The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-17
OLD CORNERSTONE
 FINALLY REACHED
Interesting Relics Brought to
 Light in Atlanta
WAS ERECTED IN 1854
Georgia Bar Association "lll Hold Annual Convention at Warm Springs July 4, and 6-Pen-
 slons Will Be Paid Today.

Atlanta, January 16.-(Specia1.)-In de- molishing the old Atlanta Medical college building, erected in 1854 for the purpose of making way for a new $75,00O college building, the old cornerstone was reached today and a number of interesting articles brought to light.
 The stone was sealed in 1854 with sew eral pounds of melted lead and was thought to be perfectly air tight, It was discovered, however. that this was not the case number of articles had de- cayed and the newspapers which had been placed there crumb1ed to dust at the slightest touch.
 In addition to the papers, the receptacle contained two Testaments, several coins, some surgical instruments and bone whistle. which was in perfect condition.
 Dr. l.. H. Jones, treasurer of the col- lege, took out the whistle and blew 1t, re- marking:
 That's the first time that whistle has made a noise in fifty-two years"
 The ceremony of opening the corner stone was witnessed by several officials of the college number of students and some workmen. The old relic was open ed by W. c. Pease, the house mover who is supervising the tearing away Of the building. The acceptable was so securely sealed that considerable effort was re- qured to break it open
 The tearing away of the old college building will mark the passing of one of Atlanta,s most celebrated and historic landmarks.
 Passing of Old Landmark. The building was one of the first erect ed in Atlanta, being built in 1854, when the present metropolis was husthng town of only a few thousand population. It was a two-story structure built or brick, and MT. Pease stated this morning that it was substantial and finely con structed.
 Erected prior to the civil war, the build ing played an important part in the bloody struggles of that conflict in and
 about this city. 1t was erected as
 medical college home and served that purpose until the war, when it was con verted into a Confederate hospital. Tn Sherman's disastrous visit to Atlanta the
 hospital escaped destruction Standing on an elevation and with the surround ing houses laid in ashes It could pc plainly seen however, and during the fighting about the city 1t was made target for shells. Many of these agents of destruction burst in It's vicinity, put the staunch old building valiantly with stood the onslaught.
 At the conclusion of hostiities the building was again brought into service as a medical college.
 Georgia Bar Association.
 At a meeting of the executive commit tee of the Georgia Bar association, held in the state library today, it was decided to hold the annual convention of the as sociation this year at Warm Springs, as has been the custom for several years mast with the single exception of the year it went to Tallulah Falls. and the dates of the meeting were fixed as July 4, D and 6.
 This was practically the only definite action taken by the committee, though the programme was discussed at some length It will take another meeting however, to conclude the programme ar rangements, The association almost al ways has some prominent legal light from outside the state to deliver tho ad- dress of the occasion. but 1t has not yet heea decided who will be invited for this purpose this year.
 Those present at the meeting were Hon. S. P. Gilbert of Columbus, chairman; <I. thur G. Powell of Blakely, Hon. T. A. Hammond of Atlanta, and Hon. Orville A. Park of Macon, secretary. The com mittee will hold another meeting in the l spring for the purpose of completing ar rangements for the 1908 convention. Payment of Pensions.
 The annual payment of pensions to 1 the Confederate veterans and widows of l Georgia will begin tomorrow, and Pension
 Commissioner John w. Lindsey will, be- 1 tween January IT and February 21, pay l out to all classes of pensioners in the
 state a total of s900,0o0
 Despite the increase in the pension | appropriation by the last legislature. 1t l is estimated that there will still be a l deficit this year of about S20,000 If the i death rate among the pensioners has
 been larger than usual. this deficit will be l cut down somewhat hut In any event 1 it will be considerably smaller than was | the deficit of last year which was made
 good by the legislature at Its last ses- 1 sion.
 l Commissioner Lindsey will begin tomor- | row with the pensioners of Fulton coun- | ty. On Wednesday he will pay the 533 in- digent pensioners of Fulton; on Thursday l the 194 disabled soldiers and on Friday l the 354 widows. making total of 10Sl l to be paid in this county alone. 1 Monday, January %, the pension com
 missioner will pay the pensioners of Cobb, 1 Clayton and DeKalb counties, number l ing for the three counties, 642. Gwinnett l Henry and Milton with a total of ofo pen | sioners, will be paid on January 2S Then l the various other counties will be paid 1 in regular order, in accordance with a 1 schedule of date made out by the pen | ston con,n,tssioner and of which due mo-