Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-04-29

were a wicked and bloody race, al
ways quarreing and fighting among
them n'clvcs, until, in their final con-
Ilicts, they mutually destroyed each
'thcr, millions being slaughtered in
heir final conflicts. America was
ihuS again left uninhlJitcd, save ly
,lc bones of the dead, the beasts OF
he forest. and the fowls of the air.
1t must have occupied several cen
lui'ics in the planting, development
ami final extinction Of his primitive
race, but the holy plates were singu-
Iarly deficient OF chronological infor-
nation. About six hundred years be.
fore the coming Of Christ, a new CO..
ony, cosisting of Lehi, his wife, and
iour sons named Lamar, Lcmucl
sam and Ncphi, together with thcil
four wives two sons of Ishmacl and
their two wives, and XOram, Il ser.
want and Ia s wiie-siXtecn souls, all
told, came directly from Jerusalem,
and are supposed to have landed Cn
the cost of Chill. After the death OF
l.chi Quarrcls broke out between the
brothers. The Lord had appointed
Ncphi to succeed his father as ruler
but his elder brothcrWould not hcal
of it. As punis,mcntfUr their contu'
macy, these rcbclliouS brethren were
condemned. together with all thcil
lostcrity, TO have dark skins, "and
become an idle coplc, full of mis-
chief and sub;lcty, which did seek IN
the wilderness for beasts of prey
Thus originated the American In
dians. In the rule Of Nephi III. al
awful earthquake signaizcd the cru.
cfXiOn Of the Savior. Three day,
attcrward Christ himself appeared
before them, let down from heavei
in a flaming chariot, showed the
Nephitcs his wounded side and hands
and feet, instructed them for forty
days in the truths Of Christianity
healed the sick, blessed children, ad.
ministcred the sacrament, and
planted churches, with apostles,
prophets, pastors, teachers and evan.
gclists-thc same order, priesthood
ordinances, powers and blessings a.
enjoyed on the eastern continent
There was perpetuahwarfarc between
the Nchites and their dark-skimcd
brethren, and gradually the purity OF
the faith of the former declined untI
three hundred and eighty-four year,
after Christ, in decisive battle lha
took place on the hill Cumorall, il
Western New York, the Christian
Ncphitcs Wee nearly annihilatcd
Miracles now ceased, and unbclici
gradually became supreme. Shortly
before this final conflict, however, ;
prophet called Mormon was commits
stoned by God TO write an abridgc
mtnt fall their prophecies, histories
etc, and hide it in the earth til
such time as God should see fit t(
bring it forth and "uuite it with tn,
Bible for the accomplishment Of Iii
purposes in the last days" This il
the Book of Mormon, believed by tho
fDllowcrs of Smith (hcnce called Nor
mons) to be of equal authority with
the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures
forming an indispensable supplement
to them, and containing Gods revc
lations TO the new as they contain
Ills revelations to the old world. l
was in the four hundrcdth and TWEEN
tieth year after Ch,ist that they wcrt
sealed up by Moroni, one of the few
N iphite survivors of the battle of Gu
morah, and deposited where Smitl
found them under the direction o
the angel q abrel.
They were translated by Smith il
the following manner: He sat be
hind a blanket hung across the room
to protect the sacred plates from pro
fame eyes, and read off by the help o
his "Urim and Thummin' to one Oil
YER Cowdery, who wrote down wha
the invisible prophet" gave as
translation, Smith himself being un
able to write beyond his hieroglyph
ic signature. A neighboring farme
nlmed Martin Harris supplied Smit
with the necessary funds to get tn