his, and become france, china could become the next united states of america. we cannot allow that to happen. have a terrific weekend. tonight i've got lots to do and i'm sure you do too. tuesday night we will have >> a gangster hideout... >> ma barker had her tommy gun and shot out this window? >> right. [ gunfire ] >> ...an epic gunfight... >> it went on for about four hours. it's the longest in fbi history. >> digging up some bullets fired from that window. >> ...haunting history... >> you'd hear, often, footsteps up and down the stairs, just in the middle of the night. >> ...set for sail. >> this is a lot bigger than any of us realize. [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] ♪ >> i'm jamie colby, headed into the town of ocklawaha, florida, 60 miles northwest of orlando,

and i'm on my way to meet a man who inherited a house riddled with gangster history. >> my name is carson good. for more than a century, my family has owned this property here on lake weir, a place for peace and quiet, except for one very loud, bloody day in 1935. >> carson, hi. i'm jamie. >> hey, jamie, how are you? >> carson invites me into his strange inheritance, and the minute you take a look around, you can tell it's just frozen in time. he says everything is exactly as it was back in january 1935, when the fbi surrounded the lake house, with warrants for the arrest of gangsters ma barker and her son fred. >> this is the original fbi picture. >> wait a minute. wait a minute. that's this lamp? >> that's the same lamp, yes. >> and that's that lamp. >> right. >> that's the table that's here. that's still there. oh, my goodness. >> right. >> and it's an exact match.

>> right. >> now, what the heck were two infamous gangsters doing in carson's great- grandfather's lake house? we'll get to that. but first, a little gangster history. >> the 1920s and '30s becomes known as the "gangster era" in america. >> mob historian and author scott deitche. >> you of course had the great depression. you also had prohibition, so you had kind of this perfect storm of socioeconomic factors that led to this sudden increase in violent crime. >> bank robberies, kidnappings, and murders are causing havoc around the country, with big-name criminals grabbing headlines. >> you had machine gun kelly, "pretty boy" floyd, john dillinger, bonnie and clyde. they had these catchy names that people gravitated towards. >> another name on that list -- the barker-karpis gang. >> ma barker was born in missouri to a pretty poor family at the time.

she married her husband, george barker, in 1892. they had four sons. they were living in poverty for most of that time. >> as the barker boys come of age, they take to a criminal lifestyle -- getting into fights, stealing cars, committing robberies. but in their mother's eyes, they can do no wrong. do you think they were just doing what they wanted to do without her knowing? >> i think the boys got in trouble, as a lot of boys do, and, rather than disciplining them, she was constantly covering up, trying to help them out, always defending them. >> they eventually gravitated into larger robberies, into kidnappings for ransom, and other crimes. >> ma's youngest son, fred, is nabbed and sent to a kansas state prison in 1927. while there, fred befriends fellow inmate alvin karpis. when the two are paroled in 1931, they head to tulsa, oklahoma, where ma welcomes her son and his buddy alvin with open arms. >> they form a gang and go on

a crime spree, hitting an oklahoma jewelry store for 5 grand and a minnesota bank for a whopping 250k in cash and bonds. they shoot and kill a security guard in missouri during a car heist and murder a deputy sheriff in arkansas. >> then j. edgar hoover announces open season on gangsters. in the summer and fall of 1934, his g-men shoot and kill some famous crooks -- "pretty boy" floyd, john dillinger, and "baby face" nelson. >> it certainly seemed that the bureau was more than willing to use deadly force when necessary. >> feeling the heat, ma and a few gang members flee the midwest... and head south under the last name blackburn, landing in central florida, in the town of ocklawaha, on lake weir. the area has long been a summer escape for snowbirds and

outdoorsmen, including carson good's family. in 1930, his great-grandfather carson bradford builds this 2,000-square-foot lake house. it's more than just a fish camp for him and his boys. it's furnished to suit his wife, marion. >> this was her house, and she was apparently very particular about it. >> wipe your feet? >> you had to wipe your feet here. you couldn't come into the living room, if you were a kid, except certain times. >> unlike their neighbors, the bradfords don't rent out their lake house during the winter. but in november 1934, a local real-estate agent presents carson's great-grandfather with a very generous offer. >> so, the broker said there's this nice lady and her sons coming down from up north. they wanted to kind of get away from it all for the wintertime. and they were offering a sizable amount of money. and he said the house wasn't for rent. and then the amount of money kept going up and up, and... >> really? >> ...so, finally, he rented the house. >> and so the blackburns -- in reality, the barkers -- move in to the neighborhood.

george albright, a lifelong lake weir resident, remembers the stories his grandfather told about the tiny town's newest residents. >> the blackburns immersed themselves into the community very quickly. they got to know people around town. she went to church here, apparently gave very generously, so the locals embraced 'em. >> but two months after their arrival, up in chicago, on january 8, 1935, the g-men get a bead on ma's whereabouts when they arrest her older son and fellow gang member arthur "doc" barker and search his apartment. >> they actually found a map that had ocklawaha, florida, in it, and they determined that that's where ma barker and fred barker were holing up. ♪ >> eight days later, january 16th. 15 armed fbi agents surround the lake house. what are they prepared to do? >> they were prepared to take

the whole gang at once. >> but ma has something to say about that. you're telling me that ma barker was shooting right out that window? >> here's a "strange inheritance" quiz question. who was j. edgar hoover's original public enemy number one? the answer after the break. ♪ limu emu & doug [ siren ] give me your hand! i can save you... lots of money with liberty mutual! we customize your car insurance so you only pay for what you need! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

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>> so, who was j. edgar hoover's original public enemy number one? it's john dillinger. g-men shot and killed the bank robber in 1934 outside chicago's biograph movie theater. >> it's january 1935, and fbi agents have tracked infamous gangster ma barker and her gang to this house on lake weir in central florida. it's owned by carson good's great-grandfather, who has unwittingly rented it to the notorious gangsters. around 6:00 a.m., 15 agents surround the house. then they call for those inside to surrender. >> and a woman's voice -- it was ma -- yelled, "who is it?!" >> i'm on the edge of my seat. >> and they said, "we have a warrant for your arrest, and please come out," and she said, "hold on a minute. let me see what son says." and then the firing began.

[ gunfire ] >> now, law enforcement has no idea who's in the house. there are shots coming from upstairs, downstairs. they think it might be multiple people. they're not sure. it becomes kind of this free-for-all. >> wielding a thompson submachine gun with a 100-round drum, ma barker fires from one bedroom window while son fred fires from another. [ gunfire ] >> everybody wanted to come and see what was happening. in one of the pictures that the fbi took that day, you can see there are several dozen people right on the fence line of the house. >> then, around 11:30 a.m., silence. afraid that they might be walking into a trap, the g-men send the house's caretaker, willie woodberry, inside. >> willie told me he came in the door, saw the house just torn to pieces, yelled out for them. and there was a pool of blood right here, a big pool of blood,

and he said he saw it led right up the stairs. you can see the bullet holes here, bullet hole here, here, here, bullet hole here, bullet holes there. >> wow, big bullet holes. what a scene! he was pretty brave to come in the house at all. >> he said he was a little bit scared. >> i am, too. willie follows the blood trail to this bedroom. >> he said he came right in this door. as he pushed the door open, he found the bodies right there. fred had taken seven bullet holes in the chest, and she had one shot in the head. >> bullet holes in the wall, bullet holes in the door, bullet holes in that chair? >> right. >> wow. i'll tell you, bullet holes, blood and bodies -- i think i've seen enough for now. all 15 fbi agents walk away unscathed. nearly 2,000 shots were fired over four hours that day. >> this is a 100-shot machine gun used by ma barker. >> it remains the longest shootout in fbi history. >> whether they like it or not,

carson and marion bradford's lake house becomes known as "the ma barker house." >> the family wasn't really that talkative about it, but, as a kid, i would hear the story. i remember being, you know, really young and being intrigued with the story. >> adding to the intrigue, some people swear the place is now haunted. >> you'd hear, often, footsteps up and down the stairs, just in the middle of the night. >> elizabeth cockrell is carson's younger sister. >> i was always told of how ma barker and her sons -- they'd all play poker at the dining-room table. in the middle of the night, there'd be these sounds of people playing poker and the glasses chinking and people, you know, yelling at each other and laughing. >> even if you don't believe in ghosts, you won't be surprised ma barker at least lives on in popular culture. a tommy-gun-toting mom is irresistible to hollywood, which has told her story again and again. >> she's in television shows and movies, most notably the great low-budget cult movie

"bloody mama," with shelley winters playing ma barker. the mythical figure of ma barker has definitely -- definitely survived the decades. >> each flick, of course, climaxes with the epic shootout at the bradford lake house, which, in real life, is handed down from one generation to the next for the following 50 years. but, as time goes by, it's getting less and less use. was there a family meeting at this point to decide what to do? >> yes. we struggled over what exactly to do with the house and the property between those of us that wanted to keep it in the family forever and those that just wanted to get cash and wanted to sell. >> eventually, carson and his relatives agree it's time to cash out. but first they want to explore if there's a way to somehow preserve the house because of its historical significance. lucky for carson, he has an old friend with lots of connections -- longtime lake weir resident

and former florida house of representatives member george albright. >> so, he came up with the idea of going to the state of florida, getting them to buy the property, and keep it as a park and a museum. >> there was a little bit of pushback that we were honoring thugs. we, in no way, are honoring these people. these are cold-blooded murderers. what we are honoring is the success of the fbi, of removing the gangster movement that had run rampant in america. >> george is able to get $230,000 for the house into the proposed 2015 state budget. that's not enough to buy it, but it would go a long way to turning it into a museum. how'd that go? >> it was vetoed. a whole bill that was giving money for these kind of parks got vetoed by governor scott, so that killed that idea. >> but our heirs aren't ready to surrender. coming up, a discovery in the

sand... >> looky there -- .38-caliber casing. very cool. >> ...and a groundswell of support. >> 1,000 people showed up. everybody was blown away. this is a lot bigger than any of us realize. >> here's another quiz question. oscar winner shelley winters spoofed ma barker in the television series "batman." what was her character's name in the episode? the answer when we return.

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greatest mother of them all," features winters as ma parker. >> back in 1935, this lake house in central florida was the scene of the fbi's infamous shootout with ma barker and her son that left both gangsters dead. now carson good and his relatives are looking to sell the home and surrounding property that's been in their family for more than 80 years. but there's one condition -- they want to see their strange inheritance preserved because of its historical significance. after the governor denied a $230,000 proposal to turn it into a museum, the family is scrambling to figure out what to do. then a neighbor stops by. >> a next-door neighbor came to us, and he made the offer to buy the property at $750,000. >> just the property, or the house? >> he came, and he wanted to buy the house and the property. >> the buyer isn't as committed

as carson is to preserving the ma barker hideout as a landmark but will allow it to be moved to another location. sounds good to carson, but where do you put it and how do you get it there? local politician george albright has an idea. he arranges for an open house here at ma barker's old hideout and makes sure bigwigs in the county government are there. >> 1,000 people showed up. everybody was blown away. and i think that cemented the situation where the county said, "you know what? i think this is a lot bigger than any of us realize." >> marion county officials set aside 235,000 bucks to move the house across lake weir to a conservation area. as part of the deal, carson and his family agree to donate the house in exchange for its preservation as an historical site. but you got to remove the house.

it's not an easy thing to do. you don't just, like, put wings on. >> right. >> what do you do? >> carson said, "well, why don't we just put it on a barge and float it across the lake?" i said, "you're out of your mind." >> and then another surprise. >> we knew that the pinky rings were what the gangsters wore. you see that in the movies. >> what's your "strange inheritance" story? we'd love to tell it. send me an e-mail or go to our website, strangeinheritance.com.

♪ >> now back to "strange inheritance." >> it's 2016, and carson good's strange inheritance, this central florida lake house, the site of a bloody shootout in 1935 between the fbi and infamous gangsters ma and fred barker, is getting ready to be moved to a new location. after selling the 9-acre tract of land for three-quarters of a million dollars, carson and his family agree to donate the house

itself to the county. still, there's one small detail to be worked out. they need to find a way to move the house to a county park on the other side of lake weir. >> carson said, "well, why don't we just put it on a barge and float it across the lake?" i said, "you're out of your mind." >> a house on the lake, really? >> right. so that's what they decided to do. >> the decision means the notorious ma barker's final hideout will be preserved, though the plot on which that epic shootout occurred will be redeveloped... which raises the question, is there anything on this land also worth preserving? one group of floridians suspect there is, and they call carson about it. >> those types of locations are the types of places where the history causes all of us to want to go hunt. >> alan james is a member of the central florida metal detecting club, and they offer carson a deal -- let them search his land

for artifacts, and they'll give any they find to the future ma barker museum. they shoot this video as they canvass the area. >> looky there -- .38-caliber casing. very cool. and they were shooting from here to that corner window. >> moments later, there's more. >> digging up some bullets, the actual bullets themselves they fired from that window, fired from the barkers. >> but the biggest surprise comes when alan gets a hit about 50 feet from the front door. >> i ran my detector coil over a real scratchy signal, and i popped out a little 10-karat gold ring. it took a little while before we realized what that ring was. >> the ring's engraved with the initials f.g.b. those initials belong to fredrick george barker, the infamous gangster who was killed, along with his mother, in the shootout.

then, on october 27, 2016, the 86-year-old structure is lifted from the ground. oh, my goodness. that sounds treacherous. >> they took tracks from the beach all the way up to underneath the house and then rolled the house down the tracks, right onto the barge. >> it's one thing to put a house on a barge that's grounded. it's another thing to move it. by the grace of god, it didn't fall over, and the whole time, i was sitting there thinking, "lord, please don't let this house fall over." >> and that calm morning, the old house makes its 3-mile journey across lake weir and onto this bluff. >> it really works out great. it's gonna stay in its same state, on the same lake, on similar land. i mean, this is the best. >> now the infamous ma barker house is almost ready for visitors. >> we look forward to the public enjoying this house. there's been a constant interest in the ma barker story and for

it not to die, and i think this is going to become a real destination for a lot of people. >> do you ever think about what your parents, your grandparents would think about what you've accomplished? >> i think they'd be very happy. it's very important for our family to preserve the history of the house. >> remember those old stories about the lake house being haunted by the spirits of ma and fred barker? well, since the county took possession of the home in 2016, they've received dozens of requests from ghost hunters looking to test it for paranormal activity. they're all excited about this photo of the ma barker house published in a tampa newspaper which true believers say shows the ghost of ma barker. now, look closely at the front door. some say that shadowy figure is ma holding her trusty machine gun. funny how these paranormal photos are always just a little too fuzzy and out of focus. i'm jamie colby.

thanks so much for watching "strange inheritance." and remember -- you can't take it with you. [ gunfire ] >> a "strange inheritance" mystery... >> i thought, "what? what is going on?" >> ...a norman rockwell shocker. >> is it a fake? >> well, this was the question that was in everyone's mind. >> oh, if these walls could talk. >> i want you to put your hands like this, and we're going to pull it toward me. >> aah! >> there you go. >> oh, my goodness. >> keep going. ♪ [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] ♪ >> i'm jamie colby in arlington, vermont, once home to norman rockwell. it was also home to a man who left his children

a multimillion-dollar conundrum involving the iconic american painter and illustrator. >> my name is don trachte jr. my siblings and i were supposed to inherit from our father one of norman rockwell's best-known paintings. what we got was a mystery. what the heck had dad done with it? >> hi, don. i'm jamie. >> hi, jamie. >> so nice to meet you. so great to be in vermont. what is this place? >> this was my dad's studio. >> back in the 1950s, don's dad, donald trachte sr., is a syndicated cartoonist working on the popular strip "henry," which features a bald-headed boy, simply illustrated with clean lines and minimal backgrounds. can you support a wife and four kids drawing "henry"? >> it was a good living. my dad had to come up with all the gags... >> really? >> ...and he would have a sheet of paper next to his drawing board, and usually, he'd come up

with about three or four gags at a time. >> were they gags about you kids? >> well, sometimes they were. >> so life for the trachtes is pretty good here in arlington, a picturesque artist's colony with a world-famous resident -- norman rockwell. how did your dad meet norman rockwell? >> when we arrived in arlington, we met a realtor, and if you showed artistic ability, he probably dragged you down to norman rockwell's house. >> did rockwell come to your father's studio to visit? >> he did make a couple visits but very short. you know, norman worked seven days a week, and he just was on high gear. >> don sr. even poses for rockwell, playing the principal in one of his famous saturday evening post covers. and don jr. gets his shot as a rockwell model when his dad volunteers him to pose for this photo from which rockwell paints a child life magazine cover. is that you?

>> that's me. >> you're holding hands with the girl... >> yes. >> ...which you did not like yet. >> well, i may have liked her. i was just embarrassed. >> don sr. and rockwell develop a pretty close professional acquaintance. they share tricks of the trade and the same sense of humor. here's the cartoonist with the great painter wearing matching bow ties and french berets. how close did he get to rockwell? did he look over his shoulder while he was painting? >> my dad had a great sense of observation, and when he watched rockwell, he would look at his paints, his paintbrush, what kind of varnish. my dad just worshipped norman rockwell. >> they keep in touch after rockwell leaves vermont for stockbridge, massachusetts, in 1953, where he continues to paint some of the most iconic

images of small-town america. >> all the materials that you see here were actual rockwell tools. he was very neat. you can see how clean his brushes were. >> oh, my. stephanie plunkett is chief curator of the rockwell museum in stockbridge, which includes the painter's barn studio. i see the chair. it would mean a lot to sit in norman rockwell's. please? >> jamie, we would be honored to have you sit in rockwell's chair. >> oh, my gosh. this is amazing. norman rockwell painted in this chair. oh, my gosh. it's from this chair in 1954 that rockwell paints "breaking home ties," which will become one of the most popular saturday evening post covers of all time. what is the story in this? what did he want people to know? >> his idea was, this is a young man from a very rural community in america, and he is leaving home for the first time

to go to college. his father is a rancher, and he is slumped. he's holding two hats... >> oh. >> ...which is such a beautiful memento. he's holding his own and his son's. and the collie dog is feeling... >> sad. and dad is, what, reflecting on the end of an era maybe? his son won't be a rancher with him? >> very much so. >> classic rockwell -- a single scene tells a poignant story of the joys and laments, worries and hopes, sweet and bittersweet rhythms in the life of every american family, like the trachtes. as the years go by, "henry" gives elizabeth and don sr. the wherewithal to acquire their own impressive little art collection. it's in 1962 when they see "breaking home ties" for sale at a vermont art gallery. they buy it for $900. was there anything particular

about the subject of this painting that you think your father became particularly attracted to? >> well, two things. one is the character -- the old man sitting on the running board was our neighbor floyd, and my dad thought the world of floyd, as all of us did. i think also that the painting told a story. it's a separation of your children from home, so i think it's that emotional connection that probably grabbed my dad. >> do you think it could be you leaving? >> it could be. perhaps at that time, my father was experiencing the separation of all of his kids, and maybe that was it. >> did your dad know it was a good investment? >> you know, i don't think he bought it as an investment at all. he just thought it was such a wonderful piece of art. why would you even sell anything like that? >> of course, it is a good investment. just 2 years after he purchased it, don sr. receives an offer in 1964 for 35,000 bucks.

that's a lot of money then. >> it was an extraordinary amount of money. a lot of us would've just sold right then and there, wouldn't we? >> yes. >> but not my dad, not interested. i actually have a letter right here. take a look at that. >> from norman rockwell, stockbridge, mass. "dear don, you must be crazy not to sell it, but i adore your loyalty. as ever, norman." ha! >> that's it. >> he's saying you should've sold. >> that's right. >> "breaking home ties" remains on display in the trachtes' vermont home, but as more time passes, life for the trachtes resembles less and less a norman rockwell painting. when they divorced, i mean, how do you cut a rockwell in half? >> that's a terrible thought, isn't it? >> here's a "strange inheritance" quiz question. why did norman rockwell keep a mirror in his studio -- to reflect sunlight

onto his paintings, to watch himself while he worked or to look at his painting in reverse? the answer after the break.

♪ >> so why did norman rockwell keep a mirror in his studio? it was to look at his paintings in reverse. he believed that if the picture was also engaging when looked at backwards, it was sure to be a winner.

>> after purchasing the norman rockwell painting called "breaking home ties" for $900 in 1962, don and elizabeth trachte display it in their vermont home. don sr. continues drawing the comic "henry" but spends more and more time painting, too. >> he did a lot of painting later in his life. he did western art. he did what i call cape cod art. >> he's pretty good. >> he was pretty good. >> but he's increasingly withdrawn and estranged from elizabeth. at some point, do you get an inkling that your parents might divorce? >> i think it was just time for them to part ways. >> and they do in 1973 after 32 years of marriage. so what to do with the art they collected together? they have seven relatively

valuable paintings from lesser-known artists in addition to that famous rockwell. when they divorced, was there an issue about... i mean, how do you cut a rockwell in half? >> well, that's a terrible thought, isn't it? >> the couple agree to give the eight paintings to their children -- their inheritance to be received upon their parents' deaths. until then, elizabeth keeps five and don three, including the rockwell. by the way, it jumps in value when rockwell dies in 1978 at age 84. don sr. builds this home and art studio in the woods. he draws the sunday edition of "henry" until it's canceled in 1994. by 2001, now in his 80s, health problems force don sr. to lay down his pencils and brushes altogether, and he begins splitting his time living with his children.

>> we just wanted him kind of with us and safe. >> with their father's house empty and cold, don jr. and his siblings worry about their strange inheritance -- the famous painting on the wall that's now possibly worth millions. looking for a safer place, they call the norman rockwell museum and chief curator stephanie plunkett. >> they say, "would you like to exhibit it?" and we, of course, were thrilled because this is actually an icon in rockwell's career. >> did you tell dad? >> yes, and he never said anything. he just nodded. >> ever take dad to see it? >> oh, no. withing a year or two, he went into assisted living. i just thought it was a lot for him to absorb, so i never took him down to the museum. i said, "why put him through that?" >> don trachte sr. passes away in 2005 at age 89, but just as his four children

formally inherit "breaking home ties," they start hearing whispers that the famous painting just might be a fake. >> one art expert walked in and said, "it's a third-rate replica," and i thought, "what?" i was concerned, like, what is going on? >> here's another quiz question. to model the girl's black eye in this painting, did rockwell put a wanted ad in the paper for a kid with a shiner, visit a boxing gym or paint his own black eye? the answer when we return. hi! we're glad you came in, what's on your mind?

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♪ >> so how did rockwell model the girl's black eye in this painting? it's a.

he placed a wanted ad offering 5 bucks for a kid with a black eye. he found this little guy, tommy forestburg, of worcester, mass, who'd taken a tumble down the stairs. >> don trachte jr. and his siblings face a multimillion-dollar mystery. they've loaned this painting, norman rockwell's "breaking home ties," to the rockwell museum in stockbridge, massachusetts, but now they're hearing questions about the authenticity of their strange inheritance. >> there were some doubts. in fact, one art expert walked in and said, "this is a fake." >> even don jr. sees subtle differences between his painting and the 1954 saturday evening post cover. >> look in the area of the boy's face, and look at those two side by side. >> well, his face is much fuller. >> yeah. there's some differences, aren't there? and that's primarily...

>> eyes are different. >> the eyes are different. >> mm-hmm. >> and the mouth is different. >> mm-hmm. but there must be an innocent explanation. the museum believes the painting was probably subjected to a subpar touch-up job. that's why, when don and his siblings decide it might be time to sell "breaking home ties," their comfortable reaching out to sotheby's in new york. sotheby's appraiser peter rathbone visits the rockwell museum to see it. like some other experts, he's perplexed. >> it just wasn't as well painted as one had sort of become accustomed to seeing in rockwell's work. but here you are in the norman rockwell museum, where the painting has been on public display for, you know, several years. >> rathbone believes the painting could bring between $3 and $5 million at auction. >> in 2002, we sold the iconic "rosie the riveter" that brought

just under $5 million, so we were obviously looking at a very bullish market for rockwell's work. >> but before they test the market, the family decides to test the painting. they send it to the williamstown art conservation center in 2006 for a detailed analysis. the family faces three possible outcomes. it's the original rockwell that's been touched up, or a second version of the painting by rockwell himself, or it could be a forgery. having them take a look could take the millions that you and your siblings are entitled to and throwing it out the window if it doesn't go your way. >> it could, but we were so adamant that we had to understand what is wrong with this painting? now, my best hope was that we'd actually find that this was the original painting, but someone had repainted or painted over parts of the painting. >> no dice.

it turns out the painting is a completely original and pretty well-executed fake! >> that's when, you know, the air was going out of the balloon. >> disheartened, confused and a lot poorer than they were days before, don jr. and his brother david go to their late father's studio in hopes of finding anything that could solve the mystery. what happened? >> when dave walked over here, he noticed this little crack. push against that. oh. uh-oh. >> wait a minute. it moves. >> it moves. we said, "what the heck is going on here?" >> what's your "strange inheritance" story? we'd love to tell it. send me an e-mail or go to our website, strangeinheritance.com. hi guys. this is the chevy silverado with the world's first invisible trailer. invisible trailer? and it's not the trailer right next to us? this guy? you don't believe me? hop in. good lookin' pickup, i will say that.

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♪ >> now back to "strange inheritance." >> don trachte jr. is in the middle of a "strange inheritance" enigma. this norman rockwell painting,

"breaking home ties," has been in his family for more than 40 years, but now it's revealed that they're holding on to a fake. what gives? don and his brother david search their late father's vermont art studio. >> my brother walked over to this space right here. he noticed this little crack, and he pushed against the wall. push against that, and you see? oh. uh-oh. >> wait a minute. it moves. >> it moves, and we said, "what the heck is going on here?" >> don and his brother snap these pictures as they begin to dismantle pieces of their father's bookcase. >> now, i want you to come over here. i want you to put your hands like this, and we're going to pull it toward me. >> ah! >> there you go. >> oh, my goodness. >> keep going. >> behind this secret sliding wall, don and his brother discover what they didn't even know they were looking for -- the original rockwell painting,

"breaking home ties." did you scream, cry, hug each other? >> we didn't say a word. >> but they must say something to the curator at the rockwell museum. >> i received a call from don jr., and he said, "i have good news, and i have bad news. the good news is i know where the original is, and the bad news is that it's not at the museum." >> did word get out that the museum had a forgery? >> yes. as a matter of fact, it was a challenging moment for sure. >> the "strange inheritance" story makes headlines, which is actually good news to peter rathbone at sotheby's. >> we adjusted our estimate slightly from $3 to $5 million up to $4 to $6 million. this is the rockwell property of the trachte family collection. >> "breaking home ties" goes up for auction in new york city in november 2006.

you remember the first bid? >> i do. it was, "let's start the auction process at $4 million." >> i have $4 million, $4,100,000. >> so the bidding then continues. now we're at $6 million, $7,800,000, $8 million, $9 million. >> oh, my gosh. >> and then it started to go faster. >> ten million. i have 11 million. twelve million dollars. >> and then, all of a sudden, it stopped. >> all done? sold for $13,750,000. >> add to that the buyer's premium and the grand total hits $15.4 million -- at the time, a new world record for a rockwell painting. it's a happy ending for the trachte kids, even if the mystery is never to be completely solved. don can only deduce that sometime before his parent's divorce, his father was the one who copied the rockwell. accepted by a museum that just has norman rockwells.

>> that's right. >> did you know he was that good? >> no, i didn't. >> don is unsure of the answer to the bigger question. why did dad do this? >> i think he just wanted to protect this, and people would come up to me and they came up with all the "what ifs." what if the house burned down? what if it got bulldozed? what if we sold it? but i didn't have ready answers. >> all don is certain of is that his father wasn't trying to defraud anyone, much less his mother. he didn't have a war with my mom like a lot of people suspect. >> you had to let mom know. how did she react? >> she put her hands on her face like this and listened, and she said, "this doesn't surprise me." >> really? >> yeah. she was 89 at the time. >> she took it well. >> she took it well. >> by the way, remember those other pricey paintings? don sr. kept those originals hidden behind his secret wall, too.

so he painted duplicates. >> he painted eight duplicates. >> i decide to bounce off don my own theory about his cartoonist father. did your dad want to be norman rockwell? >> i don't think he wanted to be norman rockwell. i think he just wanted to absorb and be as, perhaps, as great as norman rockwell in his own right. >> and in a way, don is now helping make that happen. you're surely asking, "where is the fake rockwell now?" well, it's on its own museum tour. that's right. don jr. is showcasing his father's amazing rockwell duplicate along with the seven other paintings he copied, all nearly indistinguishable from the originals. the exhibit places the real and the duplicate painting side by side. imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

i'm jamie colby. thanks so much for watching "strange inheritance," and remember -- you can't take it with you. ♪ >> a crime ring -- family-style. [ gunfire ] she's the niece of the notorious bonnie parker. >> my aunt was known as that cute, little blonde bonnie. then she connected with clyde. >> clyde barrow was his uncle. >> once clyde had been accused of murder, he didn't turn back. >> their grandfather was a lawman who hunted them. >> two of the south's worst killers. >> your grandfather was the sheriff. >> killing bonnie and clyde was the ultimate. >> grim souvenirs, one strange inheritance. >> it was just like finding treasure after treasure. >> bonnie parker's three-headed snake ring. >> sitting there... >> right. >> ...all along? [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ]