A Secret in El Paso

[Hal Croves]

The talk must have proven successful because it was repeated on May 21st, 1887.

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82014381/1887-05-28/ed-1/seq-7/#date1=1836&sort=date&rows=20&words=Berson+Dr&searchType=basic&sequence=0&index=17&state=&date2=1922&proxtext=Dr.+Berson+&y=-221&x=-905&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=

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[Hal Croves]

Still lecturing in June.

 

[Hal Croves]

This article dated August 21, 1887 exposed Berson's as a dangerous individual. What is confusing are the accusations against him which are vague.

The Kingdom of Heaven: A man with a bad record proclaims its proximity.

St. Paul daily globe. (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, August 21, 1887, Page 13, Image 14 « Chronicling America « Library of Congress

 

[Hal Croves]

A month later Cooper, the owner of the home where Berson was living, files for divorce. Read post#23 to understand Berson's relationship to Cooper.

 

[Hal Croves]

October 8, 1887. Berson begins a campaign to clear his name of the accusations.

 

[Hal Croves]

Here Berson is unsuccessful in his attempt to sue the editors who wrote and published the charges against him. October 10, 1887.

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[Hal Croves]

And here, I believe is the reason Berson decides to leave California.

 

[Hal Croves]

This appears to be when Berson left for Mexico where, he would eventually find work with President Diaz. However, Mexico was not the only place where Berson lived. Those interested in the Peralta Stones may want to pay attention here as Berson was, at one time, a resident of Phoenix. Because of this and Berson's background in treasure hunting, languages, and history, I suggest that his name be added to the list of potential suspects. Did you read potential?

Here are several records of Berson's time in Phoenix.

 

[Hal Croves]

Berson was also in Tombstone and remarkably Tucson in 1896. I would suggest that Berson be look at carefully for any possible connection to the Tucson Artifacts. There seems to be parallels in Berson's background and the translation of the inscriptions found on the artifacts.

 

[Hal Croves]

There is still quite a bit to learn about Berson's time in Arizona and Mexico and I am still digging. I am going to jump ahead now to the time of Berson's discovery.

News of the Aztec Temple in El Paso was wide spread and many locals witnessed the excavations.

 

[Hal Croves]

There are several additional articles that give clues to the location of Berson's Aztec Temple. Unfortunately, the site is now a well developed El Paso neighborhood and, because of that, I am going to hold back on publishing what I believe to be the location. I should point out here that the owner of this track of land, at the time of the discovery, was planning its subdivision and development. This may be why the discovery was downplayed. An archeological find so important would have, should have halted development.

That never happened. Today, there are homes everywhere.

What does this mean? Well, it could be that development was simply more profitable than any possibility of treasure that might take years and a small fortune to uncover. If this is the case, then someone in El Paso is living above one of the most important discoveries in our time.

Think about the implications of this article if true. If Berson did find the foundation of a lost ruin, engraved with symbols of the swastika, he most likely did find a temple as the swastika is, in this sense, the symbol of "god house".

It also open the door to the possibility of very early contact between native peoples of the Americas and those living in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. There is more than enough written on the subject (both historical and fictitious) to study.

 

[Hal Croves]

The other side of this is the fact that Berson was an unscrupulous man with a past known to few in the United States. As I wrote earlier, Leonard Berson was not Leonard Berson. With that said, no one reading this should believe anything published about the discovery, nor should they take the map that I will share here too seriously until they read about the real Leonard Berson. With the picture complete, one can weigh Berson's character against the story of the Aztec Temple.

I am undecided at the moment. It's a perfectly plausibly story tainted by one fascinating individual with a criminal past.

Alright, here the site is fenced off. About this same time the papers report a deal between Berson and the landowner. Berson is to receive all the ancient records once discovered and any treasure found is to go to the landowner; a prominent Freemason who, by chance, knew President Diaz personally.

 

[Hal Croves]

The story goes cold for several years. Here, Berson has relocated to Washington DC to run an international school (no name given) Berson is married and has a child.

 

[Hal Croves]

And here, may be, the final resting place of Berson.

Update: This is now positively NOT the same Berson.

 

[Hal Croves]

There is more.

I am finishing up a map of the location(s) along with a few words about Berson's time before arriving in the United States. His story is simply unbelievable, adventure packed, and should be known to all those looking for treasure and again, especially to those interested in the Tucson Artifacts.

At this point I will only private message copies of the map for obvious reasons. I will also show the location of what should be a massive tunnel running from the temple site to the Franklin Mountains.

Berson also has family, something researchers need to keep in mind.

Did Berson redeem himself in his discovery of a lost Aztec Temple, or was the entire story a fabrication and a brilliant slight of hand; something that Berson excelled at.

Did the land owner intentionally cover-over and develop on top of an important Aztec Temple?


Either this was all just a publicity stunt and profit scheme directed by Berson or El Paso was once a beautiful Aztec city dotted with polished temples and surrounded by vast fields under cultivation.

I am looking for proof of a catastrophic flood which might explain (in part) the great Aztec migration south into Mexico. The idea being that extreme weather patterns, flooding, drought, initiated the migration to a more stable environment.

 

[Hal Croves]

So, who was Leonard Berson?


I can tell you that "Leonard" is actually Reuben.
Reuben Allunder Berson.


Reuben apparently did attend Oxford university which I find surprising. In 1870, at the age of 30(ish), Reuben is found working as an assistant professor at the prestigious Royal School in Armagh, Ireland.


In 1871, Ruben married into the Kidd family. It seems that the marriage was a turbulent one and that Berson was prone to violence. (Berson used a pistol to intimidate his wife). While still married, Berson traveled to England where apparently he went on a wife gathering expedition. It seems that money was the motivation and that many women (35-40) were duped out of both their honor and their money.


Berson's last victim was the daughter of a well known Navel officer. Unfortunately, Berson was exposed as a fraud by a suspicious General/friend who, in turn, had him arrested. The Rev. Reuben Allunder Berson was charged with bigamy and witness tampering. He was found guilty on both charges and in 1873, sentenced to seven (5 -7?) years in a British penal colony (perhaps Austrailia?).


Read this:

 

[Hal Croves]

More about the trial.

 

[Hal Croves]

The actual transcript from Berson's trial.

 

[Hal Croves]

What do you think?

A manipulative Oxford educated scoundrel posing as an archeologist, charming his way into the lives of those with means? It's obvious that Berson was not a reformed man at the time of his arrived in California. This is why the Aztec Temple story must be approached with care. In the land of second chances, was Berson actually able to reform himself?

Berson's son (Leo E. Berson) went on to become an attorney in the White Plains, New York area. He passed away in 1991. I wonder if he knew of his fathers life before coming to America or of the trail of controversy stretching from California to Texas.

And what about the Aztec Temple of records that sits buried beneath El Paso?
Armed with the location of Berson's discovery, anyone with access to GPR could easily scan the area for sub-surface anomalies.

I hope that a great vault of records is eventually found and that a new chapter of history is learned.


The reported Aztec Temple location can be seen in this photograph. Less than a mile from the red dot.

 

[Hal Croves]

So, where is Berson's "lost" Aztec Temple?

I will show some things now that are important clues as to the location. Remember that the area had yet to be developed when Berson was digging. By 1907-1910, the track of land was ready for subdivision and development.

While he claimed conversion, I think that Berson was and always remained a Jew.