1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,000 The bizarre demise of an infamous psychic. 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:08,000 This is not a trick. It's not part of his act. 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:12,000 A legendary figure who bared it all. 4 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:18,000 He was very shocking. A woman of her rank never showed any flesh. 5 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:22,000 And a fashion trend that ignited a woman's fury. 6 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:27,000 She wasn't afraid to ruffle a few feathers to save millions of birds. 7 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:32,000 Sometimes the greatest secrets lie in plain sight. 8 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:35,000 These are the mysteries of the monument. 9 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:44,000 Brooklyn, New York. 10 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:50,000 This historic borough often plays second fiddle to its glamorous neighbor across the East River. 11 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:55,000 Yet many of the artists and entertainers that have made New York City a cultural mecca 12 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:58,000 were born in Brooklyn. 13 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:05,000 And upon their passing are buried here, inside the gates of Greenwood Cemetery. 14 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:13,000 Among the headstones is the final resting place of a man whose legacy was forged in death. 15 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:18,000 It's about four feet tall. It's cold, hard. 16 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:24,000 And perhaps the most curious thing about it is across the top it says, the martyr. 17 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:32,000 This is the gravestone of the 19th century mind reader, Washington Irving Bishop. 18 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:40,000 According to historian Denny Lobb, it was Bishop's rare gift that actually led to his demise. 19 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:46,000 Nobody could explain how he did what he did, but they were all dying to find out. 20 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:52,000 May 12th, 1889, Manhattan. 21 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:58,000 The Lambs Club is one of the most exclusive private clubs in the country. 22 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:06,000 And tonight, the members only group has invited famous psychic, 33-year-old Washington Irving Bishop to perform. 23 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,000 Washington Irving Bishop was the superstar of his age. 24 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:21,000 He had performed all over the world and he was extremely well known for his tremendous ability to pick up thoughts. 25 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:29,000 Bishop announces that while other stage musicians claim to have special powers, only he possesses the real thing. 26 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:32,000 He tells everybody what he does is not a trick. 27 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:37,000 The secret of his success is that he has a brain that's unlike any other human being. 28 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:41,000 And he tells the audience he can prove it. 29 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:44,000 By reading one of their minds. 30 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:50,000 Bishop picks up the society's membership register and hands it to the club secretary. 31 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:56,000 The psychic then instructs the secretary to silently choose a single name from the register. 32 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:03,000 Bishop demands that he concentrate intently on the name and attempt to project it to him. 33 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:10,000 As the secretary attempts to focus his thoughts, the mentalist appears to go into a strange trance. 34 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:18,000 He starts to shake. His face turns pale. His veins and his forehead pop out. 35 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:23,000 Then Bishop utters a name. 36 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:32,000 It's the very one the secretary had chosen. The crowd erupts. 37 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:38,000 But before they can comprehend what they've just seen, a more troubling spectacle unfolds. 38 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:45,000 Bishop slumps to the stage unconscious. 39 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:49,000 This is not a trick. It's not part of Bishop's act. 40 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:54,000 One of the club members is a doctor and rushes on stage to help. 41 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:59,000 He says just give him a little room and some time and he'll be alright. 42 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:04,000 Yet despite the attempts to revive him, Bishop fails to regain consciousness. 43 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:08,000 Every effort they take doesn't work. 44 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:12,000 The world famous psychic is pronounced dead. 45 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:23,000 The next day, Bishop's grieving mother Eleanor arrives at a nearby funeral home to view her son's body. 46 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:29,000 But the moment she gazes upon him, her grief turns into horror. 47 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:31,000 What did you do to my child? 48 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:34,000 Eleanor is certain that her time has been murdered. 49 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:40,000 The reason why she thinks this is because there is a ring of incision marks around her son's head. 50 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:47,000 Mrs. Bishop realizes he's been operated on and autopsy has been performed. 51 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:54,000 The hysterical mother reveals her son suffered from catalepsy, 52 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:58,000 a rare condition that can induce a sustained coma-like state. 53 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:04,000 Muscles lock up, person's unconscious. He appears to be dead for all intents and purposes. 54 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:07,000 But in fact, he's just unable to respond. 55 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:12,000 Eleanor explains that similar episodes had occurred throughout her son's life, 56 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:15,000 some lasting as long as three weeks. 57 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:20,000 For this reason, Bishop harbored a deep fear of being dissected. 58 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:25,000 Bishop was so concerned about his cataleptic state that he carried a note with him 59 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:28,000 that said, you're not to cut into the body in any way. 60 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:33,000 Eleanor is told no such note was found on Bishop's body. 61 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:40,000 She refuses to accept the claim and demands that the police open an investigation. 62 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:44,000 What authorities discover is shocking. 63 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:52,000 One of the physicians at the autopsy had in fact known Bishop, a man named John Irwin. 64 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:57,000 Investigators discovered that Dr. Irwin was familiar with cataleptic states that Bishop went into. 65 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:03,000 And in fact, he was the doctor that stepped into the fray at the Lambs Club the night Bishop fell ill. 66 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:09,000 Under questioning, Irwin admits to a morbid fascination with the psychic's brain. 67 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:15,000 For years, he had dreamt of investigating the inner workings of Bishop's extraordinary mind. 68 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:22,000 When Bishop collapsed, the physician realized his opportunity could finally be at hand. 69 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:31,000 Despite knowing that Bishop had returned from these death-like states in the past, 70 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:37,000 Dr. Irwin pushed for an autopsy just hours after the mentalists' collapse. 71 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:43,000 Even though he knew that dissection would snuff out any chance of survival. 72 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:52,000 Dr. Irwin was forced to admit that he jumped the gun when it came to demanding an autopsy to get at his special brain. 73 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:58,000 Police decide that while Dr. Irwin may not have set out to kill Washington Irving Bishop, 74 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:02,000 his actions may have brought about the psychic's death. 75 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:05,000 Irwin is charged with illegal dissection. 76 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:12,000 Newspaper headlines of the day called Dr. Irwin the scientific jack the ripper. 77 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:19,000 And it soon revealed that the doctor's desperation for a scientific discovery wasn't even worth it. 78 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:28,000 Despite Bishop's claim that his brain was somehow special, it turned out that Bishop's brain was pretty much like anyone else's brain. 79 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:39,000 As a tribute to the son she believed was murdered, Eleanor Bishop has the word martyr carved into his headstone. 80 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:46,000 An eerie post-grip to a famed mentalist's greatest and most tragic illusion. 81 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:56,000 The medieval city of Coventry in the English Midlands boasts a history that dates back a thousand years. 82 00:07:57,000 --> 00:08:01,000 Visitors can explore the haunting ruins of a 14th century cathedral 83 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:06,000 and admire the Tudor-style structures that still line the cobblestone streets. 84 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:16,000 Yet in the center of town is a monument that harkens back to a time long before any of these landmarks were built. 85 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:21,000 It balances on a plinth made of Portland stone. 86 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:31,000 It's about 18 foot high and it depicts a beautiful woman riding on a horse without any curse. 87 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:36,000 This is a statue of the legendary figure famous for bearing it all. 88 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:38,000 Lady Godiva. 89 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:49,000 Yet according to local historian, Prue Peretta, what seemed like a free-spirited jaunt was actually an unusual political crusade. 90 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:58,000 The story behind this statue is one of tyranny, piety and bare-faced cheek. 91 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:05,000 So what is the naked truth behind the story of Godiva's ride in the raw through the streets of Coventry? 92 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:12,000 The legend goes back to the year 1040, England. 93 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:18,000 The town of Coventry is struggling to recover after being conquered by the Danish. 94 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:25,000 Since the attacks, the area has been ruled by a Danish lord named Leofric, Earl of Mercia. 95 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:30,000 The ruthless leader has been imposing heavy tariffs on the locals. 96 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:38,000 Leofric's a very rich, very powerful man and what he wants he gets and he uses his sword to get it. 97 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:42,000 Yet this hard charging conqueror has a kind-hearted bride. 98 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:46,000 Her name is Lady Godiva. 99 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:52,000 Godiva is beautiful with cascading blonde hair and a very fine complexion. 100 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:57,000 And she has eyes and ears that see and listen to what the people need. 101 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:00,000 She's quite different to Leofric. 102 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:04,000 And it seems the couple's differences will soon come to a head. 103 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:09,000 One day Leofric issues a stern decree. 104 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:13,000 All citizens of Coventry must pay a new tax. 105 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:17,000 Those who fail to comply may face death. 106 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:24,000 For a community still recovering from the Danish invasions, the latest ruling is a devastating blow. 107 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:30,000 Coventry is just rebuilding itself and Leofric is now coming to them for more tax. 108 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:36,000 Troubled by the people's suffering, Lady Godiva begs her husband to reconsider the levy. 109 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:41,000 Godiva asked her husband to stop taking the tax. 110 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:45,000 Leofric said impossible is no way. 111 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:52,000 And impatiently, Leofric declares he'll only repeal the tax on one outrageous condition. 112 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:58,000 Godiva must ride on her horse through the market of the town naked. 113 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:07,000 The Danish lords storms out, satisfied that his shocking jest has settled the matter. 114 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:11,000 Yet for Lady Godiva, the discussion is far from over. 115 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:15,000 She decides to take up her husband's challenge. 116 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:23,000 It was a very shocking thought. A woman of her rank who was pious, who never showed any flesh. 117 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:30,000 Even though she may be publicly scorned, Godiva resolves to move forward with her plan. 118 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:40,000 People might be outraged, but however awful it would be for her, she was willing to take the risk to help her people. 119 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:45,000 How will the townspeople react to Godiva's scandalous plot? 120 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:57,000 1040 Coventry, England. According to legend, Lady Godiva has just decided to take up a shocking dare. 121 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:04,000 Her husband, Leofric, says he will grant her request to repeal a tax that is burdening to the town. 122 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:08,000 But first, she must ride through its streets naked. 123 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:17,000 As news of her scandalous plan spreads, Lady Godiva mounts her waiting horse. 124 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:25,000 At midday, as locals head to the market, she rides into town, covered with nothing but her long golden hair. 125 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:33,000 Her hair falls as a veil of modesty about her body, and only her white legs can be seen. 126 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:42,000 Her mind is in a whirlwind. Will the people actually look and stare, or will they respect her? 127 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:49,000 Yet rather than ridicule the bare-skinned equestrian, the residents do something astounding. 128 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:56,000 The people of Coventry want to support her. They decided that they would not look. 129 00:12:56,000 --> 00:13:00,000 They would avert their eyes and save Godiva any embarrassment. 130 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:09,000 But for one local, the prospect of seeing the naked woman is too much to resist. 131 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:20,000 According to legend, a tailor by the name of Tom couldn't contain his curiosity and peeped at the lady passing by. 132 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:25,000 The man is reportedly struck blind for stealing a glance. 133 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:33,000 He becomes known as peeping Tom, forever giving a nickname to sneaky peekers everywhere. 134 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:41,000 Upon hearing of his wife's courageous deed, Leofric fulfills his promise. 135 00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:50,000 Leofric was amazed at what Godiva had done. He knew he had to keep his word. The tax was removed. 136 00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:58,000 Following the fabled event, Leofric and Godiva peacefully rule over the town for the rest of their lives. 137 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:06,000 Centuries later, this tribute to her legendary ride remains prominently on display. 138 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:12,000 A proud reminder of the fearless woman who fought for her cause by bearing it all. 139 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:19,000 Florida. The state is synonymous with sun, surf and sea. 140 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:25,000 So it's no surprise that tourists flock to its 700 miles of sandy beaches. 141 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:35,000 But a sizable swath of the Sunshine State's southern tip draws a million visitors every year for an entirely different reason. 142 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:40,000 It's 1.5 million acres of flat land covered with shallow water. 143 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:44,000 It has lush vegetation and palm trees and cypress that grow on it. 144 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:50,000 It is the nesting ground of over 360 types of birds, many of which can only be seen here. 145 00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:57,000 This is Everglades National Park, the largest subtropical wilderness in the U.S. 146 00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:04,000 As author David Goudsward can attest, many of the creatures that are in the wild are the most common species. 147 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:12,000 The most common species that inhabit this lush landscape would not be here today if it wasn't for one woman's pluck and resolve. 148 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:17,000 She wasn't afraid to ruffle a few feathers to save millions of birds. 149 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:20,000 Never underestimate a woman on a mission. 150 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:26,000 The 1890s, Massachusetts. 151 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:32,000 38-year-old Harriet Hemingway is perched at the very top of Boston's upper class. 152 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:37,000 Harriet Hemingway was a Boston socialite. 153 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:44,000 She was old money and was a shaker and a mover in lady circles. 154 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:49,000 And the high society matron is known for keeping some especially lofty company. 155 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:52,000 Birds. 156 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:56,000 There was nothing she enjoyed more than bird watching. 157 00:15:56,000 --> 00:16:01,000 So she would take her field glasses and she would just identify as many birds as she can. 158 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:08,000 For Hemingway, there is nothing more rewarding than studying winged species in their native habitat. 159 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:15,000 But while reading a magazine one day, she comes across something that ruffles her feathers. 160 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:24,000 The report details the widespread slaughter of birds, whose plumes are used to decorate women's hats. 161 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:34,000 These hats were huge and they were filled with bird feathers and stuffed birds, owl heads, hummingbirds. 162 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:39,000 These women looked like a walking museum diorama. 163 00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:48,000 The high demand for some feathers has driven their cost to twice their weight in gold. 164 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:52,000 That's close to $1,000 an ounce in today's money. 165 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:58,000 And the prime hunting ground for these coveted quills is a Florida wetland. 166 00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:00,000 The Everglades. 167 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:05,000 Hunters would go into the Everglades and just wholesale slaughter all of the birds, 168 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:08,000 leaving the fledglings behind to starve the death. 169 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:16,000 Harriet learns that 5 million birds a year are being killed in the name of fashion, 170 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:20,000 driving numerous species to the brink of extinction. 171 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:23,000 This absolutely horrified her. 172 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:26,000 She is not going to take this sitting down. 173 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:30,000 So Harriet hatches a plan. 174 00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:37,000 Though she can't control those who hunt for feathers, perhaps she can influence the women who buy them. 175 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:45,000 If she can make wearing these hats morally repugnant, it would impact the demand for these feathers. 176 00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:54,000 So on a cold winter day, Harriet invites the most fashionable ladies of Boston society to her home for tea. 177 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:58,000 As they enjoy their refreshments, the hostess rises to speak. 178 00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:01,000 Imagine having no peacocks. 179 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:07,000 She starts to talk about how hunters would skin the animals, throw the carcass to the side, 180 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:11,000 leaving the fledglings behind to the slow, painful death from starvation. 181 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:13,000 Just for ladies hats. 182 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:21,000 Harriet scans the room looking for a reaction, but it is far from what she had hoped. 183 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:29,000 These women are so outraged by the thought of giving up their hat that they started getting up and leaving. 184 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:32,000 Harriet is losing her audience. 185 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:34,000 Well, none of you help me. 186 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:39,000 Is Harriet's quest to save the birds a mere flight of fancy? 187 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:44,000 It's January 1896 in Boston. 188 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:50,000 Avid bird watcher Harriet Hemingway has discovered that a new fashion for elaborate feathered hats 189 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:57,000 is decimating the bird population of the Florida Everglades, bringing several species to the brink of extinction. 190 00:18:57,000 --> 00:19:01,000 So how will Harriet save her feathered friends? 191 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:04,000 We have children. 192 00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:09,000 Determined to protect the birds from extinction, Harriet pulls out a wild card. 193 00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:13,000 If I can't speak to you as a bird lover, at least let me speak to you as a mother. 194 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:17,000 He starts talking in such a way to appeal to the maternal instinct. 195 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:25,000 How can they explain to their children why these birds are extinct so mommy could have feathers on her hat? 196 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:30,000 This time, her efforts are rewarded. 197 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:39,000 Harriet watches as one by one the women start removing their hats and vow never to wear another one. 198 00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:47,000 The women dedicate themselves to spreading Harriet's message and the movement takes flight. 199 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:52,000 In 1896, Hemingway founds an avian advocacy group. 200 00:19:52,000 --> 00:20:00,000 She decides to name the group after the most famous painter of birds, John James Audubon. 201 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:07,000 Her brainchild, the Massachusetts Audubon Society, is the forerunner of the National Audubon Society, 202 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:12,000 which will eventually boast 500 chapters across the U.S. 203 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:19,000 Thanks to Harriet's activism, Massachusetts becomes one of the first states to ban the feather trade. 204 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:26,000 And in 1913, Harriet receives the news she has long awaited. 205 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:31,000 An international law was passed prohibiting the trade and transport of the feathers. 206 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:35,000 This was the final nail in the coffin that stopped poaching in its tracks. 207 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:44,000 Today, visitors to the Everglades National Park will find over 360 species of birds there, 208 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:48,000 a soaring tribute to the woman who flew to their rescue. 209 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:55,000 Nestled along the banks of the Kennebec River is Augusta Mane. 210 00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:58,000 The capital of the Pine Tree State. 211 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:02,000 It was first settled by English traders in 1629. 212 00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:09,000 And in its downtown district is an imposing building befitting the historic town. 213 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:13,000 It is two stories tall. It's made out of stone. 214 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:19,000 It's built in a Greek revival style and on the roof is a square bell tower. 215 00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:23,000 This is the Kennebec County Superior Courthouse. 216 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:27,000 The pillar of Mane's justice system since 1830. 217 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:37,000 But as Sergeant Terry Hughes knows firsthand, one of the most bizarre tales ever heard within its walls occurred as recently as 2013. 218 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:45,000 We've heard stories of something lurking in the woods for years, but nobody expected it to be real. 219 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:52,000 What strange forest-dwelling being haunted the residents of Central Mane for nearly 30 years. 220 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:57,000 1986, North Pond, Maine. 221 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:06,000 It's the height of the summer season at Pine Tree Camp, and people from across the region are enjoying the idyllic lakeside retreat. 222 00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:10,000 But that tranquility is about to be shattered. 223 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:19,000 One day, vacationers discover that essential supplies have vanished from their campsites. 224 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:26,000 Mostly the items that were missing was propane tanks, batteries, canned foods, clothing. 225 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:31,000 And that's not the only mysterious incident reported in the area. 226 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:39,000 As the season continues, visitors and even year-round residents notice other odd disappearances. 227 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:44,000 Sleeping bags, laundry detergent, and even magazines go missing. 228 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:50,000 Spooked locals conclude this must be the work of a burglar, and authorities are called in. 229 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:57,000 But when police investigate, they fail to find any signs of forced entry. 230 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:03,000 Expensive items were not stolen. There wasn't broken down doors. 231 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:07,000 In fact, no one is ever caught in the act of stealing. 232 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:11,000 And not one clue is ever left at the scene. 233 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:17,000 There was more of this mysterious figure that nobody could identify or describe. 234 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:23,000 The unseen culprit becomes known by a single moniker. 235 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:26,000 He was known as the North Pond Hermit. 236 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:37,000 Month after month and year after year, the North Pond Hermit continues to haunt the woods of Central Maine, striking about 40 times a year. 237 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:40,000 Soon, he is a local legend. 238 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:46,000 And almost three decades after the burglaries began, police are no closer to capturing him. 239 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:49,000 But that is about to change. 240 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:52,000 March 2013. 241 00:23:53,000 --> 00:24:00,000 Sergeant Terry Hughes is working as a game warden for the state of Maine when he gets a call from the director of Pine Tree Camp. 242 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:06,000 He said he had lost a significant amount of food that they couldn't afford to lose. 243 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:09,000 And I figured enough was enough. 244 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:14,000 Hughes makes it his mission to capture the North Pond Hermit. 245 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:23,000 He acquires a military-grade motion detector and installs it at one of the hermit's favorite haunts, the kitchen of the Pine Tree Camp. 246 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:29,000 When the detector senses movement, it will set off an alarm in Hughes' home. 247 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:36,000 Night after night, the warden waits for the motion detector to alert him, but to no avail. 248 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:42,000 Then, in the early hours of April 4th, the alarm finally goes off. 249 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:49,000 This is 25 years worth of burglaries. I have one crack at catching this cat. 250 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:54,000 Will Sergeant Hughes snare the notorious North Pond Hermit? 251 00:24:54,000 --> 00:25:09,000 It's 2013 in North Pond, Maine. For more than 25 years, this small town has been plagued by a series of baffling break-ins. 252 00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:14,000 But now, game warden Terry Hughes has set a trap to snare the legendary robber. 253 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:18,000 So can this long-time crime finally be solved? 254 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:27,000 With his heart racing, Hughes speeds towards the camp and creeps up to the window of the main kitchen. 255 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:32,000 All I could see was a large figure. I could see him taking food out of the freezer. 256 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:40,000 My adrenaline was pumping. I didn't want to have to get into a confrontation with this man who was much larger than I was. 257 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:44,000 As Hughes watches, the figure approaches the door. 258 00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:50,000 I'm just going to stand there, frozen. Then all of a sudden, the door just slams open. 259 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:52,000 Freeze! 260 00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:57,000 At that point, they just kind of all just came crashing down around me. 261 00:25:58,000 --> 00:25:59,000 Not going to need hands in your head. 262 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:01,000 I'm like, wow, I actually caught this guy. 263 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:04,000 He's not at all what Hughes expected. 264 00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:12,000 I was surprised on how clean-shaven and how neat he appeared. Nice shirt, nice pants, nice shoes. 265 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:14,000 The man is arrested and booked. 266 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:21,000 And under interrogation, he reveals his name is Christopher Thomas Knight. 267 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:25,000 He's 47 years old and grew up in a neighboring town. 268 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:32,000 At the age of 19, he retreated from civilization to live an isolated life in the backwoods. 269 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:35,000 He just went off the radar for no apparent reason. 270 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:42,000 To avoid being spotted, he only went out at night and never lit a fire surviving entirely on what he could steal. 271 00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:47,000 He just was doing what he had to do to survive and that's what he did. 272 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:54,000 Knight says that the last person he saw was a hiker in the woods, approximately a decade earlier. 273 00:26:56,000 --> 00:27:00,000 The bizarre case of the backwoods burglar captivates the country. 274 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:05,000 This was a legend that was 25 years in the making and nobody expected it just to end. 275 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:09,000 But on May 28, 2013, it does. 276 00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:16,000 Knight appears at the Kennebec County Courthouse where he pleads guilty to 13 counts of burglary, 277 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:21,000 a fraction of the 1,000 crimes Knight estimates he committed. 278 00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:24,000 He is sentenced to seven months in jail. 279 00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:30,000 Today, the Kennebec County Superior Courthouse stands as a reminder of the mysterious loner 280 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:36,000 whose desire for total isolation ironically thrust him into the national spotlight. 281 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:46,000 Sitting on the banks of the Truckee River is Reno, Nevada. 282 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:51,000 The city's city center is located in the heart of the city. 283 00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:54,000 The city's main attraction is Reno, Nevada. 284 00:27:55,000 --> 00:28:04,000 The city skyline is lit up by countless casinos and stretching across its main drag is a monument that has become synonymous with the city itself. 285 00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:15,000 It's 30 feet high, made out of steel and it says, welcome to the biggest little city in the world. 286 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:18,000 This is the Reno Arch. 287 00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:25,000 Since 1926, versions of this iconic landmark have greeted millions on their way to the gaming tables. 288 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:32,000 But according to historian Max Rubin, one of those visitors turned the gambling industry on its head. 289 00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:37,000 Professional blackjack would never be the same. 290 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:43,000 Mountain View, California, 1969. 291 00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:51,000 35-year-old computer technician Keith Taft and his family have just returned from a successful gambling trip to Reno. 292 00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:55,000 And now gaming is the only thing on his mind. 293 00:28:56,000 --> 00:28:58,000 It was the first bet he had ever made on a blackjack table. 294 00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:03,000 Anyone and he started thinking, I could do this for a living. 295 00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:12,000 Keith begins studying blackjack in earnest and comes across an intriguing strategy, card counting. 296 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:22,000 The idea was to observe the cards that have been played and because you know the cards that have been played, you know the remaining composition of the deck. 297 00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:25,000 You have a better chance of winning. 298 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:29,000 But keeping track of which cards are dealt is hard. 299 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:34,000 Yet Keith thinks that with a little help, he can beat the game. 300 00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:41,000 So the light bulb goes off and Keith says, I think I could keep track of cards with a computer. 301 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:44,000 He faces a big problem. 302 00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:53,000 Back in 1969, most computers were at least the size of a minivan and many of them took up an entire room. 303 00:29:54,000 --> 00:30:01,000 Yet Keith is convinced that with his engineering know-how, he can build a computer small enough to sneak into a casino. 304 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:09,000 And finally, he completes a prototype that's utterly ahead of its time. 305 00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:13,000 He managed to create a computer that you could put on your body. 306 00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:20,000 This wearable computer is made of three separate parts wired to a belt. 307 00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:28,000 One wire leads down to his shoe, where a switch allows him to input card values using his toes. 308 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:35,000 The computer then calculates how Keith should bet and sends him information through lights concealed in his glasses. 309 00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:42,000 This contraption strapped all the way around his belly and he just buttoned the jacket and it was virtually unnoticeable. 310 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:46,000 All he has to do is type with his toes and he's going to get rich. 311 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:55,000 Enlisting the help of his 19-year-old son, Marty, Keith returns to Reno with his hidden computer. 312 00:30:56,000 --> 00:31:01,000 As father and son approach the blackjack table, Keith succumbs to a wave of panic. 313 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:05,000 What if the dealer catches on to his high-tech tricks? 314 00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:10,000 Casinos were really hard on card counters. You could get beaten up very easily. 315 00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:14,000 But he's come too far to turn back now. 316 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:18,000 So he crosses his fingers and places his bet. 317 00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:21,000 He was scared wetless. 318 00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:28,000 1972, Reno, Nevada. Technician Keith Taffed has built a miniature computer designed to help him cheat at blackjack. 319 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:32,000 So will the homemade device tilt the odds in his favor? 320 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:36,000 As the cards are dealt, Keith taps the switches inside his shoes. 321 00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:41,000 And suddenly, the switch is turned on. 322 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:46,000 As the cards are dealt, Keith taps the switches inside his shoes. 323 00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:53,000 And suddenly, the signals from the tiny lights in his glasses come to life. 324 00:31:56,000 --> 00:31:59,000 Keith bets accordingly and the computer doesn't let him down. 325 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:03,000 And he's dealt a 10 and an ace. 326 00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:07,000 He hits a blackjack his very first hand. 327 00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:15,000 Before long, father and son amass $4,000. 328 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:20,000 Keith is thinking this is meant to be. This is what I am supposed to do. 329 00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:23,000 So I need to start betting more. 330 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:28,000 Soon, Keith and Marty are playing at the top casinos in the country. 331 00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:33,000 Now they were making hundreds of thousands of dollars. 332 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:37,000 But their good fortune is about to go bust. 333 00:32:37,000 --> 00:32:46,000 One night at a casino, Marty is playing blackjack when he is suddenly accosted by burly security guards. 334 00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:52,000 He gets a tap on his shoulder and they said will you come with me please? 335 00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:57,000 And they throw him into a room, threaten him and hold him against his will. 336 00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:02,000 Marty is searched and the device is discovered. 337 00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:06,000 Marty is scared to death. He thinks they are going to murder him. 338 00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:13,000 To Marty's great relief, he is left unharmed. 339 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:17,000 But he is arrested for cheating and sent to jail. 340 00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:24,000 It seems the establishment was alerted to the taft's uncanny winning streak by another casino. 341 00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:31,000 Yet after scouring the criminal code, authorities conclude that Marty has done nothing but to kill him. 342 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:34,000 And that he is illegally illegal. 343 00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:40,000 At the time, there is no law on the books prohibiting the use of an electronic card counting device. 344 00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:43,000 And the charges are eventually dropped. 345 00:33:44,000 --> 00:33:49,000 But if free Marty and Keith out so badly, they said we don't want to do this anymore. 346 00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:52,000 The father and son team opt to fold. 347 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:58,000 Yet the significance of their electronic exploits goes far beyond the gaming world. 348 00:33:58,000 --> 00:34:04,000 Many claim that Keith's gambling gadget was the very first microcomputer. 349 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:13,000 And today, the Reno Arch continues to welcome gamblers, as it did over 40 years ago, 350 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:18,000 when an ingenious invention forever changed the rules of the game. 351 00:34:21,000 --> 00:34:22,000 Warsaw. 352 00:34:22,000 --> 00:34:29,000 Warsaw. This city of 1.7 million people has been Poland's capital since 1596. 353 00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:36,000 But not far from the old town square is a remnant of a more recent moment in its history. 354 00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:44,000 It's seven feet high and 30 feet wide and it's made out of red bricks, 355 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:47,000 forming what must have felt like an impenetrable barrier. 356 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:52,000 This is a fragment of the Warsaw Ghetto boundary wall, 357 00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:58,000 the barricade that once encircled the largest Jewish ghetto in Nazi occupied Europe. 358 00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:04,000 Yet filmmaker Mariana Bukowski says it was also a portal to freedom, 359 00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:06,000 thanks to one unlikely heroine. 360 00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:13,000 It's a story of enormous courage, conviction and compassion in the face of insurmountable odds. 361 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:19,000 October 1940. 362 00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:23,000 Warsaw's Jewish community is in crisis. 363 00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:31,000 The Nazis have forced them out of their homes and into a 16 block ghetto and closed by a 10 foot high wall. 364 00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:44,000 350,000 Jews, 30% of Warsaw's entire population, are now squashed into an area about two miles square. 365 00:35:45,000 --> 00:35:51,000 The ghetto was overcrowded, people did not have enough food, they had poor sanitation, they had no electricity. 366 00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:57,000 So it was an environment where disease easily spread and it became truly, truly horrible. 367 00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:05,000 Witnessing these horrors is 29 year old social worker, Irena Sendler. 368 00:36:06,000 --> 00:36:12,000 Though not Jewish herself, she is appalled by this cruel treatment of her countrymen and desperately wants to help. 369 00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:18,000 Irena believed that if you see someone that's drowning, it's your duty to save them even if you can't swim yourself. 370 00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:27,000 But aiding those in the ghetto is nearly impossible. Nazi guards keep a close watch over its entrance. 371 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:31,000 And the penalty for aiding Jewish people is grave. 372 00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:37,000 If you helped and you were caught, the punishment was death. This was the consequence. 373 00:36:38,000 --> 00:36:46,000 Yet the dire warnings only fuel Irena's defiance. And in 1941, she devises a plan. 374 00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:56,000 Sporting false ID papers from the city health department, Irena poses as a municipal nurse, sent to the ghetto to monitor disease. 375 00:36:57,000 --> 00:37:03,000 Once inside, she secretly dispenses medicine and warm clothing to as many people as she can. 376 00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:07,000 Irena continues this ruse every week for months. 377 00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:16,000 With each visit, however, the hunger, disease and desperation worsen before her eyes. 378 00:37:18,000 --> 00:37:25,000 One day she noticed a girl leaning against a wall. She was maybe five or six years old, malnourished. She was barely alive. 379 00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:34,000 Irena knows the child is too weak to survive another night in the bitter cold. In that instant, she makes a fateful decision. 380 00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:39,000 She realized that she had to save this girl's life. 381 00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:47,000 Irena conceals the girl under her cloak and starts to walk away, scanning the streets for an escape route. 382 00:37:49,000 --> 00:37:53,000 Suddenly, the answer is right before her. The municipal court building. 383 00:37:55,000 --> 00:38:00,000 Part of the courthouse was in the ghetto and part of the same building was actually on the outside. 384 00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:13,000 So, taking a deep breath, she heads into the courthouse. But just a few moments later, a janitor spots Irena and her illegal cargo. 385 00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:18,000 Thinking fast, she pulls some cash from her wallet. 386 00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:23,000 She thought that perhaps he would agree to help them for a bribe. 387 00:38:24,000 --> 00:38:26,000 But the custodian surprises her. 388 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:28,000 He said he didn't want the money. 389 00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:31,000 Incredibly, he aids their escape. 390 00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:35,000 He said that this is the route that you should take to come out on the other side. 391 00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:45,000 As they reemerge into daylight, Elation washes over Irena. She has done the impossible. She has rescued a child from the ghetto. 392 00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:52,000 They must have been exhilarating to feel that you could do something more, that it was possible. 393 00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:57,000 Emboldened by her success, Irena plots to get more children out. 394 00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:08,000 Drawing on her contacts in the social service community, she develops an underground network of associates, willing to transport and hide the young escapees. 395 00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:17,000 The children were smuggled out in brown paper packages. Some were put in suitcases. We're even taken out in small coffins. 396 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:24,000 Once beyond the walls, the young fugitives are given new identities and shuttle to safe houses. 397 00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:32,000 Over the next three years, Irena and her associates rescue an astonishing 2,500 children. 398 00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:36,000 Yet their fragile network is suddenly ripped apart. 399 00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:43,000 In 1943, she is arrested by the Gestapo on suspicion of aiding the Jews. 400 00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:49,000 To be caught by the Gestapo, people feared this more than they feared death. She must have been petrified. 401 00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:52,000 Where are the children? 402 00:39:53,000 --> 00:39:58,000 It's 1943 in Nazi-occupied Poland. 403 00:39:59,000 --> 00:40:07,000 33-year-old social worker Irena Sendler has just been arrested on suspicion of helping Jewish children to escape from the Warsaw ghetto. 404 00:40:08,000 --> 00:40:13,000 It's a crime punishable by death. So what will happen to Irena and her young fugitives? 405 00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:21,000 Irena Sendler is taken to Warsaw's Pawiak prison, where she is turned over to interrogators. 406 00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:23,000 Where are the children? 407 00:40:24,000 --> 00:40:27,000 They want the names of the children that she was protecting and hiding. 408 00:40:29,000 --> 00:40:34,000 Irena refuses to talk and is sentenced to be executed. 409 00:40:35,000 --> 00:40:41,000 On the morning she is to be shot, a Nazi guard arrives at Irena's cell. 410 00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:54,000 But rather than taking her to the firing squad, he sets her free. 411 00:40:55,000 --> 00:41:00,000 Some of Irena's colleagues paid a bribe to allow for her escape. 412 00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:06,000 She flees the prison and remains in hiding until the Nazis are defeated in 1945. 413 00:41:08,000 --> 00:41:13,000 After the war, Irena remains in touch with many of the children she helped save. 414 00:41:15,000 --> 00:41:21,000 In 2007, her heroic efforts are honored with a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. 415 00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:27,000 And in her hometown of Warsaw, this remnant of the Ghetto Wall still stands. 416 00:41:28,000 --> 00:41:35,000 A reminder that even in the worst of times, the courage of a single person can restore hope to the world. 417 00:41:38,000 --> 00:41:46,000 From a cheeky challenge to a gambler's gadget, a legendary loner to a bird-loving Bostonian, 418 00:41:46,000 --> 00:41:51,000 I'm Don Wildman and these are the Mysteries at the Monument.