EXHIBIT IV
Beth-Sarim also had a nearby "cousin" house and goat farm, known as "Beth-Shan." This property covered about 75 acres and was purchased in 1939. It also was deeded to the "princes." This time, however, World War II and fear of the Japanese bombers drove Rutherford to build a large bomb shelter on this land, complete with a 3-foot thick concrete ceiling. It had a secret trap-door entrance through a bathroom medicine cabinet, which was built behind the goat pen. A stairway led down to a room 30' long, 15' wide and 10' high. The walls were lined with shelves for storing food and water and supplies to keep them self-sustained in event of a bombing. After all, the "princes" might need to hide from the Japanese bombers as well. Perhaps you didn't know that San Diego was a dangerous place to live in 1939.
Beth-Shan was the subject of speculation that Rutherford might have been buried in a crypt on the property. He had requested to be buried at Beth-Sarim in the backyard area, but the City of San Diego refused him this luxury. The official story is that his body was shipped back to New York, but some (including the late WT president Fred Franz) say his body was secretly entombed at Beth-Shan. There is a whole book written on Beth-Sarim and Beth-Shan with the pictures and deeds, available here, called "Jehovah's Witnesses: Their Monuments to False Prophecy," by Edmond Gruss. (c. 1997)
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| Current entrance to the obscure tomb at Beth-Shan. On right, inside of empty tomb. | |
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