The herald., 1896-02-29
OLD RELICS UNEARTHED
Corner Stone Of the Jewish Synagogue
Removed and Opened
Newspapers, Documents and Coins Thst Have
Lain Undisturbed for q Quarter
Of Century

From their secure resting place, where
for the past quarter of a century they have
reposed peacefully, we're yesterday ex-
humed number of interesting relics of
bygone days. Daily newspapers of date
twenty-five years agone, and antiquated
coins were brought to light, and many are
the interesting stories they tell of the times
when Los Angeles was in its infancy and
the present metropolis, with it's massive
business blocks and buildings, it's palatial
residences and all that goes to make up a
modern city. was but dream.
Some time since the old Jewish syna-
gogue on Broadway was sold and the con-
gregation 9'nai Birth decided to erect a
new and modern structure, in keeping
with the growth of the society and the
wealth and social standing of its men,
bers. A site was selected at the corner of
Ninth and Hope streets, and there on Sum
day, March 10, will be laid the cornerstone
of the new ediflce, with all the impressive
ceremonies of the Jewish rites.
Yesterday the cornerstone of the old syn
agogue was disembedded from its place
and the contents exposed for the first time
uments had not been placed in a metallic
casket. as is now the custom, but hole
eight inches square and six inches
deep had been followed out in
the stone. the contents placed within
and slab cemented over them. Upon
top of this marble slab another heavy
stone was placed. When opened the hand
of time was found to have been laid heav-
lily on the perishable matter. Many of the
papers had been attacked by the dry rot
and were illeRible. The string co1fining
them into bundle was black and fell
apart at touch. In contrast to this was
the appearance of the coins, some of them
being as bright and new as the day they
were struck at the mint.
The papers found embraced copies of
the Los Angeles Daily and Weekly Star, at
that time, August II, 1872, edited by Mai.
Ben Truman. the Los Angeles Daily News,
Evening Express, the Prescott Weekly
Miner, Daily Alta-Californian and Havilah
Miner. Of society and fraternal organs
there were: Hebrew Leader of New York !:
Hebrew Observer, San Francisco; Jewish
Messenger, New York; Revue Israelite, in
French, published in Paris: Hatsofe, New
York; L'Univers Israelite, Paris: The New
Age. an Odd Fellows journal, and the
Masonic Mirror. San Francisco. There
great Hebrew philan,hropist, which had
been deposited in the stone by Joseph New
mark, father-in-law of H. Newmark, and
who has been dead the past decade. The
constitution and bylaws of B'nai Birth.
adopted July IS. 1862; constitution of
Most Worshipful grand lodge, A. |. U. X.
S. B. Of the Pacific coast, adopted in 1865,
and several documents that were entirely
illeQible were also found.
With the papers we're also the following
coins: An 1917 copper cent, half ding
(silver) 1872, half dollar 1858, quarter
1868, cent piece 1871, Mexican Maximil-
ian peso of 1866, Mexican ''dobe" dollar OF
1867, Spanish piece, four reales, 1921 and
German pfennig of 1867. All of the
articles that are in state of preservation
to slow of it will be placed in the casket
of the temple, together with modern docu-
ments and coins.
Ioin 0f A