[ bird caws ] im jamie colby, and today im on old route 66 in central illinois. Im heading to the small farming town of lincoln, where the strangest of inheritance stories unfolded. On a monday morning in july 2012, farmer bob pharis heads out to mow hay on some land he leases from an old friend named ray fulk. And it was very uncommon for ray not to come out and talk to me. And then i smelled something. I happened to look over and the bin door was open and that was not a good sign. I just went over there, and then i found him. And then i called 911 and. The county coroner, acting on info from a neighbor, contacts attorney don behle to inform him his 71year old client has died of heart failure. Behle cannot even remember fulk. I hadnt seen him in 15 years, and so i had no idea who theyre talking about. How strange is it that were here right now talking to you about this guy you barely remember . [ laughs ] its very strange. Don checks his files and realizes he indeed worked with someone named ray fulk back in 1997. He wanted me to change his will and he brought it in to me and i was named as the executor. But all i had was a copy. It was 15 years later. He could have changed his will. Don drives out to rays farmhouse to find the original will. There he discovers an unsettling scene. It was absolutely covered with cobwebs and would remind you of a show where youd have dracula involved. I mean, my house might sometimes be untidy. Are we talking about more than that . Were talking about a hoarder show. The whole place reeked. Somehow, the lawyer locates ray fulks will. It directs 5,000 dollars to a chicago animal shelter, but the next part is a puzzle. I give and bequeath all my tangible personal property to my friends, kevin m. Brophy of san fernando, california, and peter barton of valley stream, long island, new york. Who are these guys . And how does don find them . That will take more digging digging through the debris. In rays room, he had pictures of wolves torn out of magazines and put on the wall. I had no idea how it all fit together at that point in time. Hell start to fit it all together soon. Among rays many diaries written in neat cursive, don finds a scrapbook with a big clue. It said lucan. I opened it up, and it had kevins picture in there. Lucan was a tv Series Starring kevin brophy as a boy raised by wolves. It was cancelled after just 12 episodes in 1978, when ray fulk was 37 years old. It was pretty clear to me that show meant something to ray and he identified with it. Don digs further and discovers the other man in the will peter barton also an actor. Why fulk named him, is a bigger riddle. From to 1988 to 92, barton played dr. Scott grainger in the soap opera the young and the restless. How am i ever gonna be able to thank you . Before that, he starred in a shortlived tv series called the powers of matthew star. Two basically unknown actors that ray had a fondness for. Did you have any idea how much they were going to inherit . The inheritance consisted of approximately 165 acres, some c. D. S that were at the bank, and the cash that i found around the house. How much is it all worth . Dons not exactly sure, but figures hundreds of thousands of dollars easy, maybe even 1 million or more. So, the dutiful attorney writes letters to the two retired actors, informing them of their very strange inheritance. He has named you, as his friends, beneficiaries of his estate. I was stunned. I was shocked. I took the other side of it completely, going, kevin, if its too good to be true, it probably is. Thats next. But first, our strange inheritance quiz question. Which strange personality willed that a seance be held for him every year . Was it master of the macabre edgar allan poe, escape artist harry houdini, or horrorfilm icon Vincent Price . The answer in a moment. So, which strange personality willed an annual seance be held for him . Its b, harry houdini, who died in 1926. He wanted to reveal himself to his wife once a year. Lets reset. In august 2012, two former actors kevin brophy and peter barton each receive a letter informing them they are the coinheritors of the estate of someone named ray fulk. Ray had never met either of them. Leaving a huge amount of money to someone youve never met sounds more than eccentric, which leads me to a question for rays attorney don behle. It says, as every will does, ray fulk, of lincoln, illinois, being of sound and disposing mind and memory. Was he . Yes. He knew what he owned. He may have been odd, but he was of sound mind. My next stop is Southern California to meet kevin brophy. My name is kevin brophy, and in 2012, i received a letter that was really about to change my life. Its here in the land of sun, surf, and palm trees kevin started his career more than 30 years ago. This is an episode of lucan. He was a boy raised by wolves. That was the premise of the pilot, and the pilot went to 12 episodes over a twoyear period. As so many actors will say, it was a good ride while it lasted. It didnt last for you. My window was in my 20s, and i had my program and a great career. Then the phone stops ringing. When the phone stops ringing, kevin finds a new line of work. He takes a job as a doorman in 1983 at the posh hotel belair and keeps it for the next 27 years. Then the hotel closed and they went for remodeling and i was praying for a job and then the letter [chuckles] i refer to it as the letter comes. This is the original letter from the attorney saying, you dont know me, but i represent ray e. Fulk. He was a hermit and a hoarder and a farmer here in illinois. And don behle, who wrote the letter, goes on to say, if i got a letter like this, i would think it to be a scam. Turns out kevin once worked with the second beneficiary in ray fulks will fellow actor peter barton. I did a movie in 1980 called hell night, kind of a campy horror story, but became friends with most of the cast members, including peter. Peter now lives in upstate new york. So, you really dont hear much about kevin until you find out somebody died and youre the only two friends he names in his will. From the moment i opened that up and i saw kevins name, i was like, somebodys scamming us. The two men discuss what to do next. I said, peter, i believe it. I believe it, and im going with it for gusto. I took the other side of it completely, going, kevin, if its too good to be true, it probably is. But peter agrees to make the 900mile trip to lincoln, illinois, to find out for both of them. Peters home video begins to unravel the mystery. Behind the silos, ray had a grave site with all his dogs. Look at this, all the pet cemetery. Queenie, 32177. 101587. 82, 80, 94. Buddy, fred, fad. Wow. A lot of dogs. The pet cemetery abuts 167 acres of prime soil, tillable for corn and soybean. Wow. Thats a lot of farmland out there. All this a gift from a man they never met. So, who was this guy . And why would he do this . Dennis and nitsie gleason live a stones throw away from ray fulk. How would you describe, in a word, ray . Weird. Id say weird, goofy. Eccentric. Whoa. Eccentric maybe for good reason. The neighbors explain that ray eugene fulk, born in 1941, was an only child and an outcast at school, bullied by classmates and often by his own mother. His mother was real mean. I think he got along with his father more, but ray would tell me these Different Things that his mother would do to him. For example . Well, shed leave him out of the house. He couldnt come in the house for a while. Hed have to stay outside. He said hed go sleep with the puppies. Mmhmm. Never really had a friend. The only persons he trusted was, you know, his dogs and me and bob pharis. Bob had known ray since they were teenagers. He probably had some type of a learning disability. And in todays education, they would have caught that, but they just didnt have that type of thing back there in the 50s. So, i think ray fell through the cracks. When ray graduates from high school in 1958, he joins the army. He loves it, bob says, but his mother lobbies to get him an Early Release to help on the farm. Its too bad cause i think ray would have been better off if he would have remained in the army and away from mom and probably his life would have turned out a whole lot differently. In the diaries he kept for decades, ray compares himself to a wolf, the most maligned, least understood animal, he writes, that shares my same distrust of humanity. You know, he was very intelligent, and he and i would even joke about it. I said, you know, ray, theres a fine line between genius and idiot. Hed say, yeah, and he said, i cross that two or three times a day. In 1981, rays mother dies. For the next 15 years, ray shares the farmhouse with his dad. In the late 1990s, his father is in poor health and doesnt have much time left. Ray confides in his friend bob that he suspects some of his cousins are after the farm and his dads investments. Ray fears theyre trying to have him declared mentally incompetent to take control of his fathers estate. He was telling me about it, and i said, ray, you need an attorney. Rays been using his fathers attorney, but he now suspects that lawyer is in cahoots with his cousins and scheming against him. And thats when i mentioned don behle. And he told me about his dad and the problems he was having with cousins wanting to take over the control and care of his father. Did ray say why he wanted his family to not benefit from the estate . What did they do to him . I think the fact that any relative went to an attorney to take away his father was the act that he thought was treacherous. Don assures ray hell help. Then in 1997, rays father dies. So ray makes one more trip to lincoln to amend his will and name don behle as his executor. He no longer wanted the executor that he had previously named because those were the attorneys that had irritated him by talking to his other family members. Were you surprised . It seemed to me that, even though ray was odd, he knew his relatives, didnt like them. But don knows full well thats not always the end of it, especially in situations like this, where a hermit, described as weird, eccentric, and goofy, bequeaths a family fortune to a couple of complete strangers. But you have to give relatives a chance to come forward, right . Well, yeah. I mean, the relatives have the opportunity to contest a will. They have six months to do that. Howd that go . Thats next and more. Do you ever feel guilty taking an inheritance from a stranger . Heres another quiz question for you. Which of these Pampered Pets was willed the largest inheritance . Fashion designer Alexander Mcqueens bull terriers, king of pop Michael Jacksons chimp, or realestate mogul Leona Helmsleys maltese . The answer in a moment. [ applause ] thank you. Its an honor to tell you that Liberty Mutual customizes your Car Insurance so you only pay for what you need. I love you only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. I want some more whats he doin . Please sir. I want some more more . He has asked for. Thank you well he did say please yes he did and, thank you all boys thank you, thank you, thank you. That could allow hackers devices into your home. Ys and like all doors, theyre safer when locked. Thats why you need xfinity xfi. With the xfi gateway, devices connected to your homes wifi are protected. Which helps keep people outside from accessing your passwords, credit cards and cameras. And people inside from accidentally visiting sites that arent secure. And if someone trys well let you know. Xfi advanced security. If its connected, its protected. Call, click, or visit a store today. So, which pampered pet received the largest inheritance . Its c. Leona helmsley left her beloved maltese trouble a 12million trust in 2007. [ dog barks ] two former actors get the surprise of a lifetime in 2012 when ray fulk, a man theyve never met, leaves them a large inheritance. But its no done deal yet. Rays relatives have six months to challenge the will, and ray long suspected that some of them pegged him as mentally incompetent. You dont think of it as taking it away from other relatives of his . Absolutely not because rays story is a heartbreaking story caused by pain and loneliness. So, for ray to have looked on myself and peter with this incredible gift, this is doing exactly what ray wanted. Exhibit a, kevin brophy says rays scrapbook, dedicated to his starring role in lucan. These are the chronicles that follow the young wolf man in the world of man in his quest to find his roots. And its all handputtogether. And the picture that i sent him theres the photograph. And he wrote, this scrapbook would not be complete without a corresponding section devoted to kevin brophy. He really, truly was a fan. Maybe, but kevin admits this is the stuff restraining orders are made of. You know, it could have come back as a stalking, horrible nightmare, but ray was just very, very introverted and loved television. And thank goodness for lucan. But an inheritance . Thats a strange inheritance and a stranger story still. Okay, with the scrapbooks, the wolf pictures, the dog cemetery, you get ray fulks affinity for lucan. But whats up with the soapopera doc . Peter barton finds the answer in rays letters. I started reading these letters, and im like, wow. This guy is talking about astral projecting. Hes talking about things that my character did. Not bartons young and the restless character, but in his role in the powers of matthew star, a 1982 series about an alien with supernatural abilities. Its like he was searching and he saw matthew star and he went, oh, my god, you know . A little crazy . I think he was a really smart guy who kind of built a cage around himself and then couldnt get out. Thats what i wanted when i was doing matthew star. I wanted to affect people like ray. Did you ask don, the lawyer, if ray had any other family that he might have given it to . For myself, it never really crossed my mind. You can leave anything to anyone, but you have to give relatives a chance to come forward, right . Well, yeah. I mean, the relatives have the opportunity to contest a will. They have six months to do that. Howd that go . Nobody contested it. So kevin brophy and peter barton are now the proud owners of 167 acres of corn and soybean fields. But is that the end of this strange inheritance story . Not by a country mile. Two hollywood characters come to town that ray never mentioned, and theyre here to leave with cash. We were just a little leery about who they were that was getting the money. And exactly how much money . Thats coming up, plus this. Did ray save your life . Ray indeed saved my life. Now back to strange inheritance. A fan leaves two former actors kevin brophy of l. A. And peter barton of new york a surprise inheritance that includes 167 acres of farmland in central illinois. What do you say to yourself . What the heck am i gonna do with this . Can i sell it . Could you sell it . Peter had kind of thought of being a farmer there in illinois. But, no, i cant do winters, and i cant do farming. So the heirs ask rays attorney, don behle, to sell it and see what they get. Plenty of locals want rays fertile land. The highest bid 800,000. Add in another 500,000 in cash and stocks, and the entire estate is worth 1. 3 million. In lincoln after the sale, peter and kevin headline a fundraiser in rays name for a local humane society. Ray had a very strange upbringing and an odd life, but he loved his dogs. He loved his dogs probably more than himself. Two hollywood characters come to town that ray never mentioned, and theyre here to leave with cash. We were just a little leery about who they were that was getting the money, but after meeting them, they were two downtoearth, good people that nitsie and i we just loved them to pieces. How did the money change your life . Thats been a godsend because when life looks like easy street, there is danger at your door. One year later, i was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. This was a devastating diagnostic for me in this world of healthcare where a doctor visit could be 200. It has certainly helped alleviate any concern i have for myself and my other extended family. Did ray save your life . Ray indeed saved my life. Today kevin is still working as a doorman. His new door has another swanky address. I am on rodeo drive. I have an incredible suit i get to wear. Thank you. I have met so many people, im thinking of running for the mayor of beverly hills. So, the acting didnt make you rich. Did the inheritance make you rich . The inheritance gave me confidence that im safe. Maybe i want to say to ray, thank you, ray. You made me safe. Peter is currently working on a screenplay about this entire strange inheritance story. And who knows . It may get these two retired actors back into pictures, two lives touched forever by a man theyd never met. Im jamie colby for strange inheritance. Thanks so much for watching. And remember you cant take it with you. Do you have a strange inheritance story youd like to share with us . Wed love to hear it. Send me an email or go to our website strangeinheritance. Com 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 everyones mind. Oh, if these walls could talk. I want you to put your hands like this, and were going to pull it toward me. Aah there you go. Oh, my goodness. Keep going. [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] im jamie colby in arlington, vermont, once home to Norman Rockwell. It was also home to a man who left his children a multimilliondollar 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 Rockwells bestknown paintings. What we got was a mystery. What the heck had dad done with it . Hi, don. Im jamie. Hi, jamie. So nice to meet you. So great to be in vermont. What is this place . This was my dads studio. Back in the 1950s, dons dad, Donald Trachte sr. , is a syndicated cartoonist working on the popular strip henry, which features a baldheaded 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, hed 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 artists colony with a worldfamous 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 Rockwells house. Did rockwell come to your fathers 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 . Thats me. Youre 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. Heres 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 smalltown 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 painters barn studio. I see the chair. It would mean a lot to sit in Norman Rockwells. Please . Jamie, we would be honored to have you sit in rockwells chair. Oh, my gosh. This is amazing. Norman rockwell painted in this chair. Oh, my gosh. Its 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. Hes holding two hats. Oh. Which is such a beautiful memento. Hes holding his own and his sons. And the collie dog is feeling. Sad. And dad is, what, reflecting on the end of an era maybe . His son wont 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. Its 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. Its a separation of your children from home, so i think its 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 dont 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. Thats a lot of money then. It was an extraordinary amount of money. A lot of us wouldve just sold right then and there, wouldnt 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 thats it. Hes saying you shouldve sold. Thats 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 . Thats a terrible thought, isnt it . Heres 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. Hes pretty good. He was pretty good. But hes 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 lesserknown 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, thats a terrible thought, isnt 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 its 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 Fathers House empty and cold, don jr. And his siblings worry about their strange inheritance the famous painting on the wall thats 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 rockwells 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, its a thirdrate replica, and i thought, what . I was concerned, like, what is going on . Heres another quiz question. To model the girls 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. Time and time again, you know when im doing street magic. Ill walk up to someone and i can just see theyre against me right . They dont want to be amazed. They dont want this experience to happen. I needed to try but then the magic happens. And all of that falls away. amazement laughter its the experience of waking up and seeing things the way you saw them before they became ordinary. I need never get old im looking for that experience of wonder. At comcast, we didnt build the nations largest gigspeed network just to make businesses run faster. We built it to help them go beyond. Because beyond risk. Welcome to the neighborhood, guys. There is reward. Beyond work and life. Who else could he be . There is the moment. Beyond technology. There is human ingenuity. Every day, comcast business is helping businesses go beyond the expected, to do the extraordinary. Take your business beyond. So how did rockwell model the girls black eye in this painting . Its 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, whod taken a tumble down the stairs. Don trachte jr. And his siblings face a multimilliondollar mystery. Theyve loaned this painting, Norman Rockwells breaking home ties, to the Rockwell Museum in stockbridge, massachusetts, but now theyre 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 boys face, and look at those two side by side. Well, his face is much fuller. Yeah. Theres some differences, arent there . And thats primarily. Eyes are different. The eyes are different. Mmhmm. And the mouth is different. Mmhmm. But there must be an innocent explanation. The museum believes the painting was probably subjected to a subpar touchup job. Thats why, when don and his siblings decide it might be time to sell breaking home ties, their comfortable reaching out to sothebys in new york. Sothebys appraiser Peter Rathbone visits the Rockwell Museum to see it. Like some other experts, hes perplexed. It just wasnt as well painted as one had sort of become accustomed to seeing in rockwells 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 rockwells 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. Its the original rockwell thats 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 doesnt 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 wed 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 wellexecuted fake thats 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 fathers 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. Uhoh. Wait a minute. It moves. It moves. We said, what the heck is going on here . Whats your strange inheritance story . Wed love to tell it. Send me an email or go to our website, strangeinheritance. Com. I joined the army after 911, cuz, um, i thought that was what i needed to do. We got our orders to go overseas and i went to baghdad, iraq. We were transporting a bomb sniffing dog to the polling stations. We rolled over two antitank mines, it blew my humvee up, killed my sergeant. After the explosion, i suffered a closed head injury, um, traumatic brain injury, loss of a limb, burns to 60 of my body. When the doctors told me i reached my plateau, i did not want to hear that because i do not believe i have a plateau. So, i had to prove em wrong, which i am doing to this day and i will still do until the end of my days. Ive gotten to where i am at because of my family. And, the Wounded Warrior project has helped me more than i can ever imagine. They have really been there to support me in my endeavors. My number one goal, basically, is to get close to where i was. I am more than ready to work hard to get to that goal. I am living proof to never give up and i will never give up. 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 its revealed that theyre holding on to a fake. What gives . Don and his brother david search their late fathers 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. Uhoh. 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 fathers bookcase. Now, i want you to come over here. I want you to put your hands like this, and were 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 didnt even know the original rockwell painting, breaking home ties. Did you scream, cry, hug each other . We didnt 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 its 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 sothebys. 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, lets start the auction process at 4 million. I have 4 million, 4,100,000. So the bidding then continues. Now were 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 buyers premium and the grand total hits 15. 4 million at the time, a new world record for a rockwell painting. Its 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 parents divorce, his father was the one who copied the rockwell. Accepted by a museum that just has Norman Rockwells. Thats right. Did you know he was that good . No, i didnt. 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 didnt have ready answers. All don is certain of is that his father wasnt trying to defraud anyone, much less his mother. He didnt 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 doesnt 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 dont 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. Youre surely asking, where is the fake rockwell now . Well, its on its own museum tour. Thats right. Don jr. Is showcasing his fathers 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. Im jamie colby. Thanks so much for watching strange inheritance, and remember you cant take it with you. Lauren it is 5 00 a. M. Here are your top stories at this hour. At least five people are confirmed dead as Hurricane Dorian now a category 3 storm, packing winds of more than 150 miles an hour, the rains devastating the bahamas. The storm is sitting just off the florida coast. Were tracking Hurricane Dorians every move as its set to become one of the most damaging storms in recorded history. Ashley no end in sight for the u. S. China trade wars, both sides cant come up with a plan to restart negotiations. Beijing stepping up its attack, suing the u. S. Over new tariffs on its goods that went into effect on sunday. Lauren why are you running . How0