ARCHIVE
LIES A RELIC
FROM A DANGEROUS AND TERRIFYING TIME.
ITS YELLOWING SURFACE IS LITTERED WITH SIGNATURES
OF VARYING SCRIPTS AND SIZES.
THIS AGING DOCUMENT IS INTRINSICALLY LINKED
TO ONE OF THE DARKEST MOMENTS
IN AMERICAN HISTORY,
WHEN A WAVE OF TERROR AND RECRIMINATION
SWEPT THROUGH A NEW ENGLAND COMMUNITY
LEAVING MORE THAN 20 PEOPLE DEAD
AND AN ENTIRE TOWN
PLAGUED BY FEARS
OF SORCERY AND BLACK MAGIC.
WHAT ROLE DID THIS PARCHMENT PLAY
IN THE INFAMOUS SALEM WITCH TRIALS?
SALEM, 1692--
IT IS A TYPICAL DAY IN THIS QUIET COMMUNITY
WHEN SUDDENLY TWO YOUNG GIRLS
BECOME STRANGELY ILL.
THESE GIRLS WOULD WRITHE ON THE FLOOR
AND LEAP OVER FURNITURE
AND SAY THAT THEY WERE BEING ATTACKED
AND PRICKED AND TORMENTED.
CONCERNED FOR THEIR DAUGHTERS' HEALTH,
THE GIRLS' PARENTS SEEK AID OF A DOCTOR.
AFTER EXAMINING THEM,
THE DOCTOR PRESENTS HIS DIAGNOSIS.
THE GIRLS HAVE BEEN CURSED
BY WITCHES.
FOR SALEM RESIDENTS,
THE IDEA THAT WITCHES MIGHT BE LIVING IN THEIR MIDST
IS NOTHING NEW.
IN 17th CENTURY NEW ENGLAND,
RELIGION IS A CENTRAL PILLAR OF LIFE.
AND NOTHING COULD BE WORSE
THAN PEOPLE WHO DEFIED RELIGION.
PEOPLE WHO PRACTICED WITCHCRAFT.
AT FIRST THE GIRLS CLAIM
THEY HAVE BEEN BEWITCHED BY A GROUP OF VAGRANT WOMEN.
THE PEOPLE INITIALLY ACCUSED OF WITCHCRAFT
ARE OUTSIDE OF THE MAINSTREAM OF THIS COMMUNITY,
PEOPLE WHO WERE THOUGHT OF AS BEING THE USUAL SUSPECTS.
WITH NO ONE TO DEFEND THEM,
THE ACCUSED WOMEN ARE IMPRISONED.
IF FOUND GUILTY,
THEY WILL BE HANGED.
BUT THE WITCH HUNT DOESN'T STOP THERE.
ACCORDING TO THE GIRLS,
THE TOWN IS HOST TO A COVEN OF WITCHES.
AND AT THE CENTER OF IT ALL IS AN ELDERLY MATRIARCH
WHO OUTWARDLY EXEMPLIFIES
ALL THE IDEALS OF PURITAN LIFE,
BUT WHO, ACCORDING TO ONE OF THE GIRLS,
IS A TERRIFYING AND RUTHLESS WITCH.
HER NAME IS REBECCA NURSE.
REBECCA NURSE
WAS THE MODEL NEW ENGLAND CITIZEN.
SHE WAS A 71-YEAR-OLD, PIOUS--
A MOTHER OF EIGHT GROWN CHILDREN WITH GRANDCHILDREN.
BUT HER UNTARNISHED REPUTATION
IS NOT ENOUGH TO COUNTER
THE ACCUSATIONS LAID AGAINST HER
THAT SHE IS A WITCH.
REBECCA NURSE WAS DEEPLY TROUBLED.
AND SO ARE HER NEIGHBORS.
IF REBECCA NURSE,
THIS UPSTANDING GRANDMOTHER,
COULD BE ACCUSED OF WITCHCRAFT,
THEN IT REALLY MEANT THAT NO ONE COULD BE SAFE.
ELDERLY REBECCA NURSE
PREPARES TO GO ON TRIAL
AND FIGHT FOR HER LIFE.
REBECCA ENTERS THE COURT.
ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, ONE OF HER YOUNG ACCUSERS
FALLS TO THE GROUND IN A GRIEVOUS FIT.
CONTINUING NOT JUST THE ACCUSATION
SHE MADE BEFORE,
BUT ACTING OUT RIGHT THERE BEFORE HER,
IT MUST HAVE LOOKED LIKE A CIRCUS.
THE BEWITCHED GIRL CLAIMS THAT SHE IS BEING TORMENTED
BY REBECCA'S GHOST.
ONE OF THE PROBLEMS REBECCA NURSE FACED
WAS THAT SHE WASN'T BEING ACCUSED
OF THINGS THAT SHE HAD PHYSICALLY DONE,
BUT THAT HER SPECTER HAD APPEARED TO PEOPLE
AND ABUSED OR TORMENTED OR TORTURED.
AND THIS TYPE OF SPECTRAL EVIDENCE
IS COMPLETELY PERMISSIBLE IN COURT.
THERE'S NO REAL ARGUMENT
AGAINST THESE ACCUSATIONS.
REBECCA NURSE
ESSENTIALLY HAS NO CHANCE.
REBECCA'S NEIGHBORS ARE APPALLED
BY THESE ABSURD ACCUSATIONS,
BUT THEY ARE TERRIFIED INTO SUBMISSION.
PEOPLE FOUND THEMSELVES IN THE VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION--
IF THEY STEPPED FORWARD TO DEFEND REBECCA,
THEY IN TURN COULD BE ACCUSED.
IF THEY SPEAK OUT,
IT COULD SPELL THEIR OWN DOOM.
THEIR OWN LIVES WOULD BE IN DANGER.
THE STAKES ARE LIFE OR DEATH.
WHAT WILL THEY DO?
♪♪
A FADED SHEET
OF YELLOW PARCHMENT IS ON DISPLAY
AT THE MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
IT COMES FROM ONE OF THE MOST TERRIFYING TIMES
IN AMERICAN HISTORY--
THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS.
AMONG THE ACCUSED IS A WELL-RESPECTED WOMAN
NAMED REBECCA NURSE.
AND WHEN SHE'S PUT ON TRIAL AS A WITCH,
THE STAKES ARE LIFE OR DEATH.
BUT REBECCA NURSE WILL NOT FACE HER ACCUSERS ALONE.
HER NEIGHBORS, WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY KEPT SILENT,
FEARING THEY, TOO, WOULD BE IMPLICATED,
DECIDE SOMETHING MUST BE DONE.
TOGETHER, THEY WRITE THIS PETITION.
THIS DOCUMENT READS,
"WE NEVER HAD ANY CAUSE OR GROUNDS
"TO SUSPECT HER OF ANY SUCH THING
AS SHE IS NOW ACCUSED OF."
THE PARCHMENT IS SIGNED
BY 39 OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL TOWNSFOLK
AND OFFERS REBECCA AN INVALUABLE BEACON OF HOPE.
IT SEEMS AS IF GOOD
WILL FINALLY PREVAIL.
ON JUNE 30th,
REBECCA'S VERDICT IS RETURNED.
SHE IS FOUND INNOCENT.
HER FRIENDS REJOICE,
BUT NOT FOR LONG.
WITH HER SUPPOSED VICTIMS
WRITHING ON THE FLOOR
AND CLAIMING HER SPECTER WAS STILL ATTACKING THEM,
THE JUDGES ORDERED THE JURY
TO RETIRE AND THINK AGAIN.
THIS TIME
THEY FIND HER GUILTY.
HER NEIGHBORS' HONORABLE ACT
HAS BEEN IN VAIN.
ON JULY 19th
REBECCA IS HANGED ON GALLOWS HILL,
BUT THE INJUSTICE DOESN'T STOP THERE.
THE PETITION NOT ONLY FAILS TO SAVE REBECCA'S LIFE,
IT MAY CONDEMN OTHERS TO DEATH.
IN TURN, IT LED TO ACCUSATIONS OF WITCHCRAFT
DIRECTED AGAINST SOME OF THEM.
BOTH OF REBECCA'S SISTERS ARE ARRESTED FOR WITCHCRAFT.
ONE IS HANGED.
JUST A FEW MONTHS LATER
THE MADNESS FINALLY COMES TO AN END.
SPECTRAL EVIDENCE IS DECLARED INADMISSIBLE,
AND THE SPECIAL COURT IS DISBANDED.
BUT THE DAMAGE IS ALREADY DONE,
A TRUTH MADE PAINFULLY EVIDENT BY A VISIT
TO THE MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY,
WHERE AN AGING PETITION PLEADS FOR MERCY
THAT WILL NEVER COME.
MINNESOTA--
IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN ST. PAUL
IS A BUILDING THAT HOUSES MANY OF THE RELICS
THAT SHAPED THE CHARACTER OF AMERICA'S 23rd STATE--
THE MINNESOTA HISTORY CENTER.
FROM A 19th-CENTURY MAIL WAGON
TO THE OUTLANDISH WARDROBE OF THE POP STAR PRINCE,
THE ARTIFACTS INSIDE THESE HALLS
REPRESENT MINNESOTA'S CROWNING ACHIEVEMENTS.
BUT TUCKED AWAY IN ITS VAULTS
IS AN UNASSUMING RELIC
THAT CURATOR MATT ANDERSON SAYS IS LINKED
TO ONE OF THE STATE'S DARKEST HOURS.
(Matt) IT MEASURES ABOUT 36 INCHES IN HEIGHT
BY 45 INCHES IN WIDTH.
AND IT'S VERY THIN-- ABOUT 1/16 OF AN INCH.
IT'S A STANDARD-ISSUE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SIGN.
A ROAD SIGN LIKE THIS COULD BE EASILY OVERLOOKED,
BECAUSE, REALLY, WE SEE THEM EVERY DAY.
BUT, UH, THIS SIGN HAS A SERIES
OF PRETTY PROMINENT SCUFF MARKS ON THE FRONT,
WHICH WOULD INDICATE
THAT IT'S BEEN THROUGH SOME KIND OF A TRAUMA.
THE SIGN BEARS WITNESS TO AN APOCALYPTIC MOMENT
IN THE CITY'S HISTORY, ONE THAT WILL FOREVER HAUNT
THOSE WHO WERE IN THE TWIN CITIES
ON A FATEFUL SUMMER DAY IN 2007.
AUGUST 1st--
IT'S JUST AFTER 6:00 P.M.
ON ONE OF THE BUSIEST CROSSINGS IN THE STATE--
THE I-35W BRIDGE.
WITH FOUR OF ITS EIGHT LANES CLOSED FOR REPAVING,
HUNDREDS OF COMMUTERS SIT IDLING IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC.
NONE OF THEM KNOW
THAT DISASTER IS ABOUT TO STRIKE.
WITHOUT WARNING,
THE BRIDGE'S CENTER SPAN SUDDENLY COLLAPSES...
SENDING CARS, TRUCKS, AND CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT
PLUMMETING INTO THE FRIGID WATER BELOW.
IT ALL HAPPENED IN--
IN WHAT SEEMS LIKE A FRACTION OF A SECOND.
AND I HAVE NO DOUBT THE PEOPLE WHO WERE ON THE BRIDGE
DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE WHAT HAD HAPPENED
UNTIL IT WAS ALL OVER AND DONE.
(man) WE HAVE A BREAKING STORY TO PASS ON TO YOU.
THERE HAS BEEN A MAJOR BRIDGE COLLAPSE
IN MINNEAPOLIS ON ONE OF THE...
(Don) IN AN INSTANT, THE BALMY SUMMER EVENING
IS TRANSFORMED INTO A SCENE
OF CATACLYSMIC DESTRUCTION.
A BUTTRESS HERE OF THE BRIDGE BUCKLED,
AND THE WHOLE THING CRUMBLED.
THAT FREE-FALL FEELING-- IT FELT LIKE WE DID THAT TWICE.
17 VEHICLES HAVE PLUNGED
NEARLY 100 FEET INTO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
MORE THAN 90 CARS
ARE STREWN ABOUT THE BROKEN HIGHWAY.
BY THE TIME THE SITE IS CLEARED
AND EVERYONE IS PULLED FROM THE WRECKAGE,
13 PEOPLE ARE DEAD
AND NEARLY 150 ARE INJURED.
AS THE COMMUNITY GRIEVES,
ONE QUESTION REMAINS--
WHY DID THIS BRIDGE, THAT HAD BORNE THE WEIGHT
OF HEAVY COMMUTER TRAFFIC FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS,
FAIL SO SUDDENLY?
♪♪
AN ORDINARY INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SIGN--
IT MAY LOOK LIKE SOMETHING
YOU'D SEE ON THE DRIVE TO WORK EVERY DAY.
BUT IN FACT, THE SCRATCHES AND SCARS
ON THIS HIGHWAY SHIELD,
NOW IN THE ARCHIVES OF THE MINNESOTA HISTORY CENTER,
TELL THE STORY OF ONE OF THE MOST TERRIBLE EVENTS
IN STATE HISTORY--
THE COLLAPSE OF MINNEAPOLIS' I-35W BRIDGE.
TO FIND OUT WHY THE BRIDGE COLLAPSED,
THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD
DEPLOYS A TEAM OF INVESTIGATORS.
FIRST THEY TURN THEIR ATTENTION
TO ONE OF THE BRIDGE'S UNIQUE FEATURES,
A MODIFICATION THAT WAS MADE
TO THE ORIGINAL STRUCTURE IN 1999
TO COPE WITH THE BRUTAL MINNESOTA WINTERS,
ITS DEICING SYSTEM.
THIS SYSTEM WOULD SPRAY CHEMICALS ON THE ROAD SURFACE
ANY TIME THE TEMPERATURE DROPPED BELOW A CERTAIN POINT
AND HELPED TO CAUSE THE ICE TO MELT
AND KEEP THE TRAVEL LANES SAFE AND FREE.
THE SYSTEM WAS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND
TO BE USED IN THE U.S.
AND SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED THE NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS
ON THE BRIDGE IN THE WINTERTIME.
BUT THE DEICING CHEMICAL,
A TYPE OF SALT CALLED POTASSIUM ACETATE,
MAY HAVE BEEN DOING MORE HARM THAN GOOD.
THE CHEMICAL AGENT HAD, IN FACT, BEEN CAUSING
SOMEWHERE ON THE BRIDGE--
CAUSING SOME CORROSION TO THE STEEL,
BUT NOT IN A SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH QUANTITY
TO BE A SERIOUS ISSUE
WITH THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE BRIDGE.
SO IF THE CHEMICALS WEREN'T TO BLAME, WHAT WAS?
THE ANSWER TO THIS MYSTERY WOULD ACTUALLY BE FOUND
DEEP IN THE ARCHIVES OF THE MINNESOTA HISTORY CENTER.
NOT LONG AFTER THE, UH, COLLAPSE,
THE INVESTIGATORS ACTUALLY CAME HERE TO LOOK AT OUR BLUEPRINTS
AND OUR COLLECTION OF STATE GOVERNMENT RECORDS
AND BEGAN TO FOCUS IN
ON THE ORIGINAL DESIGN OF THE BRIDGE TO SEE
IF THERE WAS, IN FACT, SOME ELEMENTAL STRUCTURAL DESIGN FLAW
THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE COLLAPSE.
1964--THE TWIN CITIES OF MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL
ARE BURSTING AT THE SEAMS.
TO ACCOMMODATE THE BURGEONING POPULATION,
THE STATE MUST EXPAND ITS INFRASTRUCTURE.
IT CONSTRUCTS ITS MOST AMBITIOUS
BRIDGE PROJECT TO DATE-- THE I-35W BRIDGE,
WHICH SPANS 2,000 FEET ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI.
AND WHEN YOU WERE DRIVING ACROSS THE BRIDGE,
IT REALLY DIDN'T LOOK ANY DIFFERENT
FROM ANY OTHER BRIDGE YOU MIGHT SEE,
BUT UNDERNEATH YOU SAW ALL THAT INTRICATE STEEL TRUSS WORK.
BUT IS THE BRIDGE'S COMPLEX TRUSS WORK
ALSO ITS ACHILLES' HEEL?
VERY QUICKLY THE INVESTIGATORS ZOOMED IN ON THE GUSSET PLATES
AS A POTENTIAL WEAK POINT.
THE GUSSET PLATES ARE STEEL SHEETS
THAT CONNECT THE BEAMS AND GIRDERS
THAT IN TURN SUPPORT THE ARCH AND BRIDGE DECK.
A CAREFUL ANALYSIS OF THESE PLATES
LEADS INVESTIGATORS TO A SHOCKING REALIZATION.
THE GUSSET PLATES WERE SIMPLY TOO SMALL FOR THE TASK.
THEY WERE MADE OUT OF STEEL THAT WAS 1/2 INCH THICK.
AS IT TURNS OUT, THAT WAS JUST TOO THIN
TO SUPPORT THE WEIGHT
OF THE 35W BRIDGE.
AN INITIAL ENGINEERING MISCALCULATION
MEANT THAT THE ALL-IMPORTANT GUSSET PLATES
WERE ONLY HALF AS THICK AS THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN.
HAD THEY BEEN MADE OUT OF INCH-THICK STEEL,
UH, THE BRIDGE WOULD PROBABLY STILL BE STANDING.
FOR THE I-35W BRIDGE,
IT WASN'T A QUESTION
OF IF DISASTER WOULD STRIKE, BUT WHEN.
IN SEPTEMBER, 2008,
AFTER 339 DAYS OF CONSTRUCTION,
THE NEW I-35W BRIDGE OPENS TO TRAFFIC
IN THE EXACT SAME SPOT WHERE THE OLD SPAN ONCE STOOD.
AND EACH DAY, THOUSANDS OF COMMUTERS
PASS BY THE NEW I-35W HIGHWAY SIGN,
WHOSE PREDECESSOR, STORED IN THE MINNESOTA HISTORY CENTER,
MARKS ONE OF THE DARKEST DAYS IN THE STATE'S HISTORY.
NANTUCKET, MASSACHUSETTS--
THIS TINY ISLAND WAS BUILT ON THE BACK
OF A ONCE-COLOSSAL INDUSTRY-- WHALING.
THE NANTUCKET WHALING MUSEUM
IS DEDICATED TO PRESERVING THE HERITAGE
OF THE SALTY TRADE THAT BROUGHT THIS ISLAND
FAME AND FORTUNE.
SKELETONS, FISHING BOATS,
AND HARPOONS ARE JUST A FEW OF THE SEAWORTHY ITEMS
IN THIS COLLECTION.
BUT PERHAPS THE MUSEUM'S MOST TREASURED OBJECT
HAS NEVER BEEN OUT TO SEA.
THE 105 PAGES
IN THIS TATTERED JOURNAL
ARE FILLED WITH METICULOUS LONGHAND
AND DETAILED ILLUSTRATIONS.
DISCOVERED IN 1960,
IT TELLS THE TALE FROM A CENTURY EARLIER,
AN EPIC BATTLE OF MAN VERSUS THE SEA,
A LEGENDARY STORY
OF SACRIFICE AND SURVIVAL.
WHAT TRAGIC EVENTS
ARE TOLD WITHIN THESE PAGES?
AND WHAT CLASSIC PIECE OF AMERICAN LITERATURE
DID THIS JOURNAL INSPIRE?
♪♪
♪♪
THE HISTORY OF NANTUCKET
IS FILLED WITH STORIES ABOUT EPIC BATTLES
OF MAN VERSUS THE SEA.
BUT ONE UNASSUMING JOURNAL
ON DISPLAY AT THE NANTUCKET WHALING MUSEUM
RECOUNTS A TRUE STORY SO SHOCKING
IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT IT ISN'T A WORK OF FICTION.
NANTUCKET, THE 1870s--
THOMAS NICKERSON SITS DOWN TO PEN HIS MEMOIRS.
THE RETIRED CAPTAIN HAS COUNTLESS ADVENTURES
TO DRAW UPON,
BUT IT IS THE MEMORY OF HIS VERY FIRST VOYAGE
AT THE TENDER AGE OF 14
THAT STANDS APART.
IN 1821,
HE SET SAIL ON THE WHALE SHIP "ESSEX"
IT WAS HIS YOUNG AMBITION TO GET ON BOARD THIS WHALE SHIP,
AND HE WAS ABLE TO JOIN ON AS THE CABIN BOY.
WHEN THE "ESSEX" REACHES THE PACIFIC,
THE HUNTING BEGINS.
ON THE MORNING OF NOVEMBER 20th,
A GROUP OF WHALES IS SPOTTED.
THE *** LAUNCH THE SMALL HUNTING BOATS.
THOMAS NICKERSON WAS AT THE HELM OF THE WHALE SHIP
WHEN THEY SPOTTED A WHALE ON THE HORIZON,
A HUGE BULL *** WHALE, KINDA LOOMING ON THE HORIZON.
THE MASSIVE CREATURE DISAPPEARS BENEATH THE WATER
THEN EMERGES RIGHT BESIDE THE "ESSEX."
THE SHIP BEGINS TO TURN AWAY FROM THE BEAST.
THEN SUDDENLY THE WHALE RAMS THE SHIP WITH ITS HEAD.
THE WHALE HAD DELIVERED A SHUDDERING BLOW
TO THIS VESSEL.
IT STOPPED IT DEAD IN ITS TRACKS.
NEVER BEFORE HAS A WHALE BOAT
BEEN ATTACKED BY ITS PREY.
THE MEN REASON THAT THIS ANGRY BEAST
IS AVENGING THE DEATH OF ITS FELLOW WHALES.
WITH THEIR SHIP CRITICALLY DAMAGED,
THE CREW ESCAPE IN THEIR SMALLER WHALE BOATS.
RELIEVED THAT THEIR LIVES HAVE BEEN SPARED,
THEY WATCH IN AWE
AS THE "ESSEX" PLUNGES BENEATH THE WAVES.
HERE THEY WERE, THESE THREE WHALE BOATS
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PACIFIC
WITH NO PROSPECTS, UH, BEFORE THEM.
THE CREW OF THE "ESSEX"
FACE A CRITICAL DECISION--
WHICH DIRECTION SHOULD THEY SAIL?
THE NEAREST LAND IS THE EXOTIC MARQUESAS ISLANDS
THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY.
THERE WAS THIS MYTHOLOGY AMONG SAILORS
THAT THEY WERE POPULATED BY CANNIBALS.
AND SO THERE WAS KIND OF A PRIMAL FEAR
ABOUT VENTURING INTO THOSE TERRITORIES.
INSTEAD, THE CREW HEADS EAST FOR SOUTH AMERICA,
A CHOICE THEY WOULD COME TO REGRET.
THE HARSH CONDITIONS OF THE OPEN SEA
WEAR ON THE MEN.
AND THEY ARE RUNNING OUT OF FOOD AND WATER.
THEY'RE ALL EMACIATED. THEY HAVE BOILS ON THEIR BODIES.
THEIR LIPS AND TONGUE ARE BLACK.
UNABLE TO TOLERATE THE AGONIZING CONDITIONS,
(man screaming)
WHILE OTHERS LOSE THE WILL TO LIVE
AND DIE.
IN A TRADITIONAL SAILOR BURIAL,
THEIR BODIES ARE RELEASED TO THE SEA.
IT'S NOT FOR SOME TIME THAT THEY WOULD START TO THINK
OF, UH, THE--THE BODIES OF THE DEAD
IN ANOTHER WAY.
AFTER WEEKS OF SURVIVING THE SEA,
THE THREE BOATS LOSE SIGHT OF EACH OTHER
AND ARE SEPARATED.
AND THIS WAS A GREAT BLOW TO THEIR SPIRITS.
IT LEFT THEM EVEN MORE LONELY AND DESPERATE
THAN THEY HAD BEEN BEFORE.
IT'S BEEN DAYS SINCE THE MEN HAVE LAST EATEN,
AND THEY ARE CRIPPLED BY HUNGER.
TOGETHER THEY MAKE A TERRIBLE PACT--
SOMEONE MUST DIE
IN ORDER TO SUSTAIN THE OTHERS.
THEY REACHED THE GRUESOME DECISION
TO DRAW LOTS AS TO WHO WOULD BE KILLED NEXT.
THE MAN WHO DRAWS THE SHORTEST LOT
(man screaming)
THE MAN WHO DRAWS THE SECOND-SHORTEST LOT
(man moaning)
THE MEN WATCH IN HORROR,
THEN CONSUME THE BODY
OF THE FALLEN SAILOR.
AND THEY'RE DESCRIBED
AS SUCKING THE MARROW FROM THE LIFE OF THE BONES.
(gunshot)
THE LIVING ARE FILLED WITH DREAD,
WONDERING WHO WILL BE THE NEXT TO DIE.
THEN AGAINST ALL ODDS,
A SHIP IS SPOTTED ON THE HORIZON,
AND THE FIVE SURVIVING CREW MEMBERS ARE RESCUED.
BUT SPIRITUALLY AND EMOTIONALLY,
THEY HAD BEEN TO THE DEPTHS OF HELL AND BACK,
AND THEY HAD SURVIVED.
20 YEARS LATER,
A YOUNG DECKHAND ON ANOTHER WHALE SHIP
LEARNS OF THE "ESSEX'S" ILL-FATED ADVENTURE.
CAPTIVATED BY THE HARROWING JOURNEY,
HE USES IT AS THE BASIS FOR A NOVEL.
THE YOUNG DECKHAND WAS HERMAN MELVILLE,
AND THE NOVEL WAS "MOBY-***."
THOMAS NICKERSON'S JOURNAL REMAINS ON VIEW
AT THE NANTUCKET WHALING MUSEUM,
REMINDING US THAT THE MONOLITHIC BEAST
OF MELVILLE'S TALE WAS REAL,
AND THAT THE MEN WHO FACED IT DOWN
LIVED TO TELL THE TALE.
PORTLAND, MAINE--
JUST STEPS AWAY FROM THE LOBSTER HOUSES
AND FISHING BOATS OF THIS PICTURESQUE NEW ENGLAND TOWN
SITS A BUILDING WHOSE CONTENTS ARE ANYTHING BUT QUAINT--
THE INTERNATIONAL CRYPTOZOOLOGY MUSEUM.
IT IS HOST TO A UNIQUE COLLECTION
OF FREAKISH FAUNA AND STRANGE SCIENCE.
INSIDE ITS GALLERIES,
2,300 SPECIMENS, REPLICAS, AND ARTIFACTS
DOCUMENT A SINGULAR MISSION--
TO CHRONICLE SIGHTINGS OF MYSTERIOUS CREATURES
FROM THE INFAMOUS BIGFOOT
TO FANTASTICAL LAKE MONSTERS
AND PREHISTORIC FISH.
THE INTERNATIONAL CRYPTOZOOLOGY MUSEUM
CONTAINS ALL KINDS OF EVIDENCE FOR CRYPTOZOOLOGY,
BUT IT ALSO INCLUDES FIGURES AND FIGURINES
THAT REPRESENT WHAT THE CREATURES LOOK LIKE.
ACCORDING TO CURATOR LOREN COLEMAN,
THESE OBJECTS RELATE TO AN EXOTIC VARIETY
OF CREATURES FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE.
BUT ONE EXHIBIT TELLS OF A LEGEND
MUCH CLOSER TO HOME.
IN THIS JAR YOU CAN SEE CLEARLY
THAT THERE'S SOME KIND OF MYSTERIOUS BLOB OF FLESH HERE
COVERED IN DARK BLACK HAIR.
NEXT TO IT IS A PIECE OF BONE.
A COLLARBONE
AND A SEVERED FOOT.
SOME PEOPLE SAY THEY BELONGED TO A SINISTER BEAST
THAT ONCE STALKED THE WOODS OF CENTRAL MAINE,
A BLOODTHIRSTY CREATURE THAT LURKED IN THE NIGHT,
AN ANIMAL THAT BECAME KNOWN
AS "THE MAINE MUTANT."
IT WAS VARIOUSLY DESCRIBED
AS A BLACK PANTHER,
AS A BLACK HYENA,
AS SOMETHING HUGE THAT WOULD SCREAM,
THAT WOULD KILL LIVESTOCK,
AND NOBODY COULD EVER CATCH IT.
BUT WHAT WAS THIS MYSTERIOUS CREATURE?
AND COULD THE CONTENTS OF THIS JAR
PROVE ITS EXISTENCE?
1991, LITCHFIELD, MAINE--
IT'S THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.
MARTHA DAVID AND HER HUSBAND ARE SOUND ASLEEP
WHEN THEY ARE AWAKENED BY A SPINE-CHILLING SOUND.
THEY WERE HEARING UNGODLY SCREECHES
LIKE A BLOODCURDLING YELL.
LURKING IN THE WOODS BY THEIR HOUSE
IS A SHADOWY CREATURE.
(animal growling)
IT MOVES ON FOUR LEGS.
AND THEY'RE NOT THE ONLY ONES
TO CLAIM THEY HAVE ENCOUNTERED THIS TERRIFYING ANIMAL.
YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF REPORTS
OF PEOPLE SEEING FIERY EYES,
SEEING SHADOWY FIGURES, USUALLY DARK,
HEARING THESE SCREECHES IN THE NIGHT.
BUT DESPITE DOZENS OF ALLEGED SIGHTINGS,
(animal growling)
WHAT IS OUT THERE?
(animal screeching)
IT WASN'T QUITE A MOUNTAIN LION,
BUT IT WASN'T EXACTLY A BLACK PANTHER,
SO PEOPLE WERE CONFUSED.
BUT BY THE END OF THE DECADE,
RESIDENTS ARE NO LONGER MERELY HEARING STRANGE NOISES
AND SEEING SHADOWY FIGURES.
THE ANIMAL, WHATEVER IT IS,
IS TURNING VIOLENT.
ANY OF THE LARGE HUNTING BREEDS
THAT PEOPLE HAD AROUND THEIR FARMS--
DOBERMANS, ROTTWEILERS, GERMAN SHEPHERDS--
WERE BEING KILLED BY THIS CREATURE.
BUT THIS IS JUST THE START
OF THE CREATURE'S REIGN OF TERROR.
WHEN ANOTHER SPATE OF ATTACKS IS REPORTED,
RESIDENTS LAUNCH A STATEWIDE HUNT.
(barking, whimpering)
BUT WHAT KIND OF CREATURE
COULD BE BEHIND THE KILLINGS?
AUGUST 14, 2006,
TURNER, MAINE--
A WOMAN HEARS HER DOG BARKING FRANTICALLY.
SHE GOES OUTSIDE TO INVESTIGATE
AND STUMBLES UPON A MYSTERIOUS CARCASS.
THE DEAD ANIMAL HAS THICK, MATTED FUR,
MONSTROUS FANGS, AND AN UPTURNED SNOUT.
IS IT A MUTANT COYOTE,
A STRANGE WOLF-DOG HYBRID,
OR COULD IT BE SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY?
♪♪
FOR TWO DECADES, MAINE RESIDENTS ARE TERRORIZED
(animal screeching and growling)
A SINISTER FANGED BEAST
KNOWN ONLY AS THE MAINE MUTANT.
BUT WHAT IS THIS BIZARRE ANIMAL?
IN AUGUST, 2006,
A LOCAL WOMAN COMES ACROSS A STRANGE CARCASS.
(animal growling)
ARE THESE THE REMAINS OF THE CREATURE ITSELF?
THE DEAD ANIMAL LOOKS EERILY SIMILAR
TO THE MYSTERY BEAST THAT HAS MAULED DOGS
AND MENACED RESIDENTS FOR ALMOST 20 YEARS.
WHEN WORD OF THE FIND GETS OUT,
THE MEDIA GO INTO OVERDRIVE.
THE WORD "MAINE MUTANT" WAS USED FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER.
HAS THE LEGEND OF THE MUTANT MONSTER
FINALLY COME TO AN END IN THIS OVERGROWN FIELD?
REPORTERS CONTACT
THE STATE'S BEST-KNOWN CRYPTOZOOLOGIST LOREN COLEMAN.
WE WENT OUT THERE IMMEDIATELY THE NEXT DAY.
BUT IT'S NOT SOON ENOUGH.
VULTURES HAVE PICKED APART THE CARCASS.
THE ONLY WAY TO DETERMINE WHAT THE ANIMAL WAS
IS TO ORDER A D.N.A. TEST.
STATE OFFICIALS COLLECT A FOOT AS A SAMPLE
AND SEND IT TO A LAB.
TWO WEEKS LATER, THE SAMPLE REPORT CAME BACK,
AND THEY SAID THIS IS A DOG.
WAS THE INFAMOUS MAINE MUTANT A FERAL DOG?
MANY BELIEVE IT WAS.
FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS,
NO ATTACKS ON PETS AND LIVESTOCK ARE REPORTED,
AND THE PET-OWNING POPULATION OF MAINE SLEEPS EASY.
BUT NOT EVERYONE IS CONVINCED,
ESPECIALLY WHEN RUMORS OF ANIMAL ATTACKS
(animal growling, dog yelping)
LEADING SOME PEOPLE TO WONDER
IF THE MYSTERY BEAST IS STILL LOOSE
IN THE WOODS OF MAINE.
FINDING THIS ARTIFACT HAS NOT ENDED THE MYSTERY.
IT'S JUST CONTINUED IT.
THE ANIMAL IT CAME FROM MIGHT BE DEAD,
BUT THE LEGEND IT REPRESENTS
IS STILL ALIVE.
AND TODAY,
VISITORS TO THE INTERNATIONAL CRYPTOZOOLOGY MUSEUM
IN PORTLAND
CAN CATCH A GLIMPSE OF WHAT WAS ONCE THOUGHT
TO BE THE REMAINS OF THE MAINE MUTANT,
WHILE THE SEARCH FOR THE REAL MYSTERY CREATURE CONTINUES.
FROM HAUNTED DOLLS TO SUSPECTED WITCHES,
A VENGEFUL WHALE TO AN ENGINEERING CATASTROPHE...
I'M DON WILDMAN, AND THESE ARE THE MYSTERIES AT THE MUSEUM.