Original subtitles

ANNOUNCER: Tonight, on "Unsolved Mysteries."

ROBERT STACK: They call it the Chair of Death.

More than 300 years ago, a condemned killer

pronounced a curse on the seat as he was led to the gallows.

Legend has it that ever since, those who ignored the warnings

were doomed to an untimely death.

For 11 years, Audrey Santo has been in a coma-like state,

yet her bedroom has become a religious shrine.

A constant stream of visitors believes

that somehow in this mysterious sleep state,

Audrey can perform miracles.

A dog rescues a total stranger from drowning.

A pet pig saves the life of its owner.

What turns animals into heroes?

Is it instinct, a sixth sense, or something more?

It may look like nothing more than a worn and weather-beaten

scrap of olive wood.

Many believe it holds extraordinary power--

the power to heal.

Is it possible this is an actual remnant

of the legendary Holy Grail?

Can the power of love transcend death?

Consider the purity and simplicity of a single red

rose.

This woman says it was a gift sent from beyond the grave

by her father, television star Michael Landon.

Join me for these fascinating stories.

Perhaps someone somewhere has that one vital clue

that can solve a mystery.

Perhaps that someone is watching.

Perhaps it's you.

[theme music]

The English village of Thirsk has

all the quirky charms and quaint customs a visitor might expect.

It also has one attraction you might not expect.

As you wander through the clutter of the village's

tiny museum, you might find yourself

drawn to a remote alcove and a valuable antique chair.

But it's not on display for its rarity.

According to the locals, this chair

is cursed with an astonishing and lethal power.

It all started way back in 1669.

Thomas Busby, a convicted murderer

on his way to the gallows, was granted a last wish--

a final pint of ale on his favorite chair

at his favorite pub.

When he finished, the condemned man

gathered himself for the hangman, pointed to the chair,

and let his voice ring out--

may sudden death come to anyone who dares sit in my chair.

Thomas Busby's curse echoed down the centuries,

proving his potency over and over again.

At least that's how it's told here

with typical British reserve.

PETER HATCH: After he was hanged,

this chair remained in the pub and people

were dared to sit in it.

But gradually, it became noticed that they

were coming to a sticky end afterwards or very shortly

afterwards.

ROBERT STACK: No one knows exactly how many victims

the curse has claimed since Thomas Busby met his maker,

but the legend gained a great deal of notoriety

during World War II.

Airmen at a nearby base made the pub a hot spot

and the chair a hot seat.

People started noticing-- those who sat didn't come back.

[gunfire] [explosions]

ROLY BARNES: Well, until I came here,

I didn't believe in curses.

But now I have mixed feelings after hearing some

of the things about the chair.

The only way I would sit in the chair,

if my doctor told me I've only got 12 hours to live.

A great many people take it very seriously.

I'm not a superstitious man, but I wouldn't sit in it.

Maybe a little ride in Busby's chair, what do you think?

The chair?

ROBERT STACK: 1967, 300 years after Busby drank

his last pint, a pair of Royal Air Force pilots

downed a few too many of their own.

How's that feel, sir?

Very nice.

It's still hot, it's still ticking a bit.

You all right?

I feel pretty damn good, I tell you.

How bout a-- a go for it?

A go?

A little spin, how bout it?

I'm good for a go, I'm not afraid.

Sit right down in there.

Oh, it's not bad at all, it's not bad at all.

- It's a bit tingly. - It is tingly.

It's good, though.

ROBERT STACK: The tingle didn't last long.

The pilots were about to be grounded for good.

[tires squealing]

[crash]

The chair was no longer known merely as Busby's Chair.

Now it was the Chair of Death.

A few years later, two bricklayers working nearby

took a lunch break at the pub.

You feeling lucky today?

ROBERT STACK: Despite the chair's sinister reputation,

they couldn't resist daring its power.

You've got to be kidding.

Hm.

Ah.

There have been a lot of people to tell you it's true.

Want to give it a try?

What, you think I'm scared, then?

Don't know if you are or not.

Curious to know, though.

You do it.

Not me, ey, fellas?

Go on.

All right, then.

Yes, all right, now. [applause]

All right.

ROBERT STACK: That afternoon, Busby's curse struck again.

Oh!

Ahhh!

[thud]

Here we go.

You guys ready?

ROBERT STACK: Legend has it the chair never had an off day.

Anyone who warmed its wooden bottom died swiftly.

A roofer who tempted the chair fell to his death when the roof

he was working on collapsed.

A cleaning woman stumbled into the chair while mopping.

Soon after, a brain tumor killed her.

No one escaped the Chair of Death.

Aye, well, with all this rain we've

been having, I haven't been in much need of new supplies.

ROBERT STACK: For safety's sake, the pub owner finally moved

the chair into the basement.

Out of harm's way.

Or so he thought.

You actually believe in the curse now.

Well, don't sit in it!

I can tell you more than one or two stories about people

who've met a premature death.

Do you believe in that sort of thing?

ROBERT STACK: Within the hour, the delivery

man's delivery days were over.

[tires squealing] [crash]

It was the last straw.

There was only one safe place for the chair--

the local museum.

The curators made sure no one would sit in Busby's chair

again.

They hung it on the wall, five feet off the ground.

PETER WYON: People come in, they're horrified.

Oooh-- they-- they sort of register horror

when they come in and see this chair and-- and hear the story.

ROBERT STACK: Though its killing days are presumed to be over,

people continue to come forward with more

tales of the Chair of Death.

ROLY BARNES: The strangest one that was

just a couple of months ago.

A fellow rang me, a retired man from Darby

who'd been stationed on the air force base during the war.

And he was a member of the RAF band,

and they used to play at functions in Thirsk

and traveled there by truck.

On the way back one night, they picked up

two airmen who were walking home from a night out in the town.

And one of these airmen wanted to use a toilet,

so they stopped here at the Busby Stoop.

ROBERT STACK: While waiting for the airman,

the driver of the truck, all unknowing,

sat in Busby's chair.

When the airman didn't return, the driver

left the pub without him.

The abandoned and furious airman had to make

his own way back to the base.

ROLY BARNES: When he got there, he got a building brick

and smashed the head of this driver and killed him.

ROBERT STACK: These days, the chair

isn't taken down even for cleaning,

just in case anyone is foolhardy enough to test

Busby's curse once more.

PETER HATCH: The power of the chair has been hung up with it,

and I wouldn't advise anybody to take it down and sit on it now.

Because it does seem that those who

challenge the power of the chair have been

the quickest to succumb to it.

ROBERT STACK: Next, the unique and strange story

of a girl who many believe is somehow healing the sick,

even though she has been in a near-coma for 11 years.

TOUR GUIDE: As you can see, this is Audrey's room.

And the person sitting down on her left is her grandmother.

And the person standing on your right is one of the nurses--

ROBERT STACK: Meet Audrey Santo.

This is not a re-enactment.

Audrey has been in a coma-like state called

akinetic mutism for 11 years.

Every week, people line up at this window

to get a glimpse of her.

Not because they are morbid, but because they believe

she's a miracle maker.

Her astonishing story begins when Audrey

played by her family's swimming pool

in Worcester, Massachusetts.

She was only three years old when tragedy struck.

AUDREY SANTO: [shrieks]

ROBERT STACK: Audrey was underwater for several minutes

before she was rescued by her brother.

On the way to the emergency room,

she went into cardiac arrest.

It was a parent's worst nightmare.

Audrey's initial diagnosis after the near-drowning was--

that she had massive brain damage from the drowning

and a very poor prognosis, they didn't think she

was going to live very long.

LINDA SANTO: We just started praying.

That's all.

Just prayed.

Because when things are totally out of your control,

what else can you do?

It's God's control, and you've got to give Him the ball

and let Him run with it.

ROBERT STACK: Audrey lived, but she has remained

bedridden for 11 years.

She shows an awareness of what's going on around her,

but she is unable to move or talk.

She's not fully conscious by any stretch of the imagination,

yet she's not unconscious.

ROBERT STACK: A year after Audrey's accident,

her mother took her to the famous miracle

site of Medjugorje, hoping for a cure.

The trip nearly killed Audrey, but from that time

on, a gradual progression of unexplained phenomena

took place.

One of the most remarkable occurred

in the Santos' living room.

October 1993.

Audrey was nine.

A picture of the Virgin Mary appeared to be crying.

Not tears, but drops of oil.

LINDA SANTO: We're all looking at this image.

And-- and I said, please, you know, if this is for Audrey,

let us know this, because all of a sudden

it occurred just to the-- to the kids and I

that maybe this weeping was for Audrey's healing.

There are many meanings of oil.

For example, healing, and so on.

And I conclude quickly then that God is saying,

this is a holy place, and this little girl is mine.

ROBERT STACK: It started with one weeping picture.

Then, as the days went on, almost

every religious icon in Audrey's room began to cry tears of oil.

LINDA SANTO: Another image started weeping,

and then another image started weeping.

We started thinking, well, is there

a rhyme or reason to this?

ROBERT STACK: Or could it be a hoax?

One person who thought it was a sham was a newly-hired nurse.

Warm enough?

When I started piecing everything

together, at first I'm saying, I gotta get out of here.

These guys are nuts!

I really tried to call their bluff on this.

But as I stayed there, I just--

I believed it.

I couldn't-- I can't find any reason why these things are

happening, and I have checked.

I checked the-- the statues, I checked the cups.

I mean, I'm looking for wires and anything that

would start an oil reaction.

And there was-- there was absolutely nothing.

Nothing there that I can explain why it's happening.

ROBERT STACK: News began to spread

within the Catholic community.

Fervent believers began to request samples of the oil.

Some even anointed their sick loved ones with it.

The mysterious events began to take on a new dimension.

Caitlin McQuade was thought to have cerebral palsy.

She no longer has braces on her legs.

Victor Fanucchi recovered from crippling neck pain.

A motorcycle accident had left Joey Parolisi

with severely injured legs.

He can now walk without crutches.

Lord Jesus Christ, you gave us the Eucharist as the memorial

of your suffering again--

ROBERT STACK: In a remarkable departure from tradition,

the local Catholic diocese approved

the weekly performance of mass in a makeshift sanctuary

in the family's backyard.

Pilgrims came to the Santo home to ask Audrey to pray for them

and to receive samples of the oil.

At first, they came by the dozens, then by the hundreds,

until the numbers reached the thousands.

Joanna Stanley Pirog were given a sample of oil by a friend

when their 17-year-old son Jim lapsed

into a coma after a car crash.

A serious student, he intended to go to college.

That was before a pickup hit the driver's side of his car.

They told us then that Jim's condition was very, very grave.

And it would be a miracle if he survived the night.

We're concerned that Jim was not going to make it.

ROBERT STACK: Jim was still comatose

seven days later when they placed the oil on his forehead.

[praying]

ROBERT STACK: And then,

[praying]

ROBERT STACK: The monitors showed that Jim was responding.

I can still remember the feeling of awe.

Because I didn't expect that particular effect.

And it was just a few hours later that he

did come out of his coma.

And the nurses used to call him Miracle Kid.

ROBERT STACK: It took Jim a year to improve

enough from his injuries to return

to high school and graduate.

Audrey's astonishing abilities took

a new twist in June of 1994.

Without warning, a mysterious rash appeared on her legs.

Was Audrey taking on the painful side effects of sick people?

Dr. Harding had no explanation for it.

So a laboratory examined the biopsy of Audrey's skin.

JOHN HARDING: And they sent back a report that said it's--

the rash that you might see with a patient on chemotherapy.

And she wasn't on chemotherapy.

Knowing the supernatural stuff flying around her,

perhaps somebody had come in, maybe their wife dying

of cancer or their husband or their child and on chemotherapy

and had asked her if she would ask God for healing

for their loved one.

And it, uh, you know, perhaps she took that on,

that suffering and--

on behalf of a patient.

ROBERT STACK: But one of the most

incredible aspects of Audrey's story is Audrey herself.

After 11 years of being bedridden,

she is surprisingly healthy.

JOHN HARDING: You just wouldn't expect

her to be so well-nourished looking,

her skin to be in such perfect condition.

She really just looks like this maybe happened a--

a few weeks ago or a month ago, not

like it happened 11 years ago.

The girl's never had a bedsore, you know?

And for someone who doesn't move around and have a trach

and stuff, she really has not had any kind of pneumonia

or cold or anything in three years, which is really

in itself a remarkable thing.

It's got to be God.

I mean, supernatural comes from two sources in my book--

the Devil or God, and since this is all good

and people are coming back to God and they're being healed,

this must be of God.

ROBERT STACK: Next, heartwarming stories about a blind dog

and an overweight pig.

Can you guess what qualities make them an unsolved mystery?

They say that inside even the smallest dog lives

a heart and mind of a wolf.

So what's strange force makes these animals our best friends?

Even more puzzling, what inexplicable instinct

persuades them to risk their lives for ours?

What is a potent and mysterious bond between us and them?

Annette McDonald and her dog Norman

often walk along the shore of a tidal estuary

in Seaside, Oregon.

Norman is a yellow lab, a kind of dog

often used to guide the blind.

In this case, however, the roles are reversed.

Norman is blind.

Annette guides him.

[barks]

ANNETTE MCDONALD: When Norman's going to bump into something,

I just say, easy, easy.

If I throw the stick and he doesn't hear where it lands

and he goes the wrong direction, I tell him to go the other way.

I just say, other way, other way,

and he'll usually turn around and go the right way.

ROBERT STACK: On August 5th, 1997,

Annette was guiding Norman through their usual game,

when Norman suddenly reacted to a different sound.

[barks]

Norman!

Norman!

He just took off like a bullet.

I was surprised that he could even run that fast.

ROBERT STACK: Annette tried to call him back,

worried he would hurt himself, but he ignored her completely.

Help!

Help!

Help!

ROBERT STACK: 15-year-old Lisa Nibley

was caught in a dangerous undertow of the incoming tide.

LISA NIBLEY: I was having a hard time getting enough air in,

you know.

My lungs were just burning because it was just

so hard for me to breathe and--

and my face was just on fire because I was screaming

so loud for someone to help me.

Help!

ROBERT STACK: Amazingly, Norman started

swimming straight toward her.

ANNETTE MCDONALD: I couldn't believe that he knew

what to do, but he knew somebody needed

him and he went and did it.

It was just-- it was incredible.

ROBERT STACK: When Lisa saw Norman heading toward her,

she stopped screaming.

Norman became instantly disoriented.

[whimpers]

ROBERT STACK: Annette suddenly realized Norman had

been following Lisa's voice.

Call him!

Call him, his name is Norman!

His name is Norman, call him!

He'll come to you!

Norman!

Norman!

ROBERT STACK: The moment Lisa called him,

Norman got his bearings and swam straight toward her.

Come on, Norman!

It was the most hopeless moment in my life.

I felt like everything was depending

on Norman to get out there and get her because there

was no way I could.

I'm not a swimmer and I wouldn't have been able to save her,

it was all depending on him.

When he swam out to me, he kind of looked at me,

at my face, and kind of like he was saying, grab a hold of me,

I'm going to help you.

ROBERT STACK: Lisa grabbed Norman then lost her grip.

Her arms were shaking with fatigue.

Incredibly, Norman came back for another try.

Norman!

LISA NIBLEY: He turned around and, like, swung himself around

so I could grab the back of him so he could swim

and I could hold onto him.

I think he-- he knew that he had to help me.

He knew what he was doing.

ROBERT STACK: To Lisa's astonishment,

Norman towed her toward shore as though he'd

been trained for all his life.

Moments later, they were back in the shallows, safe.

We did it, come on!

LISA NIBLEY: He's my guardian angel and I--

I was, you know, so happy that-- that happened

and he saved me and it was amazing.

ROBERT STACK: Neither Annette nor Lisa understand what

mysterious instinct inspired a blind dog to risk

his life for a stranger, but Lisa will be

forever grateful to her hero--

Norman.

When you look into a dog's soft brown eyes,

it's not hard to see the heart of a hero.

But what about other animals?

August 4th, 1998.

Jo Altsman was vacationing at a campground on Lake Erie.

While her husband was out fishing,

she was relaxing in their trailer.

Suddenly, she felt a pain in her chest and her left arm

went numb.

Help!

Help!

Help me!

No No one in the campground heard her cries.

No one except Lulu, her pet pot-bellied pig.

[squeals]

ROBERT STACK: Jo's heart attack continued, the pain increasing.

Is anybody there?

ROBERT STACK: She became terrified that she would die,

no one close enough to help.

Seconds passed.

Minutes.

She was getting weaker.

YOUNG MAN: Hello?

Is anybody home?

JO ALTSMAN: Help me!

I'm having a heart attack, call 911!

The phone is in the center.

All right, I--

I'll get some help, I'll get an ambulance, just hold on,

I'll be right back!

ROBERT STACK: Within minutes, paramedics were

rushing Jo to the hospital.

JO ALTMAN: They took me to the emergency room and admitted me.

And they said that even 15 minutes, I

would have no quality of life or I would have died.

ROBERT STACK: But how did the young man happen to arrive

just in the nick of time?

What guardian angel guided him to her door?

To Jo's amazement, it turned out to be Lulu the pig.

From the moment Jo fell to the floor,

Lulu seemed to know something was very wrong.

[squeals]

ROBERT STACK: She ran to the kitchen

and squeezed yourself through the dog door,

scraping her belly raw.

Outside, Lulu threw herself against the gate,

battering it until it broke.

JO ALTSMAN: Her cries kept getting fainter.

That's because she was going farther away from me,

but I didn't register that at the time.

[squealing]

ROBERT STACK: Lulu went to the campground's main crossroads.

Incredibly, she parked herself in the middle of the road,

forcing drivers to back up or swerve around her.

Even more amazing, Lulu repeatedly retraced her steps,

returning constantly to Jo.

JO ALTSMAN: She'd come back in through the doggy door

and scrape her belly and check on me

and put that big mug of hers over my face.

And she'd go out back out through everything

and do everything again.

It just seemed like I'd hollered forever

and Lulu had run back and forth forever, and nobody came.

ROBERT STACK: But Lulu apparently

wasn't willing to give up.

Finally, someone stopped.

Lulu's behavior defies explanation.

Did she actually conceive and execute

a plan to save Jo's life?

How could a pig do that?

And why would she?

Animal behaviorists might credit pack

instinct, the genetically programmed responses

to fear pheromones.

But Jo has a simpler answer--

Lulu loved her.

Every morning I thank God that she was there.

And every morning I thank her.

Lulu literally saved my life.

ROBERT STACK: Next, some say that water from a chalice

called a Nanteos Cup has the power to heal.

Could it be the Holy Grail?

It was the most sacred object of the Middle Ages.

The great elusive prize covered by King Arthur and his knights

of the Round Table.

Centuries ago, wandering minstrels popularized the image

of a bejeweled golden chalice--

the Holy Grail.

But that is a romantic ideal.

The reality may be quite different.

Thousands of people believe this well-worn palm-sized bit

of olive wood, kept under lock and key in West Wales,

is the true Grail, all that is left of a simple workman's

cup, a cup from which Jesus Christ himself drank

at the Last Supper.

SEAN MACHESTER: The cup is a unique symbol which

brings God and man together.

And of course, for the Catholic at least,

Christ is present in the cup.

Many people regard the Holy Grail and Jesus

Christ as one and the same.

ROBERT STACK: It is a powerful notion, that the lips of Christ

actually touched an object that still exists today.

But is it truly the Grail?

Where is the proof?

Believers say it lies in the cup's miraculous power to heal.

Hundreds testify they have been cured

of the worst afflictions--

arthritis, heart disease, blindness, leprosy,

even deadly cancers.

The legend of the Grail begins with this wondrous journey

from biblical Palestine to a modest cottage in England.

For more than 2,000 years, every object

associated with the Last Supper and the Crucifixion

has taken on a mystical significance,

none more so the Holy Grail.

RONALD HUTTON: For the historian,

the Grail is legend, pure and simple,

but legend is an amazing thing.

It can enable people to do heroic things under the worst

of circumstances.

And that's why the Grail story is

one of the greatest stories in the entire history of the world

and always will be.

ROBERT STACK: Though it was not recorded in the Bible,

the Grail legend holds that blood spilled from Chirst's

wounds as his body was being prepared

for burial, Joseph of Arimathea caught

a few drops in the Grail.

After the Resurrection, Joseph was accused

of stealing the body of Christ and was imprisoned

without food or water.

Each day, however, an angel placed a wafer in the Grail,

keeping Joseph alive until he managed to escape

with his life and the Grail.

He brought the precious cup to the Western Isles of Britain.

There he founded the Church of the Holy Grail

on Glastonbury Tor, a church whose ruins still stand today,

100 miles west of London.

SEAN MACHESTER: There is sufficient evidence--

written evidence-- to support the coming

of Joseph and the Holy Grail--

with 11 or so disciples--

to the western confines of England,

indeed to Glastonbury via the Bristol Channel from Palestine.

ROBERT STACK: For 1,000 years after Joseph came

to Glastonbury, the Grail remained hidden

away and all but forgotten.

Then in the 12th century, poets and troubadours

revived the legend.

The quest for the Grail captivated all of Europe.

RONALD HUTTON: It's the spiritual equivalent to, say,

the "Star Wars" trilogy, the "Superman" movies,

the "Batman" movies all rolled into one.

Everybody knows the characters, everybody

has some sense of what's at stake-- it's the salvation

of the human race.

ROBERT STACK: Three centuries after the revival

of the Grail legend, Henry VIII added another chapter.

He ordered his soldiers to loot the monasteries

and destroy the churches, including Glastonbury.

RONALD HUTTON: Henry VIII's reformation

was among the great acts of vandalism

in the history of the world.

To put it bluntly, the King wants to get rich so he

could fight France and Spain.

And he also wanted to remove what he thought

were the wrong bits of religion of his land,

and that's why these great medieval abbeys had to go.

ROBERT STACK: A group of monks left Glastonbury just

ahead of the King's soldiers.

Legend has it that they carried with them

a secret treasure, the true Grail.

For a time, they hid in a monastery in Wales

called Strata Florida.

When Strata Florida suffered the same fate as Glastonbury,

the monks fled again.

This time to Nanteos House, a mansion owned by a family

of aristocrats named Powell.

There the monks found sanctuary.

PETER GRIFFITHS: There were seven of them.

Six monks and the prior.

And they remained in Nanteos House until one-by-one,

they passed on.

The last of the seven to die was the prior,

and it was the prior who handed this sacred relic over

to the Powell family.

ROBERT STACK: The Powells guarded the monks' relic

for 400 years, handing it down from one

generation to the next.

It became known as the Nanteos Cup.

PETER GRIFFITHS: What began to transpire

was that the chalice had healing properties.

How they discovered this is not known,

but at some point in time, the healing properties

became more apparent.

ROBERT STACK: For many years, Reverend Griffiths

knew only the barest facts about the Nanteos Cup.

Than one night in 1988, he had his first encounter

with the mysterious powers of the Grail.

I was on itinerant ministry during those days,

and this particular day, I was traveling to North Wales

early in the morning.

So I'd set a time of rising at 6:00 AM.

But at 4:00 AM, I was awakened by a voice.

The first time it didn't register,

and I heard a second time the voice say,

you will find the holy chalice.

[phone ringing]

ROBERT STACK: Before dawn that very morning, a friend called.

The friend suggested that the Reverend

include the Nanteos Cup in a coming exhibition

of Christian artifacts.

He told Griffiths he might learn more

about the cup at the ruined abbey of Strata Florida.

PETER GRIFFITHS: When I gave the curator the details,

I was amazed to find that he was convinced of my experience,

and he was more than willing to help.

But he made it to understand that it was breaking a rule,

because he had promised the family

that he would never redirect anyone

to their present location.

Now the reason for this was because the present cup owner's

mother was sometimes inundated with as many as 1,000

visitors per week, and as a result,

she experienced a breakdown.

ROBERT STACK: The current owner of the cup,

another direct descendant of the Powell family,

lives in seclusion, protecting her privacy as vigilantly

as she guards the Nanteos Cup.

GUARDIAN: As the guardian of the Holy Grail,

my duty is to safeguard the cup at all times,

but to allow people to drink from it, to have water from it,

and to send water to people if they're ill.

PETER GRIFFITHS: When I first set eyes on the chalice,

I was a little disappointed, because it

was only fragmentary.

Perhaps there's only a third of the original vessel left.

But when I handled it, I had a total--

totally different appreciation of it.

I can't describe in human language

the effect it had upon me--

as if I was already in paradise.

ROBERT STACK: It is precisely that feeling

of holiness that has led many to believe the cup

has the power to heal.

The cup's guardian gives water that

has been poured over the cup to Reverend Griffiths.

He patched the holy water on small prayer mats

and sends them to those who are sick and crippled.

The reverend says some of the results

have been nothing short of miraculous.

I have a regular meal with a young man

who was once totally blind, and today he has perfect sight.

I cite one case of a young man who was a leper.

Had a leprous condition for 11 years.

But the following day, his skin was perfectly clean

from every trace of leprosy.

We have many cases of arthritics and rheumatics

who have been healed--

if not in the short-term, in the long-term,

for which they were told originally there was no cure.

ROBERT STACK: Marlene Sheckley testifies to her own miracle.

Well, like I would imagine, it was everyone's nightmare.

I was having a shower one morning

and I found a lump in my left breast.

ROBERT STACK: Marlene's doctor believed

the lump was cancerous.

While waiting for a mammogram, Marlene wore one of the prayer

claws beneath her clothes.

And then by the time I went for the mammogram,

everything was clear.

The lump was still there but there was nothing cancerous.

The doctors did say that the lump would still stay there,

but after a week or two the lump went,

and I've had no further problems since with that.

PETER GRIFFITHS: The results and the testimonies

were so amazing, that I knew then

that behind my whole experience, from the time when I heard

the voice to this present time, that I have

no doubts whatsoever about the authenticity of the chalice

being the Holy Grail that Jesus used at the Last Supper.

ROBERT STACK: Is the Nanteos Cup the Holy Grail?

We may never know.

The cup has not been carbon-dated or scientifically

tested in any way.

Its guardian fears such testing might damage it.

As it turns out, there are at least half a dozen chalices

scattered across Europe that many claim

are equally strong contenders for the title

of the true Grail.

It is interesting to note, however,

that the others are made of more expensive materials--

gold, bronze, and other metals.

The Nanteos Cup is simple wood, precisely the kind of cup

a humble carpenter would drink from.

Next, did television star Michael Landon

send a gift to his daughter from beyond the grave?

A compelling testament to the power of love--

the real Highway to Heaven.

What do a Christmas ornament, $300 in cash,

and a fragile red rose have in common?

Some would say they were all signs from Heaven,

tangible gifts sent from beyond the grave

by television star Michael Landon,

grandfather Herman Stegos, and college student Joe McCarthy.

18-year-old Joe McCarthy of Wausau, Wisconsin

was a go-getter in every sense.

A top-10 student in his high school class.

When it came time for college, he chose Notre Dame.

In June of 1987, Joe had just returned

home after his freshman year when he

was killed in a car accident.

When Joe died, there's--

number one, there's emptiness in your heart and in your mind,

it's like where is he?

Is he OK?

I kept thinking at the time, if he

could only just talk to me.

Just one time and--

KATHLEEN MCCARTHY-DIXON: Everyone's grieving around you

and so you're thinking, I wish I knew.

It's just that thought--

is he OK?

ROBERT STACK: The McCarthys didn't

actually expect an answer.

Then three days after the funeral,

DENIS MCCARTHY: I was going through the--

through the basement out into the-- into the garage

and I saw the angel that tops our Christmas

tree laying there.

Since Joe died in June and we had the Christmas ornaments

stored in an upstairs closet, I thought it was kind of strange

but didn't really think a whole lot of it.

KATHLEEN MCCARTHY-DIXON: Joe used to kid me about vacuuming.

It was like, Mom, if you ever get to Heaven,

there going to be a vacuum up there,

because you do it so much.

I said, well, cleanliness is next to godliness, right, kid?

So I did, I vacuumed every day.

I still do.

And I saw something on the rug.

And I picked it up and I just thought, it was an ornament.

And I just looked at it and I thought,

this is one of the ornaments from the Christmas tree.

Why is it here?

And I just set it aside.

I set it on a shelf we had there.

And I didn't think much of it at the time.

ROBERT STACK: That evening, Dennis

told Kathleen about the angel he had discovered.

It was right there in the middle of the floor.

I almost stepped on it.

You know what?

I found an angel today too.

And I went and got it and showed it to him.

And it said-- it said Joseph on it.

He said, it's a sign, he's OK.

ROBERT STACK: The McCarthys had four angel ornaments,

each engraved with one of their children's names.

This one remarkably had been Joe's.

DENIS MCCARTHY: I looked at it and-- and saw

Joe's name on there, it was-- it was

really an incredible feeling.

The fact that he-- that he gave his-- his mother an angel

and I an angel on the same day, to me it was--

was pretty powerful.

ROBERT STACK: It may seem amazing,

but the McCarthys' experience was hardly uncommon.

Dr. Louis LaGrand chronicles more

than 50 similar experiences in his book,

"After Death Communication."

LOUIS LAGRAND: This happens just an innumerable amount of times.

And that's why we need to validate these situations,

that's why we need to get the general public to be more

accepting and open to this.

We can't explain it.

Science will never be able to explain it.

It's a gift to the heart, and that's what explains it.

ROBERT STACK: Indeed, Heaven-sent signs

seemed to come from those with big hearts,

people like Herman Stegos, who was

69 when he died unexpectedly.

He was very close to his grandchildren, especially

his eldest grandson Anthony.

Herman died just three weeks before Christmas.

His message arrived with the holiday mail.

Kids, present from Aunt Teri.

When this package came, it was kind of like--

it was exciting for the kids, because it took their mind

off of, you know, the grieving.

They opened up the packages, the wrapping paper was all over,

the shipping stuff was all over my mother's living room floor.

So I asked Anthony if he could clean it up and take

the box out of the garbage.

ROBERT STACK: Anthony was on his way

out, when he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He says his grandfather spoke to him.

When I heard his voice, it did freak

me out, because it was scary.

He said, Mom Pop just told me I should

look under the flap of the box.

She just said, quit playing around.

She thought I was playing a game.

But I wasn't.

I said, Anthony, throw the box out.

I thought he was playing with me.

He said, no, Mom, you don't understand, I heard him twice,

he said look under the flap, look under the flap.

ROBERT STACK: Sure enough, wedged in the bottom flaps

of the box was an envelope.

Look, it's-- it's a card!

ROBERT STACK: Inside were three crisp $100 bills, one each

for Anthony, his brother, and sister.

Beth is convinced the money would

have been lost if her father had not

spoken from beyond the grave.

Yeah!

BETH ALAIMO: I think that was the biggest

message in the whole thing, that, you know,

Grandpa is still here and Grandpa's still watching you

and Grandpa's spending the holidays with you.

And I didn't leave and I didn't abandon you,

and this is the way that he could tell them, you know,

that I'm still here, and this was a sure way

of getting out his message--

that you're not alone and I'm still here with you

and I still love you--

each of you.

LOUIS LAGRAND: To have had an experience of this nature, when

love is rekindled, the person is able to reconnect with life

again to get some energy back--

to be able to look at themselves in the mirror and say,

maybe there is some meaning to what has happened.

ROBERT STACK: Meaningful yes, but were

the experiences of Jo's family and Herman's

family mere coincidences?

Not at all says Michael Landon's daughter Cheryl.

In 1991, Michael Landon was at the top of his career.

He was a highly-regarded star of "Highway

to Heaven," in which he played an angel

sent to Earth to help people.

Michael first became well-known to us

as Little Joe on "Bonanza."

Then he played the lovable father on "Little House

on the Prairie."

Cheryl says that Michael Landon was not

very different from the characters he portrayed.

CHERYL LANDON: There was a warmth about him.

There was this love, the spontaneity.

It was like he was my angel from Heaven, my father from Heaven.

ROBERT STACK: When Michael Landon died of cancer in 1991

at a youthful 54, Cheryl was devastated.

It was the greatest loss of my life.

My best friend, my mentor, my protector,

my guidance, everything.

My security-- it was all gone.

And I started hearing my dad's voice.

My father would come to me in dreams.

And I thought, boy, I must be really grieving, because I'm

hearing my dad's voice.

I'm seeing him in my dreams.

ROBERT STACK: Cheryl vowed to carry

on Michael's legacy of emphasizing good deeds

and good heartedness.

Her first step was writing a book

called, "I Promised My Dad."

As a publishing deadline approached,

Cheryl felt more and more uneasy about the prospect

of promoting the book on the talk show circuit.

I remember going through so much of the emotions

and I really thought, how could I go on

and do these television show successfully?

And I very clearly heard my father during the day say,

when you go to do your first show,

I'm going to leave you a long stem red rose.

ROBERT STACK: A year later, Cheryl found herself

in Manhattan, nervously preparing for her first talk

show appearance.

--dress.

Think I should wear this instead?

ROBERT STACK: That's when she says she heard

Michael Landon's voice again.

What's wrong?

You've been so quiet since we got here.

Something really amazing happened to me.

What?

Just now when I was standing by the window,

I heard his voice again.

I mean, he was right there.

And this time he told me to find the fountain in Central Park.

The strange part is that I knew exactly where this fountain was

and never being there before.

It was like I was guided exactly to this fountain.

When I had gone down to the bottom of the stairwell,

there at my feet, exactly where I had stopped,

was a long stem red rose.

This is just the way my father said it would be.

It was like I had discovered a treasure of gold.

I was so happy.

I was so full of encouragement, that it

was just like a boost of love, a boost of encouragement.

ROBERT STACK: Cheryl's friend, who witnessed the moment,

snapped this picture to commemorate it.

For Michael Landon's daughter, it is

a lasting reminder of his love.

A single red rose, two Christmas ornaments,

a trio of $100 bills.

Are the grief-stricken just too willing to clutch at anything

that might bring them comfort?

Or is something else at work?

Something beyond explanation?

For the families of Joe McCarthy,

Herman Stegos, and Michael Landon,

no explanation is needed--

They held the proof in their hands.

Join me next time for another compelling hour

of "Unsolved Mysteries."

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