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An elaborate mansion built to ward off
evil spirits.
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A forbidden tomb guarded by a deadly
curse.
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And an amusement park that became a
playground for the souls of the dead.
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You know, from time to time it feels
like there's an unseen evil energy
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that shrouds the world we live in.
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Ominous tombs, abandoned amusement
parks, and cursed objects can all raise
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hair on the back of our necks and make
us wonder if something sinister is at
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play.
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But is that just a figment of our
imagination?
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Or is it possible that our fears are
justified and that dark forces lurk
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all around us?
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Well, that is what we'll try and find
out.
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Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
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Near the center of this ancient city in
Central Asia is a mausoleum known as Gur
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-e -Amir.
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It is also known as the Tomb of the King
because inside its magnificent dome
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lie the remains of one of the most
feared rulers in history,
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Tamerlane the Great.
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Tamerlane was...
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often credited as being the last of the
great Asiatic conquerors in the mold of
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Genghis Khan.
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He started off basically as a minor
tribal leader, and then he embarked upon
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a 35 -year career of constant war and
conquest,
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during which he's often credited with
exterminating 5 % of the world's
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population.
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Tamerlane was very adept at
psychological warfare and putting his
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the wrong foot.
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His most chilling battlefield signature
was the erection of large numbers of
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towers around the city he'd just
conquered.
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And these towers were made up from the
decapitated heads of the victims of the
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latest conquest.
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A really awful warning to anyone else
who might think about rebelling.
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This is the fate that awaits you if you
even think about any opposition.
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I will destroy you and destroy your
city.
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In 1405, Tamerlane died of a fever at
the age of 69.
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By that time, his empire stretched from
Siberia to the Mediterranean Sea.
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But some claim that even in death...
Tamerlane wasn't finished exerting his
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power on the world because his tomb is
believed to be protected by a deadly
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curse.
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Certain people attain that level of, you
know, absolutely terrifying, vicious
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person.
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Something is evil in them. So when they
die, whatever it is that makes them
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evil, a lot of people think they'll
exist.
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And where would it be? It would be
wherever the body is. So in the tomb of
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Tamerlane would be this evil presence
that's now still terrifying in his
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For centuries, Tamerlane's tomb was
untouched by archaeologists for fear of
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unleashing the dark forces inside.
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But 80 years ago, his tomb was finally
disturbed.
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And there are those who believe that it
set off a chain of events.
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that changed the course of history.
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June 20th, 1941.
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Under the orders of Soviet dictator
Joseph Stalin, Russian archaeologists
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Tamerlane's mausoleum and open his tomb.
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Stalin was interested in the clues
behind Tamerlane's greatness.
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Tamerlane was such an incredibly
powerful man whose career had been one
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bloodshed and savagery.
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And Stalin wanted to send a very strong
message that he was a 20th century
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equivalent.
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When the expedition arrived on site,
they were told, Tamerlane's tomb has
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remained undisturbed for centuries.
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And not to open the tomb, that if they
did, something terrible would happen.
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Of course, the expedition proceeded to
open the tomb, and this very
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powerful smell of frankincense, of rose
oil and camphor suddenly burst
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forth and enveloped the expedition.
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Some of the members of the expedition
believed that it was the smell of a
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There are supposedly two inscriptions on
the tomb of Tamlein.
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The first inscription reads,
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The body was
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removed. And it was taken back to
Leningrad, where the remains were being
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studied at that point in time. One of
the things that was in the paper was a
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picture of a Soviet archaeologist
holding the skull of Tamerlane.
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And in the article accompanying this,
there is a reference that there were
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locals who were disturbed about this.
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On June 22, 1941.
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Two days after Tamerlane's tomb was
opened, Russia was hit with a surprise
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attack by Germany, its supposed ally.
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Over three million Nazi troops marched
into Russia in the most massive invasion
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in history.
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Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union
without any warning.
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Up until then, there had been a pact of
non -aggression, so this came as quite a
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surprise to the Soviet Union. The
Nazis...
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called the Surprise Attack Operation
Barbarossa. And they were very swift and
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overwhelming in their attack, and they
managed to get very far into the Soviet
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Union rather quickly, causing great
devastation and loss of life to the
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Hammer Lane's body is removed from its
tomb on the 20th, and the Eastern Front
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erupts in flames two days later.
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Remember, there was a curse.
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Whosoever will disturb my tomb will
unleash an invader worse
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than I.
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So a lot of people would say the
synchronicity between the removal of
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Tamerlane's body from his tomb and the
launching of Operation Barbarossa
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isn't an accident.
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As German troops continued to overpower
Russian forces, Stalin's advisors began
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to question if the curse of Tamerlane's
tomb had been unleashed.
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They urged him to return Tamerlane's
remains to Uzbekistan in the desperate
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that it would turn the tide of battle.
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And to their astonishment, it worked.
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Tamerlane's remains are put back in in
December 1942.
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But the whole course of the war at the
Eastern Front changes.
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And from that point on, it's just one
long nightmare retreat for the Germans
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back to Berlin in April 1945.
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Is it possible that returning
Tamerlane's remains to his tomb broke
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that triggered Hitler's invasion of the
Soviet Union?
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For many, the evidence is hard to
ignore.
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I think for those who subscribe to what
we call the curse of Tamerlane, there
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are these two great coincidences.
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Coincidence one, the tomb is opened
against all the objections of the
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Hitler invades the Soviet Union.
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Coincidence number two, Tamerlane is
reinterred with full burial rites.
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Hitler is defeated.
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It comes full circle.
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Two coincidences or two proofs that the
curse was absolutely for real. Take your
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pick.
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Mercer County, West Virginia.
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Here on the bank of Lake Shawnee stands
the abandoned remnants of what was once
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a simple, wholesome family amusement
park.
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Opened in 1926, the park thrived for
decades until it was abruptly closed in
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1966.
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According to local historians, the
reason for the closure was that what
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as a playground for children became the
site of numerous tragic and disturbing
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incidents.
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In the 1940s, a little girl was riding a
swing, and a soda delivery truck
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delivered soda to the concession stand.
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And whenever he did, he backed up into
the path of the swing and it killed the
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little girl.
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They tried to play it down because it
was the child getting killed.
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She wasn't the only child killed here.
There were several kids that drowned.
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One was a really sad story, and I would
hope it wouldn't happen nowadays.
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A mother brought her 9 -year -old here
and dropped him off to go swimming, and
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she went on her merry way. She came back
when the park was closing, and she
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couldn't find her son.
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And they looked for the son until 10 o
'clock at night when they found him.
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His arm was stuck in the drain of the
swimming pool, and it had sucked him in,
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and he couldn't get out, and he had just
drowned.
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There was another incidence where there
was a family out on an outing.
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They was riding a canoe in the lake. The
canoe overturned, and a little boy
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drowned in the lake.
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Before its doors were closed, six
children had died in the park.
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And that might have been reason enough
for the park to remain closed.
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But it didn't.
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In 1985, local resident Gaylord White
purchased the property with hopes of
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reopening it.
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In the 1950s, Gaylord, my husband,
worked here when he was in high school.
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He fell in love with it.
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So that was his wish, that someday he
would own the park.
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And somebody had sent us word that the
heirs had finally decided they were
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to sell it.
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That's how we bought it.
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We wanted to have a children's ride
park.
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For years, locals believed that the park
was haunted, maybe even cursed.
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Then, in the late 1980s, the White
family made some curious discoveries.
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We started finding a lot of pottery and
Native American tools and arrowheads,
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stuff like that.
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So we stopped doing the bulldozing. We
called Marksville University.
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They put together an archaeological team
that would come down to the park.
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They started uncovering bodies.
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So that's when we knew we had a Native
American burial ground on the property.
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I know that one of the burial sites was
a Native American 14 -year -old girl,
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and the belief is that she died from
giving childbirth because the child was
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buried next to her.
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A series of tragic deaths at an
amusement park built on the site of a
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American burial ground?
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A coincidence?
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As far as paranormal investigators are
concerned,
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Not a chance.
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The first time I stepped foot on Lake
Shawnee Amusement Park, I felt like I
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being watched.
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It was an ominous, just negative
feeling.
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I don't necessarily believe that places
are born bad.
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I believe that things have to occur for
a place to become negative in nature.
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People said whenever they come to the
park that they see the swings move on
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their own, or maybe they see an image of
the little girl that's riding the
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swings.
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Seeing only one swing move, when I look
at it, no one else sees it, or it stops
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as soon as someone else is looking,
that's pretty scary.
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More than scary, it's unexplained.
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We tend to be scientists now. All of us,
we know everything that's going on. And
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when you see something that you don't
understand, it gets to be creepy.
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Millions of people have had these
experiences.
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Not just hauntings, but all sorts of ESP
experiences and related experiences.
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These are questions that science should
be looking at very carefully and
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closely. And to say, oh, it's mass
hallucination, or it's this kind of
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explanation, without looking into the
experience itself, either the singular
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the general patterns.
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It's not scientific. It's highly
unscientific.
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Is Lake Shawnee Amusement Park home to
deadly powers that are simply beyond our
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understanding? Or is it possible that
just the thought of dark forces is all
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that's needed to give us a fright?
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Perhaps clues can be found by
investigating a vast mansion that many
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haunted by the souls of restless
gunslingers.
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Strange.
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Macabre.
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Disturbing.
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In San Jose, California, stands one of
the largest and most bizarre private
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residences in the United States.
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Known as the Winchester Mystery House,
this 24 ,000 square foot Victorian
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mansion contains an astonishing
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00:15:42,390 --> 00:15:48,850
160 rooms, 17 chimneys, 47 fireplaces,
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two basements, three elevators, and more
than 10 ,000
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panes of glass.
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And those are just the ones we know
about.
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But why?
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Well, the Winchester Mystery House is a
very special place.
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It was built with no master plan.
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but there are a lot of architectural
oddities that remain a mystery as to why
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they're here.
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00:16:13,750 --> 00:16:18,569
Most buildings start with some drawings,
some blueprints, some documents that
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say, this is what it's going to look
like when it was finished.
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That building looks like they made it up
as they went.
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There are doors that open to 12 -foot
drops outside.
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There's doors that if you step through
them, you'll land in a kitchen sink on
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the first floor.
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00:16:34,050 --> 00:16:37,110
It's almost like an Escher picture in
some ways.
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The mastermind behind this architectural
jigsaw puzzle was Sarah Winchester, the
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widow of a man who manufactured the
Winchester repeating rifle.
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It was famously known as the gun that
won the West because it could kill more
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people faster than any gun previously
invented.
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00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:04,838
The Winchester rifle was special because
it could fire up to 15 rounds without
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00:17:04,839 --> 00:17:09,598
being reloaded, which was very different
from most of the smoothbores used in
220
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the Civil War, which were, you loaded
it, you fired one shot, and that was it.
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00:17:14,381 --> 00:17:18,179
So you could imagine the advantage that
you would have being able to shoot round
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after round after round without
reloading.
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When Sarah's husband died in 1881, she
became the heir to his massive fortune.
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Three years later...
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She began construction on a mansion that
would take 38 years to complete.
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00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:40,659
She just added things on as she had a
great idea. So everybody had to listen
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00:17:40,660 --> 00:17:45,079
say, oh, okay, you want a large ballroom
up there? And then they'd figure it out
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as they went.
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Even to this day, they're still finding
new rooms and new features to this
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00:17:51,120 --> 00:17:56,659
house. Was Sarah just working off of her
whims? Was she just an eccentric, crazy
231
00:17:56,660 --> 00:17:57,710
lady?
232
00:17:57,830 --> 00:18:01,270
Or is there some other unknown
explanation that we have yet to
233
00:18:03,250 --> 00:18:08,729
It is suspected that one reason Sarah
kept building and building around the
234
00:18:08,730 --> 00:18:13,609
clock for 38 years is that she was
trying to protect herself from all the
235
00:18:13,610 --> 00:18:16,150
souls the Winchester rifles had killed.
236
00:18:18,090 --> 00:18:24,229
Perhaps, it was thought, if the house
was built as a giant maze, the ghosts
237
00:18:24,230 --> 00:18:26,310
would never be able to find her.
238
00:18:28,400 --> 00:18:33,259
The story is that Sarah Winchester went
through a long period of grief. She
239
00:18:33,260 --> 00:18:38,579
unfortunately lost a child only weeks
old, and she lost her husband to
240
00:18:38,580 --> 00:18:42,799
tuberculosis. And she started wondering,
why are all these terrible things
241
00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:47,659
happening to me? And what was common at
the time was to seek out a medium or a
242
00:18:47,660 --> 00:18:49,320
spiritualist for guidance.
243
00:18:50,080 --> 00:18:55,699
And that person said that The karma of
the gun that won the West and all these
244
00:18:55,700 --> 00:18:59,250
terrible things associated with this
firearm is kind of haunting you.
245
00:19:01,360 --> 00:19:06,699
The spiritualist medium told her that in
order to pacify these spirits who were
246
00:19:06,700 --> 00:19:10,519
very offended at having been killed by
Winchester rifles, she needed to build a
247
00:19:10,520 --> 00:19:13,100
house. And she should never stop
building.
248
00:19:13,101 --> 00:19:16,779
And the idea also was that the constant
sound of the saws and hammers would
249
00:19:16,780 --> 00:19:18,520
drive the bad spirits away.
250
00:19:19,980 --> 00:19:25,899
Some of the design features were
specifically built to confuse evil or
251
00:19:25,900 --> 00:19:29,700
spirits. So if stairs led to the ceiling
or if a door led to the outside,
252
00:19:30,060 --> 00:19:33,500
possibly they would be confused and
leave the property.
253
00:19:36,360 --> 00:19:42,179
Did Sarah Winchester spend nearly 40
years and the equivalent of more than
254
00:19:42,180 --> 00:19:46,540
million constructing a bizarre labyrinth
of stairs?
255
00:19:48,130 --> 00:19:53,070
halls and doors, in order to keep the
vengeful dead at bay.
256
00:19:54,390 --> 00:19:55,440
Perhaps.
257
00:19:56,670 --> 00:20:01,909
And for further evidence, some point to
the fact that the house is filled with
258
00:20:01,910 --> 00:20:03,450
strange symbolism.
259
00:20:07,830 --> 00:20:12,529
An interesting symbol that you see all
throughout the house is the symbol of
260
00:20:12,530 --> 00:20:13,539
sun.
261
00:20:13,540 --> 00:20:18,399
In astrology and astral theology, you
have the idea of the zodiac, which is
262
00:20:18,400 --> 00:20:23,359
have the 12 houses of the zodiac, and
the number 13 is the sun at the front
263
00:20:23,360 --> 00:20:26,600
gates of the house. And on each gate,
you have a symbol of the sun.
264
00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:30,940
And the rays of the sun add up to 16 on
each sun.
265
00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:35,839
So when you put the 16 and the 16
together, you have the date that William
266
00:20:35,840 --> 00:20:36,890
Shakespeare died.
267
00:20:37,550 --> 00:20:41,829
The two most cryptic windows, stained
glass windows in the house are Sarah's
268
00:20:41,830 --> 00:20:42,880
ballroom windows.
269
00:20:43,030 --> 00:20:48,109
They're the only ones that have any text
in them. And they're two quotes from
270
00:20:48,110 --> 00:20:49,669
different Shakespearean plays.
271
00:20:49,670 --> 00:20:53,110
And they read, wide unclasp the tables
of their thoughts.
272
00:20:53,730 --> 00:20:57,460
And then the other one says, these same
thoughts people this little world.
273
00:20:58,170 --> 00:21:02,249
We don't know exactly what that meant to
Sarah. She took that secret with her to
274
00:21:02,250 --> 00:21:03,300
her grave.
275
00:21:03,750 --> 00:21:06,670
Sarah Winchester passed away September
1922.
276
00:21:07,420 --> 00:21:12,039
As you can imagine, there was great
excitement to see this incredible home
277
00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:15,170
everyone in the town had seen being
built up over so many years.
278
00:21:15,180 --> 00:21:20,039
All the furnishings were sold
anonymously at auction, but what was
279
00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:22,400
large safe in the grand ballroom.
280
00:21:22,700 --> 00:21:28,599
Sarah put a safe in the grand ballroom,
which is an odd place to put a safe, and
281
00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:30,800
the safe itself is very odd.
282
00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:34,220
It's basically you open up the safe, and
then...
283
00:21:34,221 --> 00:21:37,859
You find another safe, and you have to
open up another safe, and it's a safe
284
00:21:37,860 --> 00:21:39,180
within a safe within a safe.
285
00:21:39,181 --> 00:21:43,359
People were kind of mystified, like,
what's in the safe? And they were hoping
286
00:21:43,360 --> 00:21:45,800
for maybe treasure, gold bars, or
jewelry.
287
00:21:46,660 --> 00:21:51,480
After they finally got inside, they
found just two things. No gold, no
288
00:21:51,481 --> 00:21:52,319
no diamonds.
289
00:21:52,320 --> 00:21:57,479
A lock of hair from her baby Annie, who
passed away just a few weeks old, and
290
00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:01,320
the obituary of her husband, who passed
away to tuberculosis very young.
291
00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:03,860
A lock of hair?
292
00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:05,900
And an obituary?
293
00:22:06,820 --> 00:22:11,359
It seems Sarah Winchester's motives for
building such a strange and unsettling
294
00:22:11,360 --> 00:22:17,560
structure remain safely hidden somewhere
in the never -ending house.
295
00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:23,040
Ultimately, it's hard to say what
secrets the Winchester Mystery House
296
00:22:23,300 --> 00:22:28,919
But one thing is certain. It was built
to confuse unwelcome guests, whether
297
00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:31,460
they're alive or dead.
298
00:22:33,390 --> 00:22:40,369
But there's another residence located in
the state of Indiana that may
299
00:22:40,370 --> 00:22:46,769
be imbued with even darker forces. It's
a home that many believe is the most
300
00:22:46,770 --> 00:22:48,650
evil place in North America.
301
00:22:55,030 --> 00:22:56,330
Cayuga, Indiana.
302
00:22:57,470 --> 00:22:59,590
February 16th, 2019.
303
00:23:01,499 --> 00:23:07,599
paranormal investigator Dave Spinks and
his associate Haley Sharp have traveled
304
00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:12,939
here to this small town to investigate a
house that many consider to be the most
305
00:23:12,940 --> 00:23:15,700
evil place in North America.
306
00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:21,799
Referred to as Willow's Weep, it has
been the site of a series of gruesome
307
00:23:21,800 --> 00:23:25,060
deaths since it was built in the 19th
century.
308
00:23:34,860 --> 00:23:38,100
Brenda Johnson owns Willow's Weave. Hi,
Brenda. Dave.
309
00:23:38,420 --> 00:23:43,359
She dismissed the rumors about it being
an evil place and purchased it only a
310
00:23:43,360 --> 00:23:47,879
few years ago with plans to renovate it.
This is my assistant, Haley. It's nice
311
00:23:47,880 --> 00:23:48,579
to meet you.
312
00:23:48,580 --> 00:23:53,560
But recent events have convinced her
that she may have made a terrible
313
00:23:54,500 --> 00:23:59,239
To this end, she's invited Dave and
Haley to come and investigate the house
314
00:23:59,240 --> 00:24:02,520
see if her strange experiences can be
verified.
315
00:24:03,570 --> 00:24:04,950
So, how are you doing?
316
00:24:05,630 --> 00:24:07,490
I couldn't stand in here.
317
00:24:08,050 --> 00:24:11,970
Last night I was sick thinking about
coming over here around this house.
318
00:24:11,971 --> 00:24:15,609
So tell us a little bit about the house,
some of your experiences here.
319
00:24:15,610 --> 00:24:20,209
Well, when I bought the house, we
started working on it, and then my son
320
00:24:20,210 --> 00:24:25,549
working on the ceiling. The boards come
flying off at him and hurt him, and I've
321
00:24:25,550 --> 00:24:30,370
been scratched in there, six claw marks
down my back, doors slamming on you,
322
00:24:30,490 --> 00:24:32,470
banging underneath the floors.
323
00:24:32,471 --> 00:24:36,179
I understand there's been deaths in this
house. Can you kind of go through those
324
00:24:36,180 --> 00:24:36,799
a little bit?
325
00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:37,850
Yeah.
326
00:24:39,240 --> 00:24:42,180
The man that built the house, he died in
the bathtub.
327
00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:47,420
There was two suicides and then another
hanging.
328
00:24:48,340 --> 00:24:52,440
And I heard that three men had been
poisoned.
329
00:24:53,520 --> 00:24:57,879
About six months prior, before I bought
it, there was a man that he committed
330
00:24:57,880 --> 00:24:58,930
suicide in there.
331
00:24:59,990 --> 00:25:01,490
He fell into the chair.
332
00:25:01,491 --> 00:25:04,849
And that's where they found him? They
found him a couple days later, right? A
333
00:25:04,850 --> 00:25:06,490
week. A week? A week later, okay.
334
00:25:09,710 --> 00:25:12,790
Do you think what's in that house is
evil? Yes, I do.
335
00:25:13,430 --> 00:25:15,600
Without a doubt? Yes, I do, without a
doubt.
336
00:25:15,790 --> 00:25:19,549
If it wasn't evil, it wouldn't be
hurting people. I don't think there's
337
00:25:19,550 --> 00:25:20,600
good in there.
338
00:25:20,670 --> 00:25:24,290
The house was built in the late 1800s,
correct? 1890, yes.
339
00:25:24,670 --> 00:25:29,060
So, regarding the shape of the house,
It's in the shape of a cross.
340
00:25:29,420 --> 00:25:30,470
Upside -down cross.
341
00:25:31,760 --> 00:25:34,380
Strange. Yes, very strange.
342
00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:40,659
Do you think the guy was into some weird
stuff, like occult stuff, that built
343
00:25:40,660 --> 00:25:44,260
it? Why would you build a house like
that if you wasn't into something?
344
00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:45,770
Absolutely.
345
00:25:45,771 --> 00:25:48,559
So we're getting ready to go into this
house and investigate it.
346
00:25:48,560 --> 00:25:50,700
Would you like to join us? No, no way.
347
00:25:50,900 --> 00:25:52,780
Never go back in there again, ever.
348
00:25:52,781 --> 00:25:55,259
All right, we're going to get in there
and investigate.
349
00:25:55,260 --> 00:25:56,310
All right.
350
00:25:59,400 --> 00:26:00,980
Here we go. All right.
351
00:26:04,320 --> 00:26:05,480
Pretty heavy in here.
352
00:26:06,900 --> 00:26:07,950
Definitely.
353
00:26:08,701 --> 00:26:12,299
Well, where do you want to get set up?
354
00:26:12,300 --> 00:26:13,259
Right here.
355
00:26:13,260 --> 00:26:14,310
Okay.
356
00:26:14,420 --> 00:26:19,339
To see if the house might contain
strange anomalies, Dave and Haley will
357
00:26:19,340 --> 00:26:23,799
temperature sensor, which can detect
fluctuations in both temperature and
358
00:26:23,800 --> 00:26:25,460
electromagnetic fields.
359
00:26:26,300 --> 00:26:29,340
All right, 41, 40 degrees, and it's
going down.
360
00:26:36,620 --> 00:26:38,420
It really likes this area.
361
00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:39,970
Yeah.
362
00:26:41,140 --> 00:26:42,190
It's going nuts.
363
00:26:43,780 --> 00:26:47,780
The temperature sensor has been dropping
steadily by as much as 9 degrees.
364
00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:49,730
But why?
365
00:26:50,920 --> 00:26:55,319
So this room is appearing to be pretty
active so far. I mean, the whole house
366
00:26:55,320 --> 00:26:56,319
really is.
367
00:26:56,320 --> 00:27:00,080
But we've got a lot of hits right here
on this device.
368
00:27:01,280 --> 00:27:03,740
This is the chair that Brenda was
talking about.
369
00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:08,880
Yeah, look at the blood on it. It's a
really sad, heavy feeling right here,
370
00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:10,280
I was pitting my stomach.
371
00:27:11,300 --> 00:27:16,139
Almost immediately, the device started
going off in the chair where the man who
372
00:27:16,140 --> 00:27:20,220
killed himself in the house several
years ago was found in.
373
00:27:20,900 --> 00:27:21,950
Something there.
374
00:27:22,460 --> 00:27:26,179
Could the strange changes in the
temperature of the house be caused by
375
00:27:26,180 --> 00:27:27,540
explainable force?
376
00:27:27,940 --> 00:27:32,359
A sudden drop in barometric pressure
caused by the presence of a deep
377
00:27:32,360 --> 00:27:33,760
underground well, perhaps.
378
00:27:35,840 --> 00:27:39,260
Or could it be caused by something else?
379
00:27:40,100 --> 00:27:42,580
Something that can't yet be explained.
380
00:27:43,520 --> 00:27:45,840
I'm getting the sickness, the headache.
381
00:27:46,940 --> 00:27:50,320
Definitely something negative in here,
in my opinion.
382
00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:53,810
I agree. All right, so let's get out of
here. Let's go. All right.
383
00:27:54,840 --> 00:27:59,219
Dave and Haley are beginning to suspect
that the stories of Willow's Wheat being
384
00:27:59,220 --> 00:28:04,280
an evil place might be based on more
than fear and superstition.
385
00:28:06,120 --> 00:28:07,170
The house is scary.
386
00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:09,970
I wouldn't want to be in this house
alone.
387
00:28:10,500 --> 00:28:14,059
I'd say this house does have some evil
in it. It does not give you a good
388
00:28:14,060 --> 00:28:17,320
feeling. It wants to suck the life out
of you.
389
00:28:19,880 --> 00:28:24,340
I've been to many locations, and this
one stands out above all of them so far.
390
00:28:25,140 --> 00:28:30,699
In my personal opinion, there are many
spirits and entities in this house.
391
00:28:30,700 --> 00:28:35,839
are human spirits and possibly demonic
spirits that influence the humans that
392
00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:41,140
have lived in this house and quite
possibly have caused them to harm
393
00:28:43,380 --> 00:28:48,099
Once outside, Dave and Haley give owner
Brenda Johnson a report on their
394
00:28:48,100 --> 00:28:53,140
findings. But not before Dave makes
Brenda a rather surprising offer.
395
00:28:53,420 --> 00:28:55,340
I know you really don't like this place.
396
00:28:55,540 --> 00:28:59,539
No. And I know that you want to get rid
of it. Yeah. Because I'd like to
397
00:28:59,540 --> 00:29:01,000
purchase the house from you.
398
00:29:02,980 --> 00:29:04,030
Okay.
399
00:29:04,720 --> 00:29:09,299
Yes. Dave is willing to be the next
owner of Willow's Weep. All right. Thank
400
00:29:09,300 --> 00:29:10,199
you. Thank you.
401
00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:14,860
I told Brenda if I owned this house, I
could investigate it much further.
402
00:29:16,010 --> 00:29:21,529
and much more in -depth and possibly
come to a conclusion as to what's
403
00:29:21,530 --> 00:29:23,330
the evil that lurks within its walls.
404
00:29:23,730 --> 00:29:26,200
That is, if something doesn't happen to
me first.
405
00:29:26,201 --> 00:29:27,429
You too.
406
00:29:27,430 --> 00:29:28,990
Luckily for me, she agreed.
407
00:29:29,290 --> 00:29:31,460
She really couldn't wait to sell the
place.
408
00:29:31,950 --> 00:29:36,989
Is it a good idea to investigate places
like Willow's Weep in order to find out
409
00:29:36,990 --> 00:29:39,030
whether dark forces really exist?
410
00:29:40,450 --> 00:29:41,500
Perhaps.
411
00:29:41,760 --> 00:29:45,939
But some people believe that it's better
to simply avoid these locations at all
412
00:29:45,940 --> 00:29:52,299
costs. Like in the case of an abandoned
island in Mexico, whose only inhabitants
413
00:29:52,300 --> 00:29:55,260
are thousands of eerie dogs.
414
00:30:01,880 --> 00:30:02,960
Xochimilco, Mexico.
415
00:30:04,380 --> 00:30:06,240
Just south of Mexico City.
416
00:30:08,040 --> 00:30:12,159
Dotted amongst the numerous tree -filled
canals that run through this ancient
417
00:30:12,160 --> 00:30:18,900
city are dozens of artificial floating
islands known as Chiñapas.
418
00:30:20,160 --> 00:30:26,099
But one Chiñapa stands out because the
branches of its willow and cypress trees
419
00:30:26,100 --> 00:30:29,880
appear to be growing something rather
unusual.
420
00:30:31,860 --> 00:30:36,460
The place is called Isla de las Muñecas,
otherwise known.
421
00:30:37,150 --> 00:30:38,950
as the Island of the Dolls.
422
00:30:41,830 --> 00:30:48,549
The island is a forest -like enclave
draped with thousands and thousands
423
00:30:48,550 --> 00:30:50,570
of ordinary dolls.
424
00:30:51,750 --> 00:30:56,630
Childhood playthings hanging from trees,
vines, and branches.
425
00:30:56,890 --> 00:30:58,350
It's very eerie.
426
00:30:59,050 --> 00:31:05,830
These look like suspended living
presences that are believed to ward off
427
00:31:07,600 --> 00:31:13,960
It's a spooky living sculpture that some
people say is cursed.
428
00:31:15,460 --> 00:31:22,439
And according to folklore, you can hear
whispering and you
429
00:31:22,440 --> 00:31:24,460
can hear little girls' voices.
430
00:31:24,860 --> 00:31:30,800
You can see the dolls' eyes blinking on
their own, which is just terrifying.
431
00:31:32,380 --> 00:31:36,540
The only permanent residents of the
island are the strange dolls.
432
00:31:37,160 --> 00:31:39,630
that have given the place a ghoulish
reputation.
433
00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:42,600
But who created this macabre spectacle?
434
00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:44,650
And why?
435
00:31:45,360 --> 00:31:50,699
Well, according to local lore, the story
began in the 1950s when the island was
436
00:31:50,700 --> 00:31:54,180
owned by a man named Julian Santana
Barrera.
437
00:31:55,460 --> 00:31:59,940
Julian Santana Barrera came to live on
the Chinampa.
438
00:32:00,520 --> 00:32:06,620
And according to the stories, he came
across a little girl.
439
00:32:07,120 --> 00:32:09,220
floating in one of the canals.
440
00:32:09,580 --> 00:32:14,879
Barrera is devastated that he can't save
the little girl and pulls her out of
441
00:32:14,880 --> 00:32:18,140
the water and buries her on the island.
442
00:32:20,120 --> 00:32:25,859
Barrera felt eventually that he was
seeing the ghost of this girl walking
443
00:32:25,860 --> 00:32:27,680
his little Chinampa island.
444
00:32:28,980 --> 00:32:33,080
To try to make her happy, he hung some
dolls in the trees.
445
00:32:34,640 --> 00:32:40,539
And he hung more and more dolls up to
appease the spirit of this little girl
446
00:32:40,540 --> 00:32:41,590
died tragically.
447
00:32:42,320 --> 00:32:48,539
We can think about what Barrera did as a
talisman or a symbol
448
00:32:48,540 --> 00:32:52,200
that is used to protect.
449
00:32:52,640 --> 00:32:58,380
All across the globe, you see these
totems being used in this particular
450
00:32:58,560 --> 00:33:02,380
There are stones and there are
ornaments.
451
00:33:03,020 --> 00:33:06,100
that people hang in their houses, in
their cars.
452
00:33:07,220 --> 00:33:13,299
Sometimes people carry them on their
physical person, and the act is done as
453
00:33:13,300 --> 00:33:14,680
kind of protective gesture.
454
00:33:17,260 --> 00:33:23,039
Ultimately, Barrera hung thousands of
dolls all over the island, not only to
455
00:33:23,040 --> 00:33:28,339
honor the memory of the young girl, but
also to guard against a dark entity that
456
00:33:28,340 --> 00:33:30,120
he believed had caused her death.
457
00:33:31,920 --> 00:33:35,360
An entity known as La Llorona.
458
00:33:37,100 --> 00:33:40,100
La Llorona is a tragic character.
459
00:33:42,200 --> 00:33:49,139
She is the first native mother who gave
birth to children from
460
00:33:49,140 --> 00:33:51,420
a conquistador, a Spaniard.
461
00:33:54,570 --> 00:33:59,949
The story says that her community
rejected her because her children were
462
00:33:59,950 --> 00:34:05,389
Spaniard, and so she was shamed. She was
so ashamed of this, in fact, that she
463
00:34:05,390 --> 00:34:08,090
went down to the river and she drowned
her children.
464
00:34:10,190 --> 00:34:12,810
She immediately regretted this.
465
00:34:14,929 --> 00:34:18,969
Now she's the spirit that haunts lakes
and rivers.
466
00:34:20,810 --> 00:34:27,110
La Llorona is a well -known myth all
around Mexico. And so a man like
467
00:34:27,210 --> 00:34:33,209
who sees a child floating in the water,
he almost certainly, at least for a
468
00:34:33,210 --> 00:34:36,700
moment, thought of La Llorona and that
this is her children floating.
469
00:34:38,070 --> 00:34:43,389
Since Barrera's death in 2001, the
island of the dolls has remained
470
00:34:44,949 --> 00:34:48,510
But locals continue to tell the story of
the drowned girl.
471
00:34:49,290 --> 00:34:53,409
Many are convinced that there's an evil
presence on this island.
472
00:34:54,090 --> 00:34:59,009
And as evidence, they point to the
chilling circumstances of Julian
473
00:34:59,010 --> 00:35:00,060
death.
474
00:35:01,130 --> 00:35:07,589
After suffering from a fatal heart
attack, his body was found in an
475
00:35:07,590 --> 00:35:08,640
location.
476
00:35:09,690 --> 00:35:10,740
Barrera dies.
477
00:35:11,290 --> 00:35:15,989
And not only does he die on the island,
but his body is found in the exact canal
478
00:35:15,990 --> 00:35:18,050
where he found the little girl.
479
00:35:19,720 --> 00:35:20,860
Is there correlation?
480
00:35:20,980 --> 00:35:22,030
We don't know.
481
00:35:22,240 --> 00:35:29,059
But many people believe that if you are
out at night by yourself, playing
482
00:35:29,060 --> 00:35:33,160
down by the river, that La Llorona will,
quote -unquote, get you.
483
00:35:48,080 --> 00:35:50,520
about the aftermath of a local house
fire.
484
00:35:51,520 --> 00:35:55,430
But, according to John Murphy, this is
not your typical human interest story.
485
00:35:56,380 --> 00:36:00,679
Because, although the blaze burned the
home and nearly everything in it to the
486
00:36:00,680 --> 00:36:03,700
ground, one object did manage to
survive.
487
00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:09,540
A copy of a painting depicting the
crying boy.
488
00:36:11,240 --> 00:36:15,859
I was told to go out and have a look at
the fire, speak to the homeowners and
489
00:36:15,860 --> 00:36:20,140
see what has happened. I got there and
it was a conventional chip pan fire.
490
00:36:20,960 --> 00:36:25,919
No one, fortunately, was hurt, but the
house had been completely gutted. But
491
00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:30,440
extraordinary thing was that the print
had actually survived the blaze.
492
00:36:31,560 --> 00:36:35,699
Initially, John thought that the
painting's revival was a mildly
493
00:36:35,700 --> 00:36:39,680
tidbit, but not especially newsworthy on
its own.
494
00:36:40,710 --> 00:36:46,129
That is, until a firefighter on the
scene informed him that this wasn't the
495
00:36:46,130 --> 00:36:51,430
time that a copy of a similar painting
had survived such a massive fire.
496
00:36:51,930 --> 00:36:57,330
When I was speaking to the fire officer
outside the home on that Monday morning,
497
00:36:57,490 --> 00:37:01,489
he told me about his brother -in -law,
whose house had also been destroyed by
498
00:37:01,490 --> 00:37:05,790
fire, and who also had a print of the
crying boy in the house which survived.
499
00:37:06,370 --> 00:37:08,170
We had an interesting conversation.
500
00:37:09,720 --> 00:37:13,719
And he said, this is really, really
strange. I have been on so many house
501
00:37:13,720 --> 00:37:18,000
recently where there has been this print
in the house.
502
00:37:18,880 --> 00:37:24,000
The houses where there'd been these
fires, completely gutted, so hot, in
503
00:37:24,080 --> 00:37:28,419
that on the ground floor of one
particular house, the plaster was
504
00:37:28,420 --> 00:37:29,019
the wall.
505
00:37:29,020 --> 00:37:35,480
And yet this particular print was
hanging on the wall, absolutely
506
00:37:38,120 --> 00:37:43,459
I contacted my news desk, phoned through
the story, so hence the story of the
507
00:37:43,460 --> 00:37:45,600
Curse of the Crying Boy print was born.
508
00:37:47,800 --> 00:37:54,319
Dozens of homes ravaged by fire, and in
every single case, a
509
00:37:54,320 --> 00:37:57,940
Crying Boy print had survived unscathed.
510
00:37:58,600 --> 00:38:00,860
But how could such a thing be possible?
511
00:38:01,560 --> 00:38:07,600
The story went viral after the son got
hold of the story, and next thing...
512
00:38:07,930 --> 00:38:13,569
They ran telephone campaigns asking if
their readers had got a print of the
513
00:38:13,570 --> 00:38:18,590
crying boy, and if so, had they
experienced any disasters like house
514
00:38:19,570 --> 00:38:22,430
So that's where the rumour became
alleged.
515
00:38:22,630 --> 00:38:27,909
But at that stage, there was no story to
explain who the child was and why was
516
00:38:27,910 --> 00:38:28,960
he crying.
517
00:38:29,690 --> 00:38:34,010
The crying boy portraits are among a
series of mass -produced artworks.
518
00:38:34,250 --> 00:38:39,469
that belonged to a genre known as big
-eyed art, sold in British department
519
00:38:39,470 --> 00:38:45,470
stores in the 1960s and 70s. But in this
case, who was the artist?
520
00:38:45,850 --> 00:38:51,210
And why was he or she so obsessed with
painting the crying boy?
521
00:38:53,150 --> 00:38:59,029
In the 1950s, there was a Californian
artist, Margaret Keane, who painted a
522
00:38:59,030 --> 00:39:02,890
whole range of children, and this
became...
523
00:39:03,190 --> 00:39:06,920
big -eyed art, and it was something that
was very popular in the 50s and 60s.
524
00:39:06,990 --> 00:39:12,070
Lots of European painters copied
Margaret Keane's art style.
525
00:39:12,750 --> 00:39:19,589
Probably the best known was a series of
27 paintings by an Italian artist
526
00:39:19,590 --> 00:39:26,269
called Bruno Amadio, who was born in
1911, died in the early 1980s. And he
527
00:39:26,270 --> 00:39:29,710
classically trained, but he didn't
make...
528
00:39:29,920 --> 00:39:34,259
much in the way of money. So in order to
make money, he painted, in the style of
529
00:39:34,260 --> 00:39:39,040
Margaret Keane, lots of pictures of
small children, sort of street urchins,
530
00:39:39,340 --> 00:39:45,840
crying girls, crying boys, and these
sold to tourists in post -war Italy.
531
00:39:47,040 --> 00:39:51,079
He didn't want to be associated with
these paintings because he just didn't
532
00:39:51,080 --> 00:39:55,639
think they were very good quality
paintings. So he came up with a name,
533
00:39:55,640 --> 00:39:59,120
de guerre, Giovanni Bragolin.
534
00:39:59,530 --> 00:40:02,150
which was actually apparently his
uncle's name.
535
00:40:02,430 --> 00:40:04,430
No one knew who this Bragolin was.
536
00:40:05,070 --> 00:40:10,630
It didn't have a biography in the way
that many other well -known artists did.
537
00:40:10,690 --> 00:40:12,890
So there's that element of mystery.
538
00:40:14,130 --> 00:40:19,809
And one of the stories about the Crying
Boy Curse is that the child in the
539
00:40:19,810 --> 00:40:24,809
painting is trapped inside the painting,
and that the only way that the child or
540
00:40:24,810 --> 00:40:28,450
the spirit of that child can free itself
is by setting fire.
541
00:40:29,050 --> 00:40:32,540
to its surroundings, and that's the way
it escapes from the painting.
542
00:40:35,910 --> 00:40:40,629
Recently, forensic investigators
studying the so -called Curse of the
543
00:40:40,630 --> 00:40:45,869
have raised a new possibility as to how
the painting has come to survive so many
544
00:40:45,870 --> 00:40:50,510
house fires, and it has nothing to do
with the supposed curse.
545
00:40:50,511 --> 00:40:55,599
There was some investigation done on
these paintings and they were actually
546
00:40:55,600 --> 00:40:57,980
coated with fire retardant material.
547
00:40:58,400 --> 00:41:03,559
And that could just be the reason that
they didn't burn and the other aspects
548
00:41:03,560 --> 00:41:04,700
the locations did burn.
549
00:41:05,680 --> 00:41:11,439
You plant an idea, whether it's in a
newspaper, in a book, or via Twitter or
550
00:41:11,440 --> 00:41:17,479
Facebook, suggesting that there's
something eerie or there's bad luck
551
00:41:17,480 --> 00:41:20,740
circulating around a particular object
or painting.
552
00:41:21,480 --> 00:41:26,719
And you're almost guaranteed to get
people saying, yes, I've had bad luck.
553
00:41:26,720 --> 00:41:30,450
that's exactly what happened in the
1980s with The Curse of the Crying Boy.
554
00:41:32,140 --> 00:41:33,940
So, what do you think?
555
00:41:34,700 --> 00:41:39,600
Are dark forces just a manifestation of
human fears and nothing more?
556
00:41:41,680 --> 00:41:47,239
Or are we surrounded by invisible and
malevolent energy that we don't fully
557
00:41:47,240 --> 00:41:49,700
understand? Well, until we know for
sure.
558
00:41:50,890 --> 00:41:55,769
Perhaps it's best to listen closely when
our instincts warn us about deadly
559
00:41:55,770 --> 00:42:01,150
powers that remain unexplained.
560
00:42:01,200 --> 00:42:05,750
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