The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1884-08-23
THE BOOK or MORMON.
What IL Was and What VhitmeS
Knows Ab ,ut It.
New York Times. ]

There lives to-day in Richmond, Mo-,
an old man named David Whitmer, the
only surviving member of the little band
who assisted Joe Smith in the work of
founding the Mormon Church. This old
man, who is said to have lived ''blame.
less life,' declares that he has in his
possession the original manuscript of the
Book OF Mormon, and several members of
that branch of the Mormon Church which
does not uphold polygamy have recently
called upon him for the purpose of com.
pairing late editions of the book with the
so-called original text.
The remarkable growth of Mormonism
in Utah and elsewhere, and the efforts
made by the ablest statesmen of our day
to check the growth and put an end to
the vile practices of polygamous Nor.
mons, have tended to give the Mormon
problem great prominence in the minds
OF thinking men, but there are undoubt.
edly thousands of intelligent citizens who
know very little about the origin of the
Mormon organization. Without the so.
called Book of Mormon, Joe Smith
would have accomplished very little in
the way of forming a religion. The
strong church that now controls the
great Territory of Utah, holds the bal.
ance OF political power in two or three
other Territories, and sends missionaries
to all parts Of the civilized world. was
born in the mind of smart rascal, who
devised the scheme while living on
farm in this State sixty years ago, and it
has for its written authority stolen
novel. 1t is not the original manuscript
of this novel which Whitmer guards so
carefully, but copy of the original,
written by Oliver Cowdry, who was
either Smiths dupe or a partner in the
conspiracy. The Book of Mormon was
written by the Rev. Solomon Spaldng, a
graduate of Dartmouth College, who
amused himself by composing historical
and speculative romanees relating to the
origin OF the races that formerly inhab-
ited this continent. The manuscript of
one OF these tales was stolen by Sidney
Rigdon, and Smith afterwards declared
that it was translation of some hero.
gIyphics inscribed upon metal plates
whose hiding place in the soil of Ontario
county had been revealed to him by an
angel of the Lord. After Smith had
published his stolen Scriptures" the
fraud of which he had been guilty was
FULLY exposed by the relatives of Mr..
epalding Zone of whose daughters is yet
hVlng)' but the rascal's dupes clung fast
TO their delusions. The original book, as
published by Smith, denounced polyg.
amy, and the revelation" authorizing
each saint" to take several wives was
not received by Smith until ls43.
This old man Whitmer was one of
three witnesses who testified when
Smith published his stolen novel that an
angel of God came down from heaven
and laid before their eyes the plates that
Dor the characters of which the book
was said to be a translation. Whitmer's
associates were Oliver Cowdry and Mar.
tin Harris. Cowdry wrote the manu-.
script from dictation, while Smith, con.
cealed behind suspended blanket, pre-.
tended to translate from the exhumed
Plates Whitiner is approaching the end
OF his days, firm in his faith, and appar.
emily ignorant Of the fact that he was
the associate and ally of one of the
greatest rascals Of this century, and that
ne aided this rascal in building an insti.
tuition most foul and deu,oralizing.
Upon one subject, however, the old man s
mead Is clear He heartily denounces
polygamy. ut is a great evil, says the
owner of the manuscript. shocking to
the moral sense, and more so because
practised in the name of religion. 1t is
OF man and not of God, and it is especi.
ally forbidden in the Book OF Mormon
ITSELF"