Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1857-08-08
Origin of MOrmOnism In America-Ii
tereSting History,

The founder of Mormon faith Joe Smith
was for many years previous to the adven
of Mormonism, resident of the village o
Palmyra, Wayne county, in New York
Common fame. represents him to hav'
been loose, thriftless fellow, leading vag
abondish life The golden plates, from til,
hieroglyphics inscribed On which, Joe pre-
tended to translate, by inscription, the Nor
mon Bible, were found by him (accordine
to his veracious .story,) imbedded near the
summit of a high hill in the town of Man.
chester, Ontario county, on the road leading
from Palmyra to Canandaigua. Though sa.
cred ground, the hill to this day produces
from its loamy soil very excellent crops,
while the veritable hole whence Joe took the
plate on a certain night in 1923 or 20, re-
mains still-a hole. The edible" was sub
sequently printed at Palmyra, the cost Of
publication falling upon farmer and a mar
of means residing in the vicinity, who had
been thoroughly deluded by Smiths preten.
sions, and who became security to the prin-
ter. He was pecuniarily ruined, but his
faith in Joe remained mistaken, and he fol-
lowed him to the West.
About this time there was character at
Canandaigua, half lawyer and half printer,
named Waterman Phelps, who was publish
ing an Anti Mason paper called the Onta-
rio Phoenix. Whether he was honestly de-
luded, or had Speculation in his eye,' GER
tain it is wat Phelps embraced the faith,
followed Smith and his party to Illinois, and
became prominent leader among them
| He is now the Mormon Judge Phelps OF
whom we read in the accounts from Utah.
Both Brigham Young and Heber C. Kim
ball are New Workers. Brigham lived near
the line dividing Ontario and Monroe coun-
ties, in the town of Victor, at the time he be-
came Mormon. He had always nantes
ted proclivity to religious fanaticsm, OF
rather he was lazy rapscallion, good for
nothing except to howl at camp meeting.
He lived in log shanty, with a dilapida-
ted, patient, suffering wife, surrounded by a
host of tow headed children. Occasionally
he made up lot of axe helves and traded
them off for sugar and tea; in other fits of in
dustry, he would do days work in the hay
/ field for neighbor, hoe the potatoes in his
little patch, or pound clothes for his wife on
a washing day. But his special mission
was to 90 to camp meetings and reviyals
where he managed to get his daily bread
out of the more wealthy brethren, in con-
sideration of the JUNCTION with which he
shouted 'ga-lo-rah = On such occasions
Brigham took no thought of the morrow,
but cheerfully putting on his old wool hat,
he would leave his family destitute-witll-
out u morsel of -four in the barrel, or wood
at the door, and telling his wife that the
Lord would provide, he would put out for
weeks absence. Poor Mrs Brigham
managed along by borrowing from her
neighbors with small hope of repaying chop
ped the wood herself, and with an old sun
bonnet, Navarino style, went to the spring
after water-thoroughly convinced that her
lot was none of the easiest and that her
husband was, to use Western expression,
an .ornary cuss;' in which sentiment all who
knew him joined.
People were getting very tired of Brig
ham when Mormonism turned up. He was
just tile man for the religion, and the reli-
gion vas just adapted to him. lie became
an exhorter, and held neighborhood meet
ings-rantod and howled his doctrines into
the minds of others as weak as himself, and
finally went West with the rest of Them
There he has developed, until the miserable
loafer is Governor of Territory, and chief
prophet of an Important religious sect. ffo
has Just the mixture of shrewdness and folly
that is requisite for success in fanaticism or
quackery. A wiser man could not hold his
place: man must be half fool ard half
knaye to be a successful quack.
Heber G. Kimball was man of more re-
speciality. He was born fanatic, and if
he were not a Mormon would be something
else just like it. In his chGfth--ke was a
Baptist originally was one Of those pes
tilential fellows who wanted resolutions pass
ed at church excluding somebody else and
insisted upon having . political codcil added
to the Bible. We beIefe be Haf soroe prop
erty. He hes much more talent than Brig
ham Young, but is inferior to him in the ell
ements Of aaaeke,y. lie Vas very respect
able relatives now living in the part of Mon
roe county from which he started.