Season 6, Episode 4

SOME UNTOLD STORIES FROM AMERICA'S PAST.

Gwendolyn: THIS WEEK, CAN THESE SYMBOLS IDENTIFY A U.S. MARINE

WHO MAY HAVE WITNESSED A CHINESE PARADISE

TUMBLING INTO DISASTER?

Tukufu: WAS THIS CALIFORNIA MOBILE HOME

PART OF A MODERN-DAY WAGON TRAIN

HALFWAY ACROSS THE WORLD?

Wes: AND WAS ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S SIGNATURE USED

IN ONE OF THE MOST NOTORIOUS FORGERY SCHEMES

OF THE 20th CENTURY?

Elvis Costello: ♫WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♫

♫I GET SO ANGRY WHEN THE TEARDROPS START♫

♫BUT HE CAN'T BE WOUNDED 'CAUSE HE'S GOT NO HEART♫

♫WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♫

♫IT'S JUST LIKE WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♫

Gwendolyn: THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE OUR FIRST STORY TRIES TO CONNECT

AN UNUSUAL ITEM OF CLOTHING TO A TENSE MOMENT

IN UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS HISTORY.

IN THE 1930s, SHANGHAI, CHINA, IS THE PARIS OF THE PACIFIC:

DAZZLING, INTERNATIONAL, RAUCOUS.

BUT THE COSMOPOLITAN PLAYGROUND

IS ALSO ON THE BRINK OF DISASTER,

THREATENED BY THE COUNTRY'S OWN CIVIL WAR

AND JAPAN'S DESIRE TO OCCUPY CHINA.

CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE IS A SMALL U.S. MILITARY FORCE

STATIONED IN SHANGHAI, THE 4th MARINES,

WHO MUST PROTECT AMERICAN INTERESTS

WITHOUT CAUSING AN INTERNATIONAL CRISIS.

NOW RICHARD TERESI OF SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA,

HAS AN ELEGANTLY EMBROIDERED JACKET

THAT MAY HAVE BELONGED TO ONE OF THESE FAMED CHINA MARINES.

I RECEIVED IT AS A BIRTHDAY GIFT FROM MY SON,

AND I'M ESPECIALLY INTERESTED IN THE 4th MARINES

BECAUSE THEY WERE SUCH A FAMOUS REGIMENT.

I'M GWENDOLYN WRIGHT.

I'M AT RICHARD'S HOUSE TO SEE THE JACKET FOR MYSELF.

THAT'S IT.

OH, IT'S MAGNIFICENT!

THANK YOU.

NOW, HOW DID YOU COME TO ACQUIRE THIS?

WELL, MY SON, HE HAD PURCHASED IT ON eBAY,

AND HE AND I WERE BOTH IN THE MARINES,

AND WE SORT OF ARE INTERESTED IN MARINE CORPS THINGS.

HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT THIS JACKET

WAS CONNECTED TO THE MARINES?

WELL, ON THE BACK, IT HAS "4th MARINES,"

AND THEY WERE THE REGIMENT IN SHANGHAI FOR MANY, MANY YEARS.

IT'S THESE DETAILS THAT MAKE RICHARD WONDER

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE JACKET'S OWNER.

AS WAR CLOUDS GATHERED,

THE CHINA MARINES EVACUATED SHANGHAI FOR THE PHILIPPINES,

WHERE THEY SUFFERED DEFEAT AND BRUTAL IMPRISONMENT

AT THE HANDS OF THE JAPANESE.

THEY WOUND UP BEING CAPTURED ON CORREGIDOR.

AND THEY WERE PRISONERS OF WAR.

SOME WERE KILLED.

SO TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT YOU'D LIKE TO FIND OUT

ABOUT THIS JACKET.

WELL, I'D LIKE TO FIND OUT WHO "M.W.D."

WAS.

OH, THAT'S RIGHT, HERE ARE THE INITIALS.

WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?

YOU KNOW, HE WAS THERE AT THIS PERIOD,

BUT DID HE STAY LONGER, DID HE SURVIVE THE WAR?

WELL, I'LL SEE WHAT I CAN FIND ABOUT THIS FELLOW

AND THE HISTORY OF THIS JACKET.

IS IT OKAY IF I SIT HERE FOR A FEW MINUTES

AND LOOK AT IT MORE CLOSELY?

YES, YOU MAY, YOU CERTAINLY MAY.

I'M LOOKING FIRST TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY SIGN OF A LABEL,

BUT I DON'T SEE ANYTHING,

A WAY OF KNOWING WHEN AND WHERE IT WAS MADE

AND PERHAPS BY WHOM.

SO THIS LAPEL COMING DOWN VERY LOW

WOULD MEAN THAT THIS WAS A SMOKING JACKET,

A VERY FASHIONABLE ITEM OF CLOTHING

FOR GENTLEMEN IN THE 1920s AND '30s.

THESE SYMBOLS COULD HELP DECIPHER THE JACKET'S STORY.

BUT BY AND LARGE, THERE'S NO INFORMATION,

THERE ARE ONLY LITTLE CLUES.

SHANGHAI.

THE 4th MARINES HAD BEEN SENT TO CHINA IN 1927

TO GUARD AMERICAN BUSINESS INTERESTS.

IN SHANGHAI, THEY PROTECTED AN AREA

WITHIN THE INTERNATIONAL SETTLEMENT

WHERE FOREIGNERS CONDUCTED TRADE

FREE FROM CHINESE LAWS AND TAXATION.

GUARDIANS OF THE PEACE, THE MARINES LIVED LIKE KINGS,

THEIR COMFORTS PLENTIFUL AND THEIR AUTHORITY UNCHALLENGED.

THE INTERNATIONAL SETTLEMENT WAS, IN ESSENCE, A COLONY

RULED BY FOREIGN POWERS FROM EUROPE AND THE UNITED STATES.

JAPAN'S OWN COLONIAL AMBITIONS IN ASIA

MADE THE VIBRANT PORT OF SHANGHAI IRRESISTIBLE.

BUT EVEN AFTER THEIR ARMY INVADED CHINA IN 1937,

TAKING MOST OF SHANGHAI,

THE JAPANESE DARED NOT BREAK INTERNATIONAL LAW

BY ENTERING THE PROTECTED SETTLEMENT.

THIS GIVES US AN IDEA OF THE POWER

THAT THE UNITED STATES AND EUROPE HAD OVER SHANGHAI.

CONDITIONS WERE MORE AND MORE TENSE.

IN THE FALL OF 1941,

THE MARINES EVACUATED SHANGHAI FOR THE PHILIPPINES,

WHERE THEY SUFFERED THE FIRST-EVER SURRENDER

BY A MARINE REGIMENT

AND A LONG, BRUTAL IMPRISONMENT BY THEIR JAPANESE CAPTORS.

THE DATES ON THE JACKET INDICATE OUR MARINE

MAY HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED TO SHANGHAI

DURING SOME OF THESE EVENTS.

AND YOU MUST BE ANGELA.

I AM.

YOU MUST BE GWEN.

THAT'S RIGHT.

NICE TO MEET YOU.

ANGELA SHENG TEACHES CHINESE ART HISTORY

AT McMASTER UNIVERSITY,

WHERE SHE'S AN EXPERT IN CHINESE TEXTILES.

TAKE A LOOK AND TELL ME WHAT YOU SEE HERE.

DOES THAT MAKE SENSE TO YOU,

THAT THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN MADE IN SHANGHAI?

WELL, YES, I WOULD THINK SO.

THE STITCHWORK IS ENTIRELY CHINESE-LIKE.

ANGELA THINKS THE JACKET'S DESIGNER

WAS USING IMAGES TO TELL A STORY

ABOUT A MARINE'S LIFE OVERSEAS.

THIS CHINESE BOAT, OR SAMPAN,

MOST LIKELY REPRESENTS HIS JOURNEY TO SHANGHAI.

AND THE WOMAN IN THE RICKSHAW

MAY SYMBOLIZE THE STEAMIER SIDE OF SHANGHAI'S ENTERTAINMENT.

WE WONDER IF U.S. MARINES

WOULD BE ENCOUNTERING LADIES ON THE STREET.

WELL, THAT WOULD'VE BEEN MY THOUGHT, LOOKING AT THESE,

THAT SOMEONE IS BRINGING THIS WOMAN TO THE CONCESSION

FOR SOMEONE'S PLEASURE.

ENTERTAINMENT, YEAH.

BUT THIS WOMAN MAY REPRESENT SOMETHING MORE

THAN A PASSING RELATIONSHIP.

ANGELA SAYS THIS PEACOCK IS ACTUALLY A MALE/FEMALE HYBRID

OF A PEACOCK AND A PHOENIX.

FROM THE CHINESE POINT OF VIEW,

YOU COULDN'T GET MORE SPECIAL

IN TERMS OF A SYMBOL THAT WILL GLORIFY YOUR STATUS

AS THE KEY PLAYER OF THE EVENT, OF THE DAY.

THE STORY BEING TOLD THROUGH SYMBOLS

MAY ALSO BE VISIBLE IN THE QUALITY OF THE WORK.

I CAN SURMISE FROM THE CARE AND THE DESIGN

THAT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE INTENDED

AND THE PERSON MAKING IT WAS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT

TO THE PERSON MAKING IT.

AND CERTAINLY THE PERSON MAKING IT

WANTED TO PRIVILEGE THE AMERICAN MARINE'S STATUS.

WELL, NOW I NEED TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE MARINES

AND THEIR SIDE OF THE STORY.

I'M TRAVELING TO REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA,

TO MEET A FORMER CHINA MARINE.

EXCUSE ME, SIR, ARE YOU DON VERSAW?

I AM.

I'M GWEN WRIGHT.

DON VERSAW PLAYED FRENCH HORN IN THE MARINE BAND.

HE, TOO, WAS STATIONED IN SHANGHAI WITH THE 4th MARINES.

LIFE IN SHANGHAI WAS A VERY EXCITING THING

FOR A MARINE ASSIGNMENT, PARTICULARLY FOR A YOUNG BOY

THAT HAD NOT LONG BEEN OFF THE FARM IN NEBRASKA.

WITH A CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATE OF ABOUT 20-1,

EVEN A PRIVATE COULD LIVE WELL.

MANY FILLED TRUNKS WITH SILK, IVORY,

AND OTHER TREASURES TO SEND HOME.

BUT DON ARRIVED IN SHANGHAI IN 1940,

WHEN HOSTILE JAPANESE TROOPS WERE ALREADY STATIONED NEARBY,

EYEING THE OASIS OF THE INTERNATIONAL SETTLEMENT.

THE JAPANESE WANTED TO TAKE OVER

THE ENTIRE INTERNATIONAL SETTLEMENT.

AND SO THEY WOULD CREATE MINOR ACTS OF TERRORISM,

LIKE THEY THREW A GRENADE

IN THE BUSINESS NEXT TO OUR 4th MARINES CLUB.

ONLY TWO WEEKS BEFORE PEARL HARBOR,

THE MARINES EVACUATED SHANGHAI.

THOUSANDS OF CHINESE LINED THE STREETS.

MANY OF THE AMERICAN SOLDIERS LEFT BEHIND

FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES THEY WOULD NEVER SEE AGAIN.

A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE QUITE ATTACHED.

SOME OF THEM HAD BEEN THERE FOR YEARS.

I HAD A VERY GOOD FRIEND THERE, A LADY,

THAT I LEFT SOME THINGS TO SELL BECAUSE NATURALLY,

WE WERE ALL CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THEM.

AFTER THE WITHDRAWAL,

SHANGHAI'S INTERNATIONAL SETTLEMENT FELL QUICKLY

AND ITS RESIDENTS ENDURED

ALMOST FOUR YEARS OF BRUTAL JAPANESE OCCUPATION.

DON NEVER LEARNED WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS FRIEND.

I TELL DON ABOUT MY INVESTIGATION

AND MY HUNCH THAT OUR MARINE HAD HIS OWN PERSONAL CONNECTION

WITH SOMEONE IN SHANGHAI.

HAVE YOU SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS?

OH, YES, BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLE OF THE SMOKING JACKETS

THAT WERE MADE IN THE CITY.

THIS IS MORE ELABORATE THAN ANY I THINK I'VE EVER SEEN

OR RECOLLECT.

BUT OTHER MARINES HAD SOMETHING LIKE THIS MADE?

THAT WAS ALWAYS A -- PROBABLY THE PRIZE ITEM TO GET

AND HAVE MADE AND BRING HOME.

WHILE MANY A MARINE

COMMISSIONED A PERSONALIZED SOUVENIR,

DON SAYS THIS ONE STANDS OUT.

IT WAS ORIGINALLY A DARK BLUE MARINE JACKET.

DID YOU BY CHANCE KNOW SOMEONE WHO HAD THE INITIALS "M.W.D."?

NO, I'M SURE I DIDN'T.

DON LEFT SHANGHAI IN 1941 FOR THE PHILIPPINES,

WHERE HE AND 11,000 AMERICAN SERVICEMEN WERE CAPTURED.

DON SPENT 42 PUNISHING MONTHS

IN JAPANESE PRISONER-OF-WAR CAMPS.

THAT'S WHEN THE BATTLE REALLY BEGAN,

BECAUSE OUR BATTLE WAS WITH DISEASE

AND MALNUTRITION AND ANXIETY.

THE AMERICAN P.O.W.s SUFFERED TERRIBLY

AT THE HANDS OF THEIR JAPANESE CAPTORS,

BUT WHERE DOES M.W.D.

FIT INTO THE WARTIME SAGA

OF THE 4th MARINES?

I'M TRAVELING TO QUANTICO, VIRGINIA,

HOME OF MARINE CORPS UNIVERSITY AND THE MARINE ARCHIVE,

TO MEET ARCHIVIST MIKE MILLER.

HOW CAN I FIND OUT THE IDENTITY OF M.W.D.?

WELL, THE CLUES ARE RIGHT THERE WITH THE JACKET.

WE HAVE THE 4th MARINES LOGO ON THE BACK,

WE KNOW THAT IT WAS '37 TO '39,

AND WE HAVE SHANGHAI, WHICH CONFIRMS THAT HE WAS THERE.

SO WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS CHECK

THE MARINE CORPS MUSTER ROLLS FOR THOSE PERIODS

AND RUN THOSE INITIALS AGAINST THOSE MARINES.

A MUSTER ROLL IS A MONTHLY LIST

OF MARINES SERVING AROUND THE WORLD,

WHICH IN THE 1930s WAS ABOUT 18,000,

INCLUDING THE 1,000 MEN STATIONED IN SHANGHAI.

HERE WE HAVE THE 4th MARINES IN SHANGHAI, CHINA.

BREAKS DOWN EVERY UNIT.

SO WE'LL FIRST LOOK FOR PEOPLE WHOSE LAST NAME IS "D."

THERE WERE SOME OF THOSE, LET'S GO BACK TO A FEW OF THOSE.

OKAY... "DAVIS, WALT W."

IT TAKES US A WHILE,

BUT EVENTUALLY WE FIND SOMETHING.

WAIT A MINUTE, LOOK AT THIS:

15, "DOWHAN, MICHAEL W.J."

WE'VE BEEN THROUGH THE DIFFERENT YEARS, '37 TO '39.

HE'S THE ONLY ONE THAT SEEMS TO MATCH.

NOW THAT WE HAVE A NAME, MIKE IS GOING TO HELP ME

SEARCH THROUGH COPIES OF THE MARINE MAGAZINES

WALLA WALLA AND LEATHERNECK

TO SEE WHAT WE CAN LEARN ABOUT MICHAEL DOWHAN.

WE FIND A FEW MENTIONS,

INCLUDING HIS BOOT CAMP GRADUATION PHOTO.

THIS IS A PLATOON PHOTOGRAPH BEFORE HE WENT TO CHINA.

HE'S IN THIS PHOTOGRAPH SOMEWHERE.

OH, SO HE'S ONE OF THESE MEN.

WE THEN MAKE A MAJOR DISCOVERY:

DOWHAN'S MILITARY DISCHARGE RECORDS.

IT SEEMS MICHAEL DOWHAN'S MILITARY SERVICE

ENDED IN OCTOBER 1940.

HE RETURNED TO THE UNITED STATES,

MERCIFULLY ESCAPING THE HORRORS OF THE JAPANESE P.O.W.

CAMPS.

BUT WHAT BECAME OF DOWHAN?

I'M GOING TO DO A GENEALOGICAL SEARCH

TO SEE IF I CAN TRACK HIM DOWN.

OKAY, I PRESUME HE WAS BORN SOMETIME IN THE 1910s TO '20s.

OH, HERE'S A SOCIAL SECURITY DEATH INDEX

OF A MICHAEL W. DOWHAN WHO WAS BORN

ON THE 5th OF OCTOBER, 1918 -- THAT MAKES SENSE --

AND WHO DIED ON THE 22nd OF AUGUST, 1997,

IN WILLIAMSTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS.

I'M TRYING TO GET SOME INFORMATION ABOUT...

I CONTACT THE WILLIAMSTOWN PUBLIC LIBRARY,

WHO FAXED ME A COPY OF DOWHAN'S OBITUARY.

DOWHAN DID LEAVE THE MARINES IN 1940,

BUT HE REENLISTED FOLLOWING PEARL HARBOR,

ONCE AGAIN SERVING IN THE PACIFIC,

THIS TIME IN THE ARMY.

AND HERE WE HAVE THE NEXT OF KIN, HIS WIFE AND A SON,

MICHAEL W. DOWHAN, JR, OF NEW YORK.

I'M CHECKING ONLINE PHONE LISTING

TO SEE IF MICHAEL, JR., STILL LIVES THERE,

AND THERE IS A NAME THAT MATCHES.

HELLO THERE.

HI, YOU'RE MICHAEL DOWHAN?

YES, I AM.

GWEN WRIGHT, NICE TO MEET YOU.

SO NICE TO MEET YOU.

WOULD YOU PLEASE COME IN?

THANK YOU.

SURE.

I HAVE SOMETHING THAT I THINK BELONGED TO YOUR DAD

DURING THE YEARS THAT HE WAS IN THE CHINA MARINES,

SO I'M EAGER TO SHOW IT TO YOU.

IF THIS IS WHAT I THINK IT COULD BE, THIS IS GOING TO BE --

THIS IS GOING TO BE REALLY, REALLY GOOD.

OH, MAN, I HAVE NOT SEEN THIS IN ALMOST 10 YEARS.

THIS IS TERRIFIC.

SO IT DID BELONG TO YOUR DAD.

IT SURE DID.

THIS WAS ONE OF HIS MOST FAVORITE SOUVENIRS

FROM HIS TIME IN CHINA WITH THE CHINA MARINES IN SHANGHAI.

AND DARE I SAY THIS, GWEN,

I WORE THIS IN THE FOURTH GRADE ON HALLOWEEN NIGHT.

MICHAEL TELLS ME THAT AFTER HIS PARENTS PASSED AWAY,

ALL OF THEIR BELONGINGS, INCLUDING THE SMOKING JACKET,

WERE SOLD AT AN ESTATE SALE.

THIS IS HIM JUST COMING OUT OF BASIC TRAINING.

I'VE SEEN THIS, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW WHICH ONE IT WAS.

WHAT DID HE TELL YOU ABOUT SHANGHAI, ABOUT THE WAR?

WELL, WHAT HE TALKED ABOUT

WAS WORKING IN THE INTERNATIONAL SETTLEMENT.

AND HE WAS -- HE WAS IN QUARTERMASTER CORPS.

AS QUARTERMASTER, MICHAEL DOWHAN WAS IN CHARGE

OF SUPPLYING AND PROVISIONING THE TROOPS.

HE EMPLOYED A NUMBER OF CHINESE

TO TRANSLATE AND NEGOTIATE WITH LOCAL VENDORS.

SERGEANT DOWHAN FORMED A SPECIAL BOND

WITH ONE OF THESE CHINESE MEN.

SO MY FATHER LIKED THIS ONE FELLA.

HE WAS A REALLY HARD WORKER, VERY EASY TO GET ALONG WITH,

SPOKE ENGLISH EXTREMELY WELL, VERY WESTERNIZED,

AND SO HE SAID, "THAT'S IT, YOU'RE GOING TO BE

MY NEXT TEAM LEADER."

MICHAEL TELLS ME THAT THIS PROMOTION

DIDN'T JUST MEAN MORE MONEY, IT ALSO ELEVATED HIS STATUS.

THIS WAS AN INCREDIBLE STROKE OF GOOD LUCK FOR THE FELLA,

BECAUSE HERE YOU'VE GOT A CITY

WITH AN UNDECLARED WAR GOING ON UP IN THE NORTHERN HALF OF IT.

SO THIS PROMOTION MEANT A GREAT DEAL

TO THE CHINESE GENTLEMAN WHO -- WHO YOUR FATHER SINGLED OUT.

ABSOLUTELY, IT REALLY DID.

WHAT MICHAEL TELLS ME NEXT

TAKES ME BACK TO THE TENSE FINAL YEARS

OF THE SHANGHAI INTERNATIONAL SETTLEMENT,

WHERE I FIND THE ANSWER TO RICHARD'S MYSTERY.

FIRST OF ALL, M.W.D.

STANDS FOR MICHAEL WALTER DOWHAN,

A YOUNG AMERICAN WHO JOINED THE MARINES

AND SERVED IN SHANGHAI FROM 1937 UNTIL 1940,

ENLISTED AGAIN AND SERVED IN THE PACIFIC DURING THE WAR.

AND I WAS ABLE TO SPEAK TO HIS SON,

WHO WAS ALSO IN THE MILITARY, MICHAEL WALTER DOWHAN, JR.

OH, MY GOSH.

AND HE TOLD US A LOT OF STORIES

ABOUT HOW MUCH THIS JACKET MEANT TO HIS DAD.

OH, WOW.

HE SAID IT WAS ONE OF HIS PRIZED POSSESSIONS

FROM THESE MAGICAL YEARS THAT HE'D SPENT IN SHANGHAI.

I TELL RICHARD ABOUT MICHAEL DOWHAN'S SPECIAL REGARD

FOR ONE OF HIS CHINESE EMPLOYEES.

THAT MAN'S WIFE UNDERSTOOD THAT DOWHAN PROMOTING HER HUSBAND

INCREASED THE FAMILY'S STANDING.

SHE DECIDED, "LET'S DO SOMETHING REALLY NICE FOR SERGEANT DOWHAN,

"BECAUSE I KNOW WHERE MY HUSBAND'S GOING EVERY DAY,

AND HE'S NOT GOING TO BE GETTING SHOT AT."

THE MAN'S WIFE TOOK A MARINE DRESS UNIFORM,

DYED IT BLACK,

AND SPENT WEEKS TURNING IT INTO THIS ELEGANT JACKET.

ALTHOUGH DOWHAN NEVER KNEW THE FATE

OF HIS CHINESE EMPLOYEE AND HIS WIFE,

THE JACKET REMAINS A HUMAN GESTURE OF APPRECIATION

GIVEN AS THE WORLD WAS TUMBLING INTO WAR.

OH, MY HEAVENS.

OH, WHAT A STORY.

UNBELIEVABLE.

THAT'S UNBELIEVABLE.

MAKES ME PROUD TO BE A MARINE.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CHINA MARINES,

GO TO HISTORY DETECTIVES ON THE WEB AT pbs.org.

WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT A U.S. MARINE

COULD BE MADE WEAK WITH PUPPY LOVE?

THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED

WHEN A SCRAGGLY MUTT STARTED HANGING AROUND

A 4th MARINES GUARD POST IN SHANGHAI.

IT READILY FOUND A HOME ON BASE AS THEIR BELOVED MASCOT.

SOOCHOW, OR SOOCH, AS SOME OF THE MEN CALLED HIM,

BECAME A FIXTURE AT THE MESS HALL COME CHOW TIME.

HE WAS EVEN ISSUED HIS OWN UNIFORMS --

GREENS, KHAKIS, AND DRESS BLUES --

BEARING THE RANK OF PRIVATE FIRST CLASS.

BUT WITH THE UNIFORM CAME RESPONSIBILITIES.

EACH TIME SOOCHOW GOT INTO A SCRAP AND TORE HIS FATIGUES,

HE WAS DEMOTED.

HE WAS EVEN PUT IN THE BRIG ONCE

FOR RELIEVING HIMSELF ON A FLAGPOLE.

WHEN THE JAPANESE CAPTURED THE 4th MARINES IN THE PHILIPPINES,

SOOCHOW BECAME A P.O.W.

WITH THE REST OF THE COMPANY.

HE SURVIVED THE THREE-YEAR INTERNMENT

AND RETIRED POSTWAR TO THE MARINE CORPS BASE IN SAN DIEGO.

BUT IT'S NOT THE SHANGHAI MUTT

THAT'S SYNONYMOUS WITH THE CORPS TODAY, IT'S THE BULLDOG.

THE CONNECTION DATES TO WORLD WAR I AND GERMAN REPORTS

THAT NICKNAMED ATTACKING U.S. MARINES "DEVIL DOGS."

EVER SINCE, ENGLISH BULLDOGS,

WITH THEIR COURAGEOUS TEMPERAMENT,

HAVE BEEN UNOFFICIAL MASCOTS OF THE MARINE CORPS.

Tukufu: OUR NEXT STORY INVESTIGATES THE EXOTIC TRAVELS

OF THIS VINTAGE PIECE OF AMERICANA.

IN THE YEARS FOLLOWING WORLD WAR II,

AMERICANS TOOK TO THE OPEN ROAD IN UNPRECEDENTED NUMBERS.

A PIONEERING ENTREPRENEUR NAMED WALLY BYAM

SEIZED ON THIS WANDERLUST.

HE BELIEVED

HIS ALUMINUM-SKINNED AIRSTREAM TRAILERS

COULD BE VEHICLES FOR CHANGE,

TRANSPORTING AMERICANS TO FARAWAY DESTINATIONS

AND TO A NEW UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR PLACE IN THE WORLD.

IN 1959, HE DREAMT UP AN OUTLANDISH SCHEME

TO SHIP 41 AIRSTREAMS HALFWAY AROUND THE GLOBE

FOR A 14,000-MILE CARAVAN

FROM CAPE TOWN TO THE PYRAMIDS OF EGYPT.

NEARLY 50 YEARS LATER, DOUG AND SUZY CARR

OF LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA,

THINK THESE FADING NUMBERS AND DECAL

MAY MEAN THEIR VINTAGE AIRSTREAM

WAS PART OF THIS MODERN-DAY WAGON TRAIN.

WE'RE HOPING THAT IT'S ONE OF 41 AIRSTREAMS

THAT WENT ON A SAFARI IN 1959

AND WAS PHOTOGRAPHED IN FRONT OF THE PYRAMIDS.

I'M TUKUFU ZUBERI,

AND I'VE COME TO LONG BEACH TO FIND OUT

JUST HOW MOBILE THIS HOME ONCE WAS.

HI, HOW YOU DOING?

I'M FINE, HOW ARE YOU?

I'M TUKUFU ZUBERI.

ALL RIGHT, I'M DOUG CARR.

THIS IS MY WIFE, SUZY.

NICE TO MEET YOU.

WELCOME TO GROVER BEACH.

HOW YOU DOING?

YOU KNOW, THIS IS A REAL FUNKY, COOL PAD.

IT'S ABOUT AS FUNKY AS IT CAN BE.

WHAT DO YOU HAVE FOR ME?

WELL, IT ALL STARTED WITH A NEIGHBOR,

AND HE CALLED OVER AND SAID,

"I BELIEVE YOU HAVE A REALLY FAMOUS TRAILER."

HE BELIEVED THAT OURS WAS ONE OF A VERY FEW

THAT IN 1959 HAD GONE ON A SAFARI WITH WALLY BYAM.

SUZY EXPLAINS THEY WENT ONLINE

AND FOUND A PICTURE OF AIRSTREAM TRAILERS

FROM THE SAFARI AND THAT THEIR TRAILER LOOKS IDENTICAL.

NOW, DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER INFORMATION

THAT IS PERTINENT TO THIS AIRSTREAM?

WE NOTICED THAT UNDERNEATH THE TRAILER IS VERY BUMPY,

LIKE IT'S GONE OVER SOME REALLY ROUGH TERRAIN.

IS THAT THE ADDRESS OF YOUR HOUSE UP THERE?

NO, THAT'S NOT OUR ADDRESS,

BUT THOSE ARE FOUR NUMBERS ON THE BACK OF THE AIRSTREAM THAT,

THEY'RE FADING AWAY,

AND WE'RE HOPING THAT YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT

WHAT THAT MEANS BEFORE THEY'RE GONE COMPLETELY.

I CAN MAKE OUT 3684 AND A FADED LOGO,

"WALLY BYAM CARAVAN CLUB."

THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER MARKINGS ON THE AIRSTREAM INSIDE,

AND I HAVE THE CURRENT REGISTRATION

THAT MIGHT HELP US OUT.

WHEN THE CARRS BOUGHT THEIR MOBILE HOME FIVE YEARS AGO

FROM A NEIGHBOR IN THE TRAILER PARK,

IT CAME WITH A VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER,

OR V.I.N.

BUT RIGHT AWAY, I SPOT A POSSIBLE RED FLAG:

THE DOCUMENT SAYS THE AIRSTREAM

HAD FIRST BEEN SOLD IN 1960.

THE AFRICAN SAFARI BEGAN IN THE SUMMER OF 1959.

WELL, WE NOTICED THAT THERE WAS SOME WRITING...

HERE IS ANOTHER POTENTIAL CLUE.

IT SAYS "HOWARD" SOMETHING "RIVERSIDE," I THINK.

"HOWARD, AGNES, RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA."

I'M NOT SURE IF THIS AIRSTREAM

COULD HAVE BEEN ON THE AFRICAN CARAVAN,

BUT IF IT WAS, WERE THESE THE OWNERS AT THAT TIME?

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO FIND OUT FOR YOU?

WE'RE WONDERING WHETHER THIS IS REALLY

ONE OF THE AIRSTREAMS THAT WENT ON THE CARAVAN IN 1959.

I'LL DO MY BEST TO FIND OUT FOR YOU

AND GET BACK TO YOU WITH AN ANSWER.

ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU.

THIS IS GOING TO BE AN INTERESTING STORY.

IT DOESN'T SEEM TO ME LIKE A TRAILER LIKE THIS

COULD MAKE A TRIP, A CARAVAN OF ANY SORT,

IN AFRICA IN 1959.

I WANT TO LEARN A LITTLE MORE

ABOUT THIS EXTRAORDINARY TRIP

AND THE MAN WHO INSPIRED IT.

MY FIRST STOP IS THE PETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM

IN LOS ANGELES TO MEET CURATOR LESLIE KENDALL.

WALLY BYAM STARTED OUT, ACTUALLY,

AS A SHEPHERD UP IN OREGON,

AND WHILE TENDING HIS FLOCKS,

HE WOULD SLEEP IN A LITTLE OXCART

THAT WAS EQUIPPED WITH VERY BASIC NECESSITIES.

APPARENTLY THAT NEVER LEFT HIM,

BECAUSE WHEN HE HAD THE CHANCE TO DO IT,

HE DESIGNED HIS OWN TRAILER.

LESLIE EXPLAINS WALLY'S AIRSTREAM INVENTION

CAPTURED BOTH THE SPIRIT AND NEEDS OF A NATION

ENTERING THE MODERN AGE OF LEISURE TRAVEL.

IN THE EARLY DAYS OF MOTORING,

AMENITIES AND ACCOMMODATIONS WERE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN.

IN 1932, WALLY ANSWERED THE CALL OF THE ROAD

WITH A REVOLUTIONARY INNOVATION:

A MOBILE SHELTER TO SLEEP AND FEED THE WHOLE FAMILY.

DURING THE MID-'30s THERE WERE

ABOUT 300 TRAILERS ON THE MARKET,

AND TODAY, ONLY AIRSTREAM SURVIVES FROM THAT PERIOD.

IN THE YEARS FOLLOWING WORLD WAR II,

THE OPEN ROAD BECAME A DESTINATION ITSELF,

WITH THEMED MOTELS AND QUIRKY ATTRACTIONS,

DRIVE-INS AND DRIVE-THROUGHS.

WHEN YOU THINK OF POSTWAR AMERICA,

YOU CAN'T HELP BUT THINK HOW OPTIMISTIC WE WERE

AS A NATION, AND WITH THAT OPTIMISM

CAME A GREAT DEAL OF NEW PRODUCTS,

PRODUCTS THAT PEOPLE NEVER THOUGHT COULD BE BUILT.

WE HAD CARS WITH FINS, CHROME EVERYWHERE,

AND BECAUSE OF AMERICA'S IMPROVING NETWORK OF ROADS,

BECAUSE OF OUR LARGER-THAN-AVERAGE CARS

WITH BIG ENGINES THAT COULD TOW A LOT OF WEIGHT,

PEOPLE STARTED TAKING TO THE ROADS IN TRAILERS.

AND HERE WAS A TRAILER THAT WAS PROBABLY

THE MOST ADVANCED-LOOKING THING ON THE ROAD.

WITH ITS AERODYNAMIC TEAR-SHAPED DESIGN,

BYAM'S AIRSTREAMS FIT RIGHT IN

WITH THIS POSTWAR TUNE-UP,

CARRYING FAMILIES FROM THE GRAND CANYON TO PLYMOUTH ROCK

WITH ALL THE MODERNITY AND CONVENIENCE

OF A NEW G.E.

KITCHEN.

YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ACCOMMODATIONS

ONCE YOU GOT TO YOUR LOCATION

BECAUSE YOU WERE TOWING THEM WITH YOU.

AND YOU HAD A SHOWER, YOU HAD A BEDROOM,

YOU HAD A BATHROOM WITH ALL THE FACILITIES,

AND PEOPLE THOUGHT, "WHY NOT?

"LET'S GO ON THE ROAD.

I WANT TO SEE AMERICA."

WHY DID WALLY BYAM TAKE PEOPLE ON CARAVANS?

WALLY BYAM'S CARAVAN'S WERE ALL ABOUT

GETTING PEOPLE TO EXPLORE THE WILDERNESS,

GETTING PEOPLE TO EXPLORE THE WIDE-OPEN AREAS,

AND USING AIRSTREAM TRAILERS TO DO IT.

Man and woman singing advertising jingle: ♫FROM CAPE TOWN TO CAIRO♫

♫THEY ALL SAID IT CAN'T BE DONE...♫

WALLY ENVISIONED ADVENTURES FAR BEYOND THE UNITED STATES.

BUT WHY CAPE TOWN TO CAIRO?

WHY AFRICA IN 1959?

THE CAPE TOWN TO CAIRO CARAVAN WAS ONE OF MANY CARAVANS

THAT WALLY BYAM HAD PUT TOGETHER DURING THE '50s

AND INTO THE EARLY '60s.

HE JUST WANTED TO SHOW PEOPLE

THAT HIS TRAILERS WERE INDEED PRACTICAL,

THAT YOU COULD HITCH THEM UP TO ANY RELIABLE VEHICLE

AND GO ALMOST ANYWHERE.

LESLIE SAYS WALLY BYAM HAD A VISION:

TO PLAY SOME PART IN PROMOTING INTERNATIONAL GOODWILL

THROUGH PERSON-TO-PERSON CONTACT.

ALL YOU NEEDED TO SIGN UP WAS AN AIRSTREAM,

THE SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE,

AND A GOOD-SIZED BANKROLL.

THE KINDS OF PEOPLE THAT WENT ON THE CARAVAN

WITH WALLY BYAM WOULD PROBABLY BE PEOPLE OF INDEPENDENT MEANS.

THEY HAD THE MONEY TO TAKE THE TIME

THAT IT TOOK TO GO ON A TRIP LIKE THAT

AND ALSO TO SHIP THE CARS AND THEIR TRAILERS OVER THERE.

I TELL LESLIE ABOUT OUR INVESTIGATION

AND A POSSIBLE PROBLEM:

THE REGISTRATION DATE OF 1960

IS AFTER THE AFRICAN CARAVAN BEGAN.

IS IT POSSIBLE THAT A VEHICLE BEING REGISTERED IN 1960

COULD HAVE ACTUALLY MADE THIS CARAVAN IN 1959?

IT'S POSSIBLE.

IT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN REGISTERED BY ITS FIRST RETAIL OWNER

UNTIL 1960 OR EVEN LATER.

UNFORTUNATELY, LESLIE SAYS A V.I.N.

NUMBER THAT OLD

WON'T HELP ME FIND THE ORIGINAL OWNERS,

AT LEAST NOT IN THE STATE'S DMV RECORDS.

THE DMV PURGES THEIR RECORDS,

BECAUSE THERE'S SIMPLY SO MUCH DATA TO KEEP TRACK OF,

THEY DON'T HAVE ROOM FOR IT ALL.

THIS INVESTIGATION HAS A PARTICULAR APPEAL FOR ME.

I'VE TRAVELED TO AFRICA MANY TIMES BUT HAD NEVER HEARD

OF THIS ASTONISHING CROSS-CONTINENTAL TREK.

ON THE ONE SIDE, IT'S AN INVESTIGATION

OF THE TRAILER ITSELF:

WHO OWNED IT, WHEN DID THEY OWN IT,

AND HOW DID IT GET INTO THE CURRENT OWNER'S HANDS?

ON THE OTHER HAND, IT'S A STORY

ABOUT A CARAVAN ACROSS AFRICA.

LONG BEFORE AIR TRAVEL BECAME AN AFFORDABLE OPTION

FOR FAMILIES IN THE '70s AND '80s,

WALLY BYAM WAS URGING PEOPLE TO EXPLORE ACROSS OCEANS

AND OUTSIDE THEIR COMFORT ZONES.

HIS CAPE TOWN TO CAIRO PLAN WAS HIS BOLDEST VISION YET.

IN 1959, THE EUROPEAN COLONIAL EMPIRES

WERE ON THEIR LAST LEGS, AND A GENERATION OF AFRICANS

WERE STRUGGLING FOR THEIR FREEDOM.

IN THE UNITED STATES, TOO,

THE LONG STATUS QUO OF SEGREGATION

WAS BEING CHALLENGED AS NEVER BEFORE.

THERE IS A CERTAIN IMPORTANCE TO THEM MAKING SUCH A JOURNEY.

IT DOES AT LEAST SHOW AN OPENNESS AND A CURIOSITY

ABOUT AFRICA THAT WENT BEYOND SIMPLY LOOKING AT IT

THROUGH THE LENS OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC.

DID HOWARD AND AGNES OF RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA,

GET THIS HISTORIC LOOK AT A CONTINENT COMING OF AGE

FROM INSIDE THIS TRAILER?

SINCE THE STATE'S DMV RECORDS DON'T GO BACK FAR ENOUGH,

MAYBE THE MANUFACTURER CAN HELP.

LET ME GIVE THE AIRSTREAM COMPANY A CALL.

MAYBE THEY GOT BETTER RECORDS THAN THE DMV.

HELLO, I'M TRYING TO LOCATE A COUPLE

WHO MAY HAVE OWNED A SPECIFIC TRAILER.

NO, I DON'T HAVE THEIR LAST -- I JUST HAVE THEIR FIRST NAMES,

BUT I DO HAVE THE V.I.N.

NUMBER.

THAT DOESN'T MATTER.

AIRSTREAM SAYS ALL THEIR RECORDS VANISHED

WHEN THE COMPANY WAS SOLD TO NEW OWNERS IN 1980.

BUT THEY WANT TO KNOW IF I'D NOTICED

A THREE- OR FOUR-DIGIT NUMBER ANYWHERE ON THE EXTERIOR.

WELL, YES, 3684.

REALLY?

WAIT A MINUTE...

SO THE VINTAGE... AIRSTREAM...CLUB.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

WE GOT A LEAD.

THE VINTAGE AIRSTREAM CLUB WAS BEGUN IN THE EARLY 1990s

AND BOASTS A MEMBERSHIP OF DEVOTED COLLECTORS.

SHARI DAVIS IS CLUB PRESIDENT.

SO YOU GOT TWO OF THESE THINGS.

I DO.

THIS ONE'S A 1964 GLOBE TROTTER,

AND THIS ONE IS A 1956 SAFARI.

I'M HOPING YOU CAN HELP ME.

OKAY, LET'S SEE WHAT WE CAN FIGURE OUT.

ALL RIGHT.

WANT TO STEP INSIDE?

NICE!

I'M DOING AN INVESTIGATION OF THIS PARTICULAR TRAILER.

DOES THAT LOOK FAMILIAR TO YOU?

IT'S PROBABLY A LATE '50s/ EARLY '60s TRAILER, AND --

HOW CAN YOU TELL THAT?

YOU CAN TELL THAT BY THE NUMBER OF PANELS,

AND THIS ONE HAS SEVEN, SO THAT PROBABLY PUTS IT

ABOUT '57 TO '62.

ALSO, THERE'S THIS -- RIGHT ABOVE THIS AWNING

IS THIS LITTLE THING HERE THAT READS

"WALLY BYAM CARAVAN CLUB INTERNATIONAL."

RIGHT, AND THAT'S THE SAME CLUB THAT WE HAVE TODAY.

OKAY.

AND IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY, YOU'LL SEE A NUMBER, 3684.

DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THAT'S ALL ABOUT?

SHARI TELLS ME THAT THE WALLY BYAM CARAVAN CLUB

BEGAN IN 1955 IN ORDER TO PROMOTE

YEAR-ROUND CARAVANNING IN AIRSTREAMS.

WHEN PEOPLE JOINED, THEY WERE GIVEN

A UNIQUE MEMBER NUMBER, LIKE THE FADING 3684

ON THE BACK OF DOUG AND SUZY'S AIRSTREAM.

WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO IS CONNECT

HOWARD AND AGNES AND THEIR TRAILER

TO THE AFRICAN CARAVAN.

WELL, THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT WOULD BE

TO LOOK AT SOME OF THE OLDER MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORIES.

EVERY YEAR, THE CLUB PUTS OUT A DIRECTORY.

SHARI'S DIRECTORY PRODUCES AN ODD RESULT.

3684, J.D.

AND SARAH HICKS, THAT'S NOT HOWARD AND AGNES.

NO.

HER DIRECTORY ONLY GOES BACK A FEW YEARS.

SHARI EXPLAINS THE NUMBER 3684

MIGHT HAVE ONCE BELONGED TO HOWARD AND AGNES,

BUT IF THEY HAD LET THEIR MEMBERSHIP LAPSE,

THAT NUMBER WOULD BE REASSIGNED TO SOMEONE ELSE,

SUCH AS THE HICKS.

OKAY, WELL, WHAT DO YOU THINK SHOULD BE MY NEXT STEP?

WELL, THE BEST THING TO DO WOULD BE TO TALK TO SOME PEOPLE

THAT WERE ACTUALLY ON THE CARAVAN.

IT TOOK SOME DIGGING THROUGH HER FILES,

BUT SHARI INTRODUCES ME TO TWO CLUB MEMBERS

WHO TOOK THAT LONG-AGO SAFARI.

TONI RUIZ WAS ONLY 15.

IT WAS THE FIRST TIME SHE'D BEEN OUT OF THE UNITED STATES.

DALE SCHWAMBORN, WALLY BYAM'S SECOND COUSIN,

WAS THE CARAVAN'S ADVANCE SCOUT.

HOW WAS THAT?

OH, YOU CAN'T -- IT'S THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME,

NOT ONLY FROM THE THINGS THAT WE SAW,

LIKE ELEPHANTS AND THE ANIMALS.

THEY WERE RIGHT ON THE VERGE OF THEIR INDEPENDENCE

AND GETTING AWAY FROM THE COLONIAL POWERS.

YOU COULD FEEL THIS MOVEMENT BUILDING UP.

WE WEREN'T JUST THE AVERAGE TOURISTS GOING THROUGH,

WE WERE REPRESENTING OUR NATION.

AS EVERYTHING UNFOLDED AND WE STARTED LEARNING MORE

ABOUT AFRICA, IT BECAME THE BEGINNING OF AN ADVENTURE.

WHAT WAS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE

ON THIS CARAVAN?

I GOT TO MEET HAILE SELASSIE.

HE CAME TO VISIT US ON THE CAMPGROUND,

AND HE INVITED US TO THE PALACE.

HAILE SELASSIE WAS THE LAST EMPEROR OF ETHIOPIA

AND FOUR YEARS LATER WOULD BE A FOUNDING MEMBER

OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AFRICAN UNITY,

WHICH HELPED AFRICAN NATIONS WORK TOGETHER

FOLLOWING INDEPENDENCE.

AND HOW WERE YOU RECEIVED BY THE PEOPLE?

BEAUTIFULLY, BEAUTIFULLY.

THOSE THAT WE MADE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH

INVITED US INTO THEIR HOMES.

MEETING HEADS OF STATE AND ORDINARY PEOPLE

GAVE DALE AND TONI AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES.

THE CARAVAN ALSO GAVE MANY AFRICANS

THEIR FIRST FACE-TO-FACE ENCOUNTER WITH AMERICANS.

NOT ONLY WERE WE A CURIOSITY

BUT WE REPRESENTED SOMETHING

THAT THEY WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO, THEIR INDEPENDENCE.

AND OF COURSE, PEOPLE KNEW ABOUT LINCOLN AND WASHINGTON.

IT MAY HAVE BEEN A GLOW OF HOPE,

ESPECIALLY FOR US TO BE ABLE TO TRAVEL INDEPENDENTLY

THROUGH ALL OF THESE COUNTRIES.

THE CARAVAN LASTED AN ARDUOUS 221 DAYS.

DALE SAYS THE ONLY DANGER THEY ENCOUNTERED

WAS WHEN THEY RECEIVED WORD THAT SOME BANDITS

WANTED TO ATTACK THE CARAVAN

TO STEAL WALLY BYAM'S GOLD-PLATED AIRSTREAM.

HOW MANY PEOPLE WENT ON THE TRIP?

THERE WERE 104 PEOPLE,

RANGED IN AGE FROM 6 YEARS OF AGE TO 84.

DO YOU HAVE A RECORD OF EVERYBODY WHO WENT ON THE TRIP?

YES, WE DO, RIGHT HERE.

HERE'S A ROSTER THAT WAS PREPARED.

OKAY, LET'S SEE IF I CAN FIND OUR PEOPLE.

AGNES...

BUT THE ROSTER DOES NOT INCLUDE ANYONE

WITH FIRST NAMES OF HOWARD AND AGNES

NOR AN ADDRESS IN RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA.

NEVER HEARD OF THEM.

NEVER HEARD OF THEM?

NO.

AND THERE'S NO INDICATION OF THEIR MEMBERSHIP NUMBER 3684

BEING ASSOCIATED WITH THE 1959 CARAVAN EITHER.

BUT IN ONE OF DALE AND TONI'S OTHER DIRECTORIES,

WE MAKE A DISCOVERY THAT I CAN TAKE BACK TO DOUG AND SUZY.

OH, HERE IT IS.

HERE'S OUR TRAILER NUMBER, 3684.

THIS HAS BEEN A FUN INVESTIGATION.

SO, WHAT WAS THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION?

I FOUND OUT THAT YOUR AIRSTREAM

DIDN'T MAKE WALLY BYAM'S CARAVAN

FROM CAPE TOWN TO CAIRO.

OKAY.

OHH!

THAT'S TOO BAD, OKAY.

OH, WELL.

HOWEVER, IT DID HAVE A TREMENDOUS JOURNEY.

HERE'S OUR TRAILER NUMBER, 3684, HOWARD NEWBERN.

HOWARD AND...PEGGY?

HE OBVIOUSLY CHANGED WIVES SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY.

SO THEY DID GO ON A CARAVAN,

BUT IT WAS TO THE YUCATAN IN THE WINTER OF 1971.

I TELL DOUG AND SUZY THAT ALTHOUGH I WASN'T ABLE

TO LOCATE HOWARD AND PEGGY NEWBERN,

THERE'S LITTLE DOUBT THAT THEIR AIRSTREAM

HAD BEEN PART OF A CARAVAN THROUGH ALMOST 4,000 MILES

OF YUCATAN JUNGLE.

IT WAS MORE THAN A DECADE AFTER THE AFRICAN SAFARI,

BUT THE WEAR AND TEAR ON THE VEHICLE

INDICATES THE MEXICAN JOURNEY MAY HAVE BEEN JUST AS ARDUOUS.

IT'S AMAZING TO ME

THAT WE WANTED IT TO BE THE AFRICA CARAVAN

BUT IT DID THE MAYAN RUINS INSTEAD.

AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, IT'S STILL A HISTORIC TRAILER.

YES, AND WE LOVE IT JUST AS MUCH.

YEAH, CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH

FOR FINDING ALL THAT INFORMATION OUT FOR US.

WELL, IT WAS MY PLEASURE.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THAT WAS GREAT, THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

WHEN WALLY BYAM DIED AT THE AGE OF 66 IN 1962,

AMERICA WAS CHANGING FAST.

LEISURELY STOP-AND-GO TOURS OF AMERICA HITCHED TRAILERS

WERE QUICKLY GIVING WAY

TO PRESIDENT EISENHOWER'S NEW INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS.

IN THE YEARS WALLY SPENT TRAVERSING THE GLOBE

DURING THE GOLDEN AGE OF TRAILERING,

HE WAS ALWAYS LOOKING TO IMPROVE HIS BELOVED AIRSTREAM:

DOOR HINGES, CHEMICAL TOILETS, WATER HEATERS,

THOUSANDS OF USEFUL ITEMS WALLY DISCOVERED

WERE PACKED UP AND SHIPPED STATESIDE TO HIS FACTORIES.

IT WAS ALL DONE TO -- AS WALLY SAID --

PROVIDE A MORE SATISFYING, MEANINGFUL WAY OF TRAVEL

THAT OFFERS COMPLETE TRAVEL INDEPENDENCE

WHEREVER AND WHENEVER YOU CHOOSE TO GO OR STAY.

IN OCTOBER OF 1973,

AMERICA'S CAR CULTURE WAS BROUGHT TO A SCREECHING HALT.

OPEC, THE ORGANIZATION FOR PETROLEUM EXPORTING COUNTRIES,

ANNOUNCED AN EMBARGO OF OIL EXPORTS TO THE U.S.

AS PUNISHMENT FOR SUPPORTING ISRAEL

IN THAT MONTH'S ARAB-ISRAELI WAR.

IN JUST A FEW MONTHS, THE PRICE OF OIL QUADRUPLED,

LEAPING FROM ABOUT TWO AND A HALF BUCKS PER BARREL

TO OVER TEN DOLLARS.

PRESIDENT NIXON REDUCED THE SPEED LIMIT

TO 55 MILES PER HOUR

AND CANCELED THE LIGHTING OF THE NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE.

BUT PERHAPS WHAT AMERICANS REMEMBER MOST

ARE THE GASOLINE SHORTAGES AND THE RATIONING.

DRIVERS WAITED IN LINE FOR HOURS

ONLY TO FIND NO GAS LEFT TO BE HAD.

MANY COMPLAINED THAT THE NATION

WAS TOO DEPENDENT ON FOREIGN OIL

AND NEEDED TO FIND ALTERNATE SOURCES OF ENERGY.

MORE THAN 30 YEARS LATER,

ROUGHLY 40% OF U.S. ENERGY STILL COMES FROM OIL

AND ABOUT 60% OF THAT OIL SUPPLY RELIES ON FOREIGN IMPORTS.

EVEN IN TODAY'S DOLLARS,

WE'RE PAYING TWICE AS MUCH AT THE PUMP FOR A GALLON OF GAS

THAN WE WERE IN 1973.

Wes: OUR LAST STORY QUESTIONS

WHETHER THIS PIECE OF SHEET MUSIC

CAME FROM PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S PRIVATE COLLECTION.

[ gunshots ]

ON APRIL 14, 1865,

FIVE DAYS AFTER THE CIVIL WAR ENDED,

ONE FINAL SHOT WAS FIRED...

[ gunshot ]

KILLING ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

AS PRESIDENT, HE WAS DESPISED BY THE SOUTH,

CONSIDERED SOFT BY MANY IN HIS REPUBLICAN PARTY,

AND ACCUSED OF TYRANNY

FOR SUSPENDING CIVIL LIBERTIES DURING THE WAR.

BUT IN DEATH, HE BECAME A SYMBOL OF LIBERTY

AND THE SAVIOR OF THE UNION.

HIS BODY WAS EMBALMED AND HIS COFFIN DIRECTED WEST

ALONG THE RAILS TO SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS.

AS MANY AS 1 MILLION MOURNERS VIEWED THE PROCESSION,

AND THE ENTIRE NATION HUNGERED

FOR A PIECE OF THEIR AMERICAN MARTYR.

MORE THAN A CENTURY LATER,

IN A BOX BOUND FOR AN ESTATE SALE,

KAREN BOWERS OF PORTLAND, OREGON,

MAY HAVE DISCOVERED AN UNUSUAL LINCOLN MEMENTO.

IT GAVE ME PAUSE TO THINK THAT I MIGHT ACTUALLY BE HOLDING

SOMETHING THAT HAD BEEN IN ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S HANDS.

I'M WES COWAN, AND I'VE COME TO MEET KAREN

TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT WHAT SHE'S FOUND.

HI, WES, COME ON IN.

THANK YOU.

WELL, HAVE A SEAT AND WE'LL SEE

IF WE CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT THIS IS.

ALL RIGHTY, GREAT.

WHAT DO YOU HAVE HERE?

WELL, IT'S A BOUND VOLUME OF SHEET MUSIC.

IT'S DATED BACK TO THE 1860s.

IT HAS A COUPLE LITTLE EXTRA THINGS

THAT I THINK YOU'D LIKE TO SEE.

OKAY.

STARTING WITH THE FRONT PAGE BEARING A SIGNATURE...

OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

RIGHT.

WOW, THAT'S PRETTY NEAT.

IN ADDITION TO THAT, THERE'S SOME NOTARIAL ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

THAT COME UP MUCH LATER THAN LINCOLN'S DEATH.

"THIS IS FROM A COLLECTION OF OLD PAPER

"DESTINED FOR DESTRUCTION AT HOUSECLEANING TIME

"AT THE RESIDENCE OF MRS. A. LINCOLN IN 1866

AND WAS RESCUED BY HER COACHMAN, WILLIAM P.

BROWN."

AND THEN IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S SIGNED BY MR. BROWN.

AND THEN IT SAYS, "THIS SIGNATURE IS GENUINE.

FRANK E.

THATCHER."

AND HE SAYS HE'S A NOTARY PUBLIC IN MUSKEGON COUNTY, MICHIGAN,

WITH A COMMISSION EXPIRING IN AUGUST 1933.

AND THEN HERE'S HIS NOTARY SEAL.

THERE'S ANOTHER SIGNATURE BACK HERE

THAT DOESN'T EMPLOY HIS WHOLE NAME,

IT JUST HAS HIS INITIAL.

"A. LINCOLN," OKAY.

BUT THE STATEMENT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SIGNATURE

TELLS A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT STORY.

IN THE FIRST VERSION,

WILLIAM BROWN RESCUED THE SHEET MUSIC,

BUT HERE HE CLAIMS IT WAS GIVEN TO HIM BY MARY LINCOLN,

THE PRESIDENT'S WIDOW.

I'M NOT SURE WHAT TO MAKE OF THIS,

BUT IT'S CERTAINLY A CURIOUS ARTIFACT.

NOW, THIS IS KIND OF NEAT.

WHERE DID YOU GET THIS?

WELL, IT CAME TO ME IN AN ESTATE

THAT WAS PACKED IN THE 1930s IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO,

MOVED TO CALIFORNIA,

ENDED UP IN A BASEMENT IN PORTLAND, OREGON,

AND I HAD THE PLEASURE OF OPENING IT,

UNPACKING IT IN THE 1990s.

IT WAS STORED AWAY FOR 60 YEARS.

WOW, WHAT A STORY!

WELL, NOW, KAREN, WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO FIND OUT?

COULD IT POSSIBLY HAVE BEEN HIS POSSESSION?

AND IF SO, HOW LUCKY AM I TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT?

WELL, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE THIS WITH ME, IF YOU DON'T MIND.

YES.

AND I'M GOING TO FIND OUT THE ANSWER FOR YOU.

THE BINDING OF THIS SHEET MUSIC WAS PROBABLY DONE

AROUND THE TURN OF THE CENTURY.

LOOKING THROUGH THIS, YOU KNOW,

ALL THE SHEET MUSIC IN HERE IS OF THE PERIOD.

THEY ALL HAVE COPYRIGHT DATES

BEFORE LINCOLN WAS ASSASSINATED IN 1865.

I LIKE THE SIGNATURE IN A LOT OF WAYS,

BUT THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT IT THAT GIVES ME PAUSE.

WHY WOULD LINCOLN HAVE SIGNED HIS NAME IN DIFFERENT WAYS?

AND WHY DID THE COACHMAN, WILLIAM BROWN,

GIVE DIFFERENT STORIES ON HOW HE CAME ACROSS THE SHEET MUSIC?

THIS GUY WILLIAM P. BROWN, WHAT KIND OF A STORY IS THAT?

HE'S SIGNING THIS SOMETIME IN THE 1930s,

ALMOST 70 YEARS AFTER LINCOLN'S ASSASSINATION.

WAS HE EVEN ALIVE AT THE TIME?

AND WAS HE REALLY THE LINCOLNS' COACHMAN?

I DO SOME DIGGING AND MAKE A DISCOVERY

IN A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE FROM 1931.

"LINCOLN'S DRIVER IS SERENE AT 93.

"BROWN, NEGRO AND CIVIL WAR VETERAN,

LIVES WITH WIFE IN MICHIGAN."

RAVENNA, MICHIGAN.

THAT'S IN MUSKEGON COUNTY,

WHERE OUR NOTARY WAS COMMISSIONED.

"BROWN IS BELIEVED TO BE THE LAST MAN LIVING

TO HAVE BEEN IN THE EMPLOY OF THE LINCOLN FAMILY."

SO MAYBE BROWN DID GET THE AUTOGRAPH

FROM THE PRESIDENT'S WIDOW.

I'M MEETING MARY LINCOLN'S BIOGRAPHER, JEAN BAKER,

AT THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN MUSEUM IN SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS.

SHE EXPLAINS THAT WHEN LINCOLN ARRIVED IN THE WHITE HOUSE,

HIS PRIMARY OBJECTIVE WAS TO PRESERVE THE UNION.

BUT MARY BECAME A SOMEWHAT SELF-ABSORBED

AND MATERIALISTIC FIRST LADY.

SHE IS GOING TO HAVE ELABORATE, EXPENSIVE PARTIES,

THAT SHE AS A HOST IS GOING TO BE ATTIRED

IN THE VERY BEST FABRICS AND GOWNS IMAGINABLE.

LINCOLN WAS ANGRY ENOUGH

TO ACCUSE HER OF BUYING FLUB-A-DUBS

WHEN THE SOLDIERS OF THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC

DIDN'T EVEN HAVE BLANKETS.

IN THE END, THE ASSASSIN'S BULLET

TURNED MARY'S WORLD UPSIDE DOWN,

LEAVING HER WITH SUBSTANTIAL DEBTS

AND HER BELOVED HUSBAND'S POSSESSIONS.

SHE GOES TO NEW YORK TO TRY TO SELL HER OLD CLOTHES.

BUT THE PROBLEM IS, THEY'RE USED GOWNS,

THEY'RE PERSPIRATION-STAINED,

AND THE NEW YORKERS MAKE GREAT FUN OF HER.

BUT IF MARY WAS IN FINANCIAL TROUBLE,

WHY WOULD SHE HAVE THROWN OR GIVEN AWAY

POTENTIALLY VALUABLE MEMENTOS?

I SHOW JEAN OUR BOOK, AND SHE TELLS ME

HOW MARY DID GIVE SOME LINCOLN MEMORABILIA

TO CLOSE FRIENDS, INCLUDING LINCOLN'S CANE,

WHICH SHE PRESENTED WITH THIS LETTER

TO ARTIST FRANCIS BICKNELL CARPENTER.

"IT IS A VERY PLAIN CANE, YET IT HAS HIS NAME UPON IT

AND WILL BE TREASURED BY YOU AND YOURS."

WELL, ONE THING'S FOR SURE.

IT IS POSSIBLE THAT MARY LINCOLN

COULD HAVE GIVEN HER COACHMAN THE SHEET MUSIC.

THE THING THAT I'M STILL NOT SURE OF, THOUGH,

IS THE SIGNATURE.

ELLEN SCHUETZNER IS A HANDWRITING ANALYST

WHO'S SEEN MANY LINCOLN SIGNATURES,

BOTH FORGED AND REAL.

AND AS I TOLD YOU, THERE YOU GO.

THERE IS A SIGNATURE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

AND THEN THERE'S ANOTHER EXAMPLE HERE, A. LINCOLN.

THOSE SIGNATURES LOOK PRETTY GOOD.

THEY SEEM TO FOLLOW A COPYBOOK STYLE

THAT LINCOLN WOULD HAVE USED.

ELLEN EXPLAINS HOW MOST ADULTS' HANDWRITING

IS POWERFULLY INFLUENCED BY HOW THEY WERE TAUGHT AS CHILDREN,

PARTICULARLY HOW THEY LEARNED TO COPY LETTERS.

THIS IS A SAMPLE -- IT'S CALLED MODIFIED ROUND HAND --

THAT SOMEBODY IN THE 1800s WOULD HAVE USED

TO LEARN HOW TO WRITE.

AND IF YOU'LL LOOK AT THE STYLE OF THE "A,"

YOU'LL FIND THAT IT'S --

IT'S VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL.

ELLEN COMPARES OUR A. LINCOLN AUTOGRAPH

TO SEVERAL AUTHENTIC LINCOLN SIGNATURES.

IT'S IN THE DETAILS THAT WE FIND OUT HOW GOOD IT IS.

BETWEEN THE "A" AND THE "L" IN THE A. LINCOLN SIGNATURES,

YOU'LL SEE A NICE SPACING.

BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE QUESTIONED SIGNATURE,

IT'S A VERY SHORT SPACING.

OH, I REALLY SEE WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.

IN OUR QUESTIONED SIGNATURE,

THE "A" AND THE "L" ALMOST TOUCH.

IT'S TIME TO PUT OUR ABRAHAM LINCOLN SIGNATURE

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE.

TAKE A LOOK ON THE COMPUTER SCREEN.

OH, THAT IS A GREAT TOY.

RIGHT NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT THE LOOP OF THE "A."

YOU'LL SEE THAT THERE'S AN EXTRA PEN STROKE IN THERE

THAT DOESN'T BELONG.

YEAH, SO I SEE THIS DIAGONAL LINE,

AND THERE ARE TWO OF THEM SIDE BY SIDE.

IT'S WHAT WE CALL A PEN LIFT.

USUALLY THEY ARE FOLLOWING A MODEL SIGNATURE,

AND THEY PICK THE PEN UP

TO SEE WHERE EXACTLY THEY ARE ON THE PAGE.

AND THEN THEY PUT THE PEN BACK DOWN WHERE THEY THINK IT GOES,

AND WE HAVE A PEN LIFT.

WELL, WAIT A MINUTE, DON'T MOST PEOPLE DO THAT?

NOT NECESSARILY, AND CERTAINLY NOT USUALLY

IN THE MIDDLE OF A LINE.

ELLEN SHOWS ME ANOTHER SUSPECT PEN STROKE

ABOVE THE SECOND "A" IN ABRAHAM.

IT'S CALLED "PATCHING."

IT'S WHERE A WRITER COMES BACK TO CORRECT THE FIRST LINE

BECAUSE HE OR SHE WASN'T SATISFIED.

SO ELLEN, IN YOUR OPINION,

THE SIGNATURES THAT I HAVE IN MY BOOK, ARE THEY REAL?

THERE IS NO EVIDENCE TO INDICATE

THAT EITHER ONE OF THEM IS GENUINE.

IF IT'S A FAKE, WHO'S DUPING WHOM, AND WHY?

LIBBY?

WES?

HI, NICE TO MEET YOU.

NICE TO MEET YOU.

LET'S GO THIS WAY.

OKAY.

AT THE CHICAGO HISTORY MUSEUM, CURATOR LIBBY MAHONEY EXPLAINS

THAT LINCOLN'S ASSASSINATION

SPURRED A MORBID KIND OF SOUVENIR COLLECTING.

IN FACT, THE DAY AFTER LINCOLN WAS SHOT,

PEOPLE WENT INTO FORD'S THEATER

AND WERE JUST TEARING IT APART FOR SOUVENIRS.

THIS IS A PIECE OF WALLPAPER DOCUMENTED BY THE NOTE ATTACHED

REPORTEDLY FROM THE ACTUAL BOX WHERE LINCOLN WAS SITTING

ON THE NIGHT HE WAS ASSASSINATED.

AND THAT'S GOT A GREAT LETTER THERE DATED IN 1868.

SEVERAL OF THE ITEMS IN THE COLLECTION

HAVE UNCERTAIN PROVENANCE,

LIKE THIS COMB AND BRUSH THAT CAME WITH A TESTIMONIAL

FROM MARY'S DRESSMAKER, ELIZABETH KECKLY.

SHE CLAIMED THAT THESE WERE USED BY ABRAHAM LINCOLN,

BUT THAT DOESN'T REALLY PROVE IT ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.

SO WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO KEEP THESE THINGS, THEN,

IF YOU DON'T KNOW THAT THEY REALLY BELONG TO LINCOLN?

BECAUSE THEY HELP US DOCUMENT NOT ONLY THE LIFE OF LINCOLN

BUT HIS LEGACY, HOW HE'S BEEN REMEMBERED.

LIBBY ALSO EXPLAINS HOW LINCOLN MEMORABILIA

CAME INTO FASHION AGAIN IN THE 1920s AND '30s.

THAT'S THE PERIOD WHEN OUR SIGNATURE WAS NOTARIZED.

D.W. GRIFFITH MADE A FILM ABOUT ABRAHAM LINCOLN,

A BIOGRAPHY THAT WAS AN EPIC FILM

THAT ATTRACTED A LOT OF ATTENTION.

THE LINCOLN TOMB WAS REDEDICATED FOR THE LAST TIME.

AND GENERALLY SPEAKING, THERE WAS A RESURGENCE

OF PUBLIC INTEREST IN AMERICAN HISTORY.

YOU KNOW, I'M GETTING A MUCH BETTER IDEA

OF WHAT WAS GOING ON HERE.

THERE WAS AN INTEREST IN LINCOLN MEMORABILIA,

OUR CON ARTIST SAW AN OPPORTUNITY,

AND HE EXPLOITED THAT OPPORTUNITY.

LIBBY DOESN'T KNOW WHO OUR FORGER WAS.

DID THE COACHMAN AND THE NOTARY PUBLIC

COOK UP A SCHEME TO CASH IN

ON LINCOLN'S POPULARITY IN THE 1930s?

I'M HEADED TO PRINTERS ROW FINE & RARE BOOKS

TO MEET WILLIAM BUTTS,

A DEALER IN HISTORICAL AUTOGRAPHS AND DOCUMENTS

WHO'S SEEN HIS FAIR SHARE OF LINCOLN FORGERIES.

SO, BILL, DO YOU THINK THAT THIS GUY, BROWN,

WHO MIGHT HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN LINCOLN'S COACHMAN,

AND THIS NOTARY, THATCHER,

WERE THEY IN TOGETHER ON THIS FORGERY?

NO, I THINK THEY HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.

THEY WERE BOTH INNOCENT DUPES WHO GOT CAUGHT UP IN

WHAT WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST FORGERY SCANDALS

OF THE 1920s AND '30s.

BILL EXPLAINS HOW LINCOLN'S POPULARITY

IN THE EARLY 20th CENTURY

MADE ANY AUTHENTIC MEMORABILIA VALUABLE.

IT ALSO SPAWNED AN INFAMOUS SCAM RUN BY A CAREER CRIMINAL

AND THE SON OF A NOTABLE MAN OF LETTERS.

WE HAVE SOME EXAMPLES.

LET'S GO TAKE A LOOK.

OKAY.

THESE ARE ALL DIFFERENT FORGERY PRODUCTS BY EUGENE FIELD II,

AND HIS PARTNER IN CRIME, HARRY DAYTON SICKLES.

WAIT A MINUTE, EUGENE FIELD II,

IS THAT THE SON OF THE POET EUGENE FIELD?

THAT'S RIGHT.

HE'S BEST KNOWN FOR "LITTLE BOY BLUE."

WHEN HE DIED IN 1895,

HIS SON, EUGENE FIELD II, STARTED SELLING OFF

HIS FATHER'S VERY FAMOUS AND VERY LARGE LIBRARY

OF FINE BINDINGS, SIGNED COPIES, THINGS LIKE THAT.

BILL SHOWS ME HIS COLLECTION

OF SICKLES AND FIELD PHONY LINCOLN DOCUMENTS,

INCLUDING AN 1830s DICTIONARY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.

WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW THEY MET,

BUT HARRY SICKLES WAS A CAREER FORGER,

AND I THINK IT WAS HIS BRAINCHILD

TO START PUTTING OUT FORGERIES,

STARTING WITH EUGENE FIELD, SR.

IT WASN'T UNTIL 1931, WHEN THE ARTICLE

ON THE FORMER COACHMAN WILLIAM BROWN WAS PUBLISHED,

THAT SICKLES AND FIELD SAW AN OPPORTUNITY.

BILL EXPLAINS THAT THE BROWN SIGNATURE ON OUR DOCUMENT

IS INDEED AUTHENTIC.

WITH INTEREST IN LINCOLN AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH,

THE CROOKS CONVINCED LINCOLN'S FORMER COACHMAN

THAT IT WAS HIS SIGNATURE THAT THEY WERE INTERESTED IN.

SO THEY HAD BROWN SIGN PERHAPS A COUPLE HUNDRED PIECES

AND THEN THEY CONTACTED A NOTARY PUBLIC FROM THE AREA

NAMED FRANK THATCHER.

ALL THATCHER THOUGHT HE WAS DOING WAS TESTIFYING

TO THE ORIGINALITY OF WILLIAM BROWN'S SIGNATURE.

AND THEN THE LINCOLN SIGNATURE GOT ADDED LATER.

NEITHER COACHMAN NOR NOTARY HAD ANY IDEA

THAT THEY WERE PART OF A FRAUD.

BILL SAYS A COUPLE HUNDRED SICKLES AND FIELD LINCOLN FAKES

HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED, BUT THERE'S NO TELLING

JUST HOW MANY VICTIMS THEY CHEATED.

AND DID THEY EVER GET CAUGHT?

WELL, FIELD AND SICKLES NEVER WERE ARRESTED,

NEVER SERVED A DAY IN JAIL.

IN 1931, PAUL ANGLE, A WELL-KNOWN LINCOLN HISTORIAN,

ISSUED THIS TO MEMBERS OF THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN ASSOCIATION.

THIS WARNING WILL CERTAINLY BE OF INTEREST TO KAREN.

FIRST THING I WANT TO TELL YOU IS THAT THESE LINCOLN SIGNATURES

ARE TOTAL FORGERIES.

WELL, THAT COULD HAPPEN.

YEP, AND IN FACT, THE FORGERIES ARE ONLY A SMALL PART

OF A MUCH BIGGER STORY.

I TELL KAREN ABOUT SICKLES AND FIELD

AND THEIR LUCRATIVE FORGERY SCHEME.

THEY WERE FINALLY EXPOSED BY THE LINCOLN ASSOCIATION.

WELL, IN 1931, THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN ASSOCIATION

ISSUED THIS WARNING TO ITS MEMBERS.

IT READS: "WARNING.

"THE OFFICERS OF THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN ASSOCIATION

"HAVE JUST LEARNED THAT SEVERAL MEMBERS OF THE ASSOCIATION

"HAVE BEEN SOLICITED TO PURCHASE SO-CALLED LINCOLN AUTOGRAPHS

WHICH PURPORT TO COME FROM ONE BROWN."

"THIS MATERIAL CONSISTS ALMOST ENTIRELY OF SHEET MUSIC,

"OLD MAPS, RARE BOOKS, USUALLY AUTOGRAPHED A. LINCOLN.

"MEMBERS WHO MAY BE OFFERED ITEMS FROM THIS COLLECTION

"WOULD DO WELL TO EXERCISE MORE THAN OUR ORDINARY PRECAUTION

BEFORE PURCHASING."

THIS SHEET MUSIC IS PART OF ONE OF THE GREAT FORGERY STORIES

SURROUNDING ABRAHAM LINCOLN OF THE 20th CENTURY.

OKAY, WELL, WE KNOW THE ANSWER TO OUR MYSTERY, DON'T WE?

NOW, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THIS?

I THINK I'LL JUST KEEP IT, HANG IT UP HERE ON THE WALL,

AND IT'LL REMIND US OF OUR WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE

WITH YOU, WES.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

THANK YOU.

SO YOU THINK YOU'VE FOUND

AN AUTHENTIC HISTORICAL DOCUMENT?

HERE ARE SOME TIPS ON MAKING SURE IT'S THE REAL THING.

CHECK ARCHIVES, LIBRARIES, OR ONLINE

FOR PENMANSHIP BY THE SAME PERSON.

PERSONAL MARKS, LIKE THE WAY SOMEONE DOTS THEIR I'S

OR CROSSES THEIR T'S, AND THE SHAPES OF LOOPS

ARE A KEY TO AUTHENTICATING HANDWRITING.

YOU SHOULD ALSO LOOK FOR DISCREPANCIES

OF THE VERTICAL POSITIONING OF THE LETTERS,

THE SPACE BETWEEN THE LINES,

AND THE SLANT OF THE WRITING.

HESITATIONS, OR INDICATIONS THAT THE PEN WAS PICKED UP

AND PUT DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SIGNATURE,

COULD BE SIGNS THAT IT WAS TRACED.

EXAMINING THE DOCUMENT UNDER A MICROSCOPE

CAN EXPOSE VARIATIONS IN THE INK

THAT WOULD SUGGEST IT'S A FORGERY.

INFRARED LIGHT CAN ALSO REVEAL

IF MORE THAN ONE KIND OF INK IS PRESENT.

IF YOU'RE STILL UNSURE IF YOU HAVE AN AUTHENTIC PIECE,

SEEK THE ADVICE OF A FORENSIC DOCUMENT EXAMINER

WHO CAN HELP YOU ANALYZE YOUR TEXT.

AND IF YOU THINK YOU'VE FOUND SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY,

LET US KNOW AT HISTORY DETECTIVES

ON THE WEB AT pbs.org.

Elvis Costello: ♫WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♫

♫IT'S JUST LIKE WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♫

♫WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♫

♫WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♫