El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-01-11

BerSOn Also FOunO IaDIeCs VI
Stone In Mexico Covered With
Egyptian HierOglyphics and Prove
To Be OF Great Scientific Value
He Is An Enthusiast.
The discovery of the ancient Aztec
Ell Paso, as announced exclusively
in the HERALD yesterday, has
excited no little comment among c1t1-
zens, few of whom had the most re-
mote idea that the ancient ruins were
concealed anywhere in this vicinity.
It has long been known that relics
of an extinct and once powerful race
were scattered all over this portion OF
the continent and that many remnants
of.apcient cities had long since been
covered aud hidden from view by the
shifting sands, but no one had even
surmised that Ell Psso OF the present
day and generation occupied the site OF
one of these.
Yesterday afternoon HERALD re-
porter called on DR.. Leo Berson the
eminent archeologist, who, after q
search of more than q year, has discov-
cred what he believes to be the lost
Aztec temple and the village surround
ing it.
THE,ARCHEOLOGIST.
CDR Berson.is a man of fifty or there
about. He is scientist OF the first
water and grows enthusiastic when
talking about the ancients and the
ruins that tell of extinct races. He is
an Englishman by birth and WAS
educated first at Oxford. then at the
University of Heidelberg and at Peris.
He went to Mexico thirteen years
ago and had for years been professor
81 hn
City of Mexico.
He is thoroughly versed in the dead
languages and has made close and
thorough search of the prehistoric
races of the earth. He has been three
times to Egypt and the Holy Land and
during his sojourn of more than
dozen years in Mexico has given al
most his entire attention to careful re-
searches into many ineffaceable mOnu-
ments Oleft there by races who
inhabited that land in prehistoric
times.
THE GOD PAXIL.
Some years ago during his ipvestigs-
tiOns of the ruins of SiualOa, Doctor
Berson discovered several tablets of
stone. covered withshierogiyphics. He
was able to decipher these and found
that they were of Egyptian origin and
were inscribed during the twenty-sev-
enth dynasty of Hyksos, about 1900
years before Christ. These tablets
were taken to the City of Mexico where
they are now preserved by the govern
mept.
Seven years ago the scientist found
in SinalOs concealed in a niche on the
bank of a river an immense stone Az
tee idol, weighing many, tons, which is
known as the God Paxil.'' The idol
had long been sought and had evident
ly been concealed when it's wCrshipers
took refuge in the Businesses of the
mountains to escape the sword and tor
ture chamber of their merciless Chris
tian copquerOrs.
DIR. Berson discovered the hiding
place of the idol by means of the
records craven on stone which the
people had left behind them.
He has the same authority for the
belief that at this point once stood an
Aztec temple surrounded by village.
He left Mexico year ago and has
been exploring the bank of the Rio
Grande in Mexico for many months.
Recently he became convinced that he
was looking for the buried ruins on
the wrong side of the river and con-
cluded to search on the American shore.
He made several excavations on both
sides OF the river near Anthony before
deciding that Ell Paso was the ancient
site of the temple.
During his absence from his post at
the university, DR.. Berson continues
to draw his salary and the Mexican
government defrays portion of the
expense for carrying on the work.
THE ANCIENT TRIBES.
1.-THE ancient tribes once inhabiting
this portion of the country" said DR..
Berson to reporter, ''were divided
into three classes, priests, shepherds,
. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, s,,,,,,a,