Hillsdale Whig standard. (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1846-1851, 1851-07-08
The Mormon Imposture.

II
count of the origin OF Mormonism, delr.
sion, the extraordinary progress OF which i,
one Of the most remarka Bile and lamentabIe
facts Of the present time.
Extracts from TURNER'S forthcoming History of the
Phelps Gorham Purchase"
AS we are now at the home Of the Smith
family-in sight Of the "Mormon Hil"-s
brief pioneer history WILDE looked for, Of he
strange. and singulary successful religious
sect-,he Mormons; and briefit must be,
merely starting IL 10 its career, and leaving TO
their special historian TO trace them TO Kirt-
land, Nauvoo, Beaver Island, and Utah, OF
the Salt Lake.
Joseph Smith. the father OF the prophet
Joseph Smith, Jr., was from the Menimsck
river, N. II. He first settled in or near Pal
myra village, but as early as 1919 was the oc-
cupant Of some new land on stafford street,
in the town Of Manchester, near the line of
Palmyra mormon Hl'' is near the plank
road about halt way between the villages Of
Palmyra and Manchester. The elder Smith
had been Universalist, and subsequently a
Methodist; was good deal Of a smalierer 10
scriptural knowledge, but the seed Of revela-
ton was sown on weak ground; he was great
| bsbbler, credulops, not especially industrious,
a money digger prone TO the marvellous; and
wiihal, a little given To difficulties with his
neighbors, and petty lawsuits Not very
proptious account of the father Of Prophet,
the founder of a State; but there was
''woman in the CASE" How ever present. in
matters of good or evil! In the garden OF E.
den, 10 the siege ofTroy on the field OF Or
| eanst in the dawning Of the Reformation 10
the Palace OF St. Petersburgh. and Kremlin
Of Moscow, in Eogland's history, and Span's
proudest era; aud here upon this continent,
in the persons Of Ann Lee, Jdmima Wilkin-
son, and as we are aJout TO add. Mrs. Joseph
Smith 4 mothers influences in the worlds
history, in the history Of men, how distinct is
! the inpress!-In heroes, in statesmen, in po-
cts, in all of good or bad aspirations or dis
| tinctions, that single men out from the mass,
and give them noiorety; how often, almost in
variably. are we led back to the Influences of
mother, TO find the germ that has sptouted
in the offspring.
The reader will excuse this interruption Of
narrative, and be told that Mrs. Smith was
woman Of strong uncullvated intellect: artful
and cunning; imbued with an lily regulated
religious enthusiasm. The incipient hints.
the first givings out that a Ptophet was to
spring from her humble household. came
from her; aud when matters were maturing
for announcement, she gave out ihat such
and such ones-always fixing upon those
who had both money aud credulity--weie 20
be the instruments in some great work Of
new revelation. The old man was rather her
co-worker, or executive exponent Their
son Alyah. was originally intended or desig
mated. by fire consultations, and solemn and
mysterious out door hints, as the forthcoming
was as he chosen one but Alvah. ho~eIssTf isIpiF.
itua he may have been. had c'rnal appe-
tite, eat too many green turEips, sckened
and died Thus the world lost il Prophet,
and Mormonism a leader; the designs impi-
ouslv and wickedly attributed To Providence
defeated; and all in consequence Of a suriett
of raw turnips. Who will talk of the cack
ling geese of Rome, or any other small and
innocent causes Of mighty events, after thisl
The mantle Of the Prophet which Mrs. aud
Mr.. Joseph Smith and one Oliver Cowerdy,
had wove Of emselves-every thread Of it
fell upon their next Oldest son, Joseph Smith
Jr.
And a most unpromising recipient such
a trust, was this same Joseph Smith Jr., al
terwsrds $50 Smith" He was loungLg,
/ idle. (uot yicious) and possessed OF less than
ordinary Intellect. The authors own recol
! ections Of him are distinct ones He used
to come into tie village OF Palmyra with lit
| tie iags of wood, from his bsckwoOds home;
sometimes palronizing a village grocery too
! freely, sometimes fading an odd job TO do a.
! bout the store Of Seymour Scovell; aud once
a week he would strooll into the office Of the
the old Palmyra Register, for his fathers pa
per. How impious, IN us young "dare DeU-
! list TO once and awhile blacken the face of
the then meddlng iuquisitive lounger-but
] 4 d. III tl,a old (.alN naA
! ball, when he used TO put himself 10 the way
OF the working of the old fashioned Ramage
press. The editor Of the Cultiyator at Alba
ny-esteemed as he may Justly consider him
! self for his subsequent enterprise and use
! fulness, may think of it. with conlrIIiOn and
repentance; that he once helped, lhus to dis
figure the face of Prophet, aud remotely
the rounder OF State.
But joseph had a little ambition, ana some
very laudabe aspirations; the mothers intel
! lsci occasionally shone out 10 him leebly, es-
pecially when he used 10 help us TO solve some
portentous questions Of moral or political
ethics, in our Juvenile debating club, which
we moved down TO the old red school house
on Durfee street, TO get rid Of the annoyance
Of critics that used to drop in upon us in the
village; and subsequently, after catching a
spark Of Meihodism in the camp meeting, a.
way down in the woods. on the Vienna road,
he was very passable exhouer IN evening
meetings.
Legends Of hidden treasure, had long de-
signated Mormon Hill as the depository. Old
Joseph had dug there, and young Joseph had
not only heard his father and mother relate
the marvellous tales Of buried wealth, but bad
accompanied his father in the midnight del
wings. and incantations OF the spirits that gu
arded IL.
If buried revelation was TO b. exhumed,
haw natural was it that the Smith family,
with their credulity, and their assumed pre-
sentiment that a Prophet was to come from
their household. should be connected with
! il; and that Mormon Hill was the place where
| it would be found.
II is believed by those who were best &C
quaiu,ed with the Smith family, and most
conversant with all the Gold Bible move
ments that there is no foundation for the
statement that their original manuscript was
written by Mr. Spauldiug, Of Ohio. Asup-