The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-07-02
NEW YORK HERALD, FRIDAY, JULY 2, 1858

advs Mt has furnished marked illustration OF the
cep bies Of human crsdulity the present Of
,rs may nos DC Without iasf 20. "
AS early ~ 1890 joe Smith, u the ago min
YEAR, began to assume the gift Of supernatural e,dow
ments and became the leader OF q III party OF s1ft
hes en- and boys like himself who engaged in
money money digging digging operations upon the h,us IN AID
ABOUT PRimyra. These lsb0rs always p,r-
formed in the night ana during their continuance,
many arveous accounts and rumors IN regard
we're pus s'at in the neehborhood. J,e protested from
time TO time to haze "Almosr secured the hidden rea
sure, which, ho Veger jest ut the instant attempting
grasp ~ would vanish BY the brsskug OF tho spell OF ns
msgic power Numbers or men and wo,usn, vac W.
deetood were found credu,us enou III - believe there
might pc something In it," who were in ducsd by their
capnds and cnpdy contribute privately towards
the Cost Of crsrg On the imposture under tho promise
Of sharing "a the expected gains, and Ia this wsy the
ioalry but cunning Smith, who too lazy 10 york for
ms liyng-his deiuded followers did ali tho dgsng~as
enabled TO obtain scanty subsistence for sef without
pursuing any useful en- ,loy ment
This silly mposturo was aersevered in by Smith, and
the digging performances occasionally continued by hs
gang without suc:ese for eight ten years when
in 1873 or 20 the climax reached in the led
discovery OF the wonderful golden record horogypbcs,
of great antiquity, wrten by the hand Nor oon upon
plates taken from the plaes OF Nephi" the translation
ana public lion Of which tne foundation Of brigham
Youngs poly gamous empire ut Salt Lake These plates
weIe according TO the published testimony Jje Smith,
four in the township Of Manchester, Ontario county,
The p,e annals Of the rise and progress OF this
Mormon mposiure, pnd Of the ana mastrdon OF
joe Smith, need n, particular notice IN tas sketsa, foe
these are to be oun1 In various forms orecorded history
aireaoy extant
The discovery Of the pretsndet ar1isu: patas "rese
bling plates or gold, hss sNuarsn s,nnsction with
scheme of cupoity plotted by Sy duey Rgdon, de-
posed clergy OF Pennsylvania. lie hai snrroptous
possessed b5self OF curious manuscript psn
Of Rev. Mr.. Spauding late OF Ohio-a romance written
primarily q pastlme exercise during lingering de-
cline ofhesh, in 1912 aud lsi3-snt sutb's marvellous
revelation pporune event Ia the fnrtherauce OF
Rigdon's speculation. Whether the resulting connection
Of these two conspring schemes Incidental or CON-
tfved, or whether Smiths part ia the conspiracy was
co workers perverted mind, are questions that have
neyer been satisfactorily settled ia public opioon.
Spau!drgs production, purpcrting 10 have been
written by one Of the lost nat.ops OF Israel,
recovered from tae earth oy miraculous interpos
lshed, "Aspuscrp. Folnd." An effort was made By the
writer, shortly before his death, prooare ia pab-
cation OF profit but psioter could bs
Of sufficient faith liz It's payng expenses 70 undertake. tho
printing. lie diea in 1916, ana Rigdon, with this maau
script dishonesty procured, US osore niimRsed, happen
ing or desepeds appearing in Palmyra about the time Of
smith pretended uhearihng OF the mysterious plates
the two speculaLons joined togehs:. the tao
well matched rcheners copspred 70 start the fraud from
which originated the myth of the Golden Hoe Book Of
Mormon, with the attendant fame Of joe smith, and the
world renowned beigerent power OF Aormonisn In
Utah.
The pretended transatiors Of Smith were no doubt
transcripts from the SUauldog romance altered for the
occasion by Rsdon The latter the as. preacher of
the newly revealed Gospel a,sordiog 10 Mormon" and
made hh appearance a. Palmyra IN thA capacity imme-
there was dead failare whether he vs. now alive or
dead, or what hraly became OF him, Is publicly ap
parent His Mormon fame appears TO have bee, Of short
duration o. course, there never any converts 10
tue Mormon gospel the locality of s saven, beyond
the OF Harris and three victims Of
faustcsm or lunacy. Where Its founders known,
the impostuYe regarded stupid for serious
tre by any body possessing rghful claim 10 common
The abeve able resume OF the carly history OF Mormon
ism, and the circumstances under which It's written COS.
pei nrst saw the hight we copy from tue Wayne Demo
Pom eroy tucker, the founder Of Palmyra Sentinel in
the Office OF which the "Book OF Mormon printed,
and who personally cogozsnt Of s the facts relating
70 ia origin scaa be relied upon as an entirely
rate statement
Martin Harrs the farmer under wh,se ssly ss,rcips
generosity Smith was enabled 70 Get his fictitious Bible into
print, morally and peounariiy runei by toe super,
stton He folio we'd Joe Smith, and scuded anascs
Of both sexes whom ne a5ie TO gather 10 wes.fn
New York. To Kirkland, Ohio where no remained some
Ge but finally fer fell under the
Prophets pleasure lost caste in Che church aad as ne
bad been iorcwarrcd BY the thoughtful aud friendly
Grandin, barkruptcd himself oy his iana,cism
The plates CT which II was alleged the Bole
by Smith end his companions while they digging in
Hill in tho town OF Manchester some three miles from
Palmyra, Wayne county, now known IS "Mormon H,ln
This hill situated detached valley, and peng
small sugar oaed affair, seemed ~ bear out the declrA
tson Of smih, that II was mound In which nal been
buried the scattered remnant OF the los: tribe Neph
70 this hl the Prophet claimed to have boon directed by
n angel 10 = vision.
Tpo manner which Smith translated these plates Was
By placing himself behind Gen. and putting pair
OF magic tpectares that he found lying tue oundo
beside them, reading them With perfect ease Oliver
Sowdery, his scribe, amAnu-nsis, stood outside the
sreep and "a he read Transcribed them inary ms,u
script The shees they nished weretasen posses
son OF by hormous IN waiting and csrret tnence 70 tins
printing ofico. rney carefully watched them during
the process Of composition and took possession Of the
maoper as bank notes are watched while in the printers
hapos, the no extra copies might be ispued Seyerthe
less. deapc his precautions. Smith deosrcs that be lost
one bunored and eighteen pages OF his ia ,ie. might be
supposed tpa vito hts plates before him, he could easily
bave supplied the omission And 20 he no doubt would
have dope bad be really been the Translator tue bs1k
~
this score ne cuoningIy pretended ~ have received in
formation from the Lord enemies ha1 altered pr
tons Of the lo.t ulauuscrp. with view 70 confouudipg
him, and 70 have been forbidden 10 write Il. some
suppose one hundred aud eighteen pages Of ma
nuscsipt alluded lacking In the original copy
reptcusy obtained IVY Rgdcn from the widow Spsudug
ana otserb that he only pretended 10 have lost nom
order 10 make still stronger Impression OF the miods OF
We pave berore M the "Book OF Mormon" I! Is prut
ca 70 oc,ayo orn on coarse type, ana vi milsiing
preface which he auoes 10 bis real pretended
Of msDacrpt, IN tLis manper:-
To THE 1ADsR-As InsDy falss reports have been cir
culaed respecting tho fooSnE work aud also many us-
lawful measures taken b. evi designing 20 des
troy me, ana aso tho work, would inform you that
translated. by the git sad power OF t'ed caused
be written hundred and sixteen plyUJ, tbs wnicr
took from the Book Of sbl which vas an ascJua abrdg
cd from the paits Of Lshi by the baud OF which
ssd account person. hsve soon AMI kept
from e, notwithstanding my utmost exerous N rccJvor
sRssn, and beug commanded % the Lord thai ghoud
not uapsale the again. for satan bad pat into
their hess 70 sept the Lord ,heir God, oy sarog the
l
trsnts'oo and caused 10 be written; and should bring
forth the words sgsln In other words. u should
trassste the same over arsn they woaN publish pst
which they hai sJiep and satan gould str up toe be&s
OF hs generation, tnat they might no, reserve this work
but behold, the lord sad unto mo, will no, sur that
Satan sha accomplish his evh design IA this thiag,
therefore, thou sha translate from the plates Of Nephi,
until 20 come 10 mat which ye havo trausAisd,
which ye have rctsined and behold 20 snail publish
the record Of Nephi; Ard mus will cJD'ouad those who
have altered my worcs Will not suffer that they shall
destroy my work; yea, will shew unto them toc my
wsoom greater than the cunning OF the Devil Where
fore, be obedient unto The commandments OF GJs,
have, through his grsre ard mercy sccompiisosj t,ai
whcn he has commanded me respecting this thing. ]
would also inform you hat the plates OF which hsb 0een
spoken found 10 70 ybshp OF Manchester Data
RIO equity, New York. rIE AUTHOR
rbe Boie divided into the first and ssc,ai b,y<s OF
Neph the book Of jacob the brother OF Noph the bolk
OF Encs; the book OF Jsrom; the book ~ Om1i; the
WORDS OF Normon the book q Mpsiah the book ~ slm,
the son OF Alma the BOOK Of lebanon; the book OF Ne
phi, the so1 Of Nepb whi,h The e1n CT Hclanln,