THE D ETRO IT J EWIS H NE WS
Haunted America
82
devoted to the history of Southern Jewry.
As you leave North Carolina and
head even further south to Meridi-
an, Miss., you may be lucky enough
to catch up with Sarah Bernhardt.
The ghost of the famed actress,
born Rosine Bernard in 1844 and
considered one of France's greatest
thespians, may be haunting Merid-
ian's Grand
Opera House.
Bernhardt
was one of many
prominent ac-
tresses to appear
UPI/BETTMANN
pranks," author Dennis Hauck writes. Those pranks
turned to murder after Aaron began seeing Elizabeth.
Another miner, also in love with the beautiful Eliz-
abeth, "lured Klein to the Randolph Mine and pushed
him down the 850-foot shaft."
No body was ever found, but Klein's ghost has been
reported — most often as a shimmering light — ever
since.
One of the first to see it was Stan Cukla, the mur-
derer. He "seemed to be very bothere d by unexplained
light and could be seen late at night
picking through the rubble at the (Right)
office of the
bottom of the pit," Mr. Hauck The
Gold Hill Copper
Co. In Gold Hill,
writes.
N.C. The ghost of
`Then one morning, Cukla's life- Aaron
Klein makes
less body, smashed almost beyond frequent
appearances in this
recognition, was found at the bottom small
town.
of the shaft."
Vivian Hopkins, on the board of (Below)
Ghost hunters
the Historic Gold Hill & Mines Foun- Lorraine and Ed
All's well
dation, says that Klein's ghost may Warren:
that ends well — in
still be making an appearance. Vis- a Jewish cemetery.
itors continue to report strange
sights around the mine where he
died.
Elizabeth Moyle, who never
married, is buried at the Gold
Hill cemetery. Her family con-
tinues to reside in the area,
where they own Moyle's Dairy
Farm.
Another North Carolina ap-
parition, which author Dennis
Hauck describes as a mysterious
woman "in a long, black, pleat-
ed skirt wearing a white blouse
and a black tie," has been seen
at Mordecai Manor, built in 1785
in Raleigh.
The home was named for
Moses Mordecai, a Jew whose
ancestors came from Germany
and son-in-law of the original
owner, Joel Lane. Mordecai was
first married to Lane's daughter,
Margaret, and after her death,
to Margaret's sister, Anne.
Originally, the home was built
outside the city limits; today, it
sits one mile from downtown
Raleigh.
Although Mordecai's descen-
dants — many of whom still re-
side in the Raleigh area — are
Christians (Mordecai's wife was
a gentile), his former home con-
tinues to be of special interest to
Jewish visitors. In October, the
Southern Jewish Historical So-
ciety will hold a tour of the
manor as part of a weekend
(Left)
Benjamin Siegel:
Making his
presence known in
Hollywood.
(Above)
The Moses
Mordecai House,
home to an
unknown ghost.
on the stage of the
Grand Opera House;
others include Norma
Shearer, Marion
Davies and Helen
Hayes.
Built in the late 19th century, the opera house —
together with an adjacent six-story mercantile build-
ing — was commissioned by Meridian businessmen
I. Marks and his half-brothers Levi, Sam and Marx
Rothenberg.
(The Marks-Rothenberg families were known both
for their business acumen and philanthropy; among
their contributions to the city is a Dentzel Carousel,
constructed in 1892. The only operat-
ing Dentzel Carousel of its kind, it fea-
tures 29 hand-carved animals and 64
original paintings by artist Gustav
Dentzel.)
The Opera House, which cost $20,000
to build, opened Dec. 17, 1890, with a
performance of Johann Strauss' The
Gypsy Baron." The best seat in the
house cost $1.
The facility today looks virtually as
it did when constructed (only the wall-
paper has been changed), says Opera House Director
Elliott Street. It has a contoured ceiling with cherubs,
a gas-light fixture and a hand-painted curtain.
Mr. Street said he has heard rumors of a ghost —
reported in Dennis Hauck's Haunted Places as a fe-
male "presence that can sometimes be heard singing
on the stage" — but he has never seen it.
Notable In
The Northeiasi
0
ne of the most oft-reported ghosts —
whose spirit has been seen literally
from coast to coast — belongs to the
son of a rabbi. Eric Weisz, better known