Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1886-12-25

HIS TEN WIVES.

! HIS ten WIVES,
Aormonfsm illustrated by the Lii
and Trial Of Apostle
Lorenzo Snow.
students of history and OF the Bib
claim that one OF the tribes OF Israel, j
toe general break up Of that ''people &
dod, became lost, and, 80 far as We
neard from, until the "Angel of God" ee
.ahllshed close connection with Manche
n. T., and selected Joe Smith as Adjutant
"enerai IN America, nobody had know
anything OF the whereabouts OF the "los
tribe OF Israeli" whose leader, king or com
mander was known as General Mormon,
Vahant warrior he was said to he, and on
OF those great, sell ct and honored histor
lcal characters OF which we read in ancien,
stories, and who had direct communication
With Jeovah-God. It is well known tina,
1ne race became nearly extinct some time
ago, as We hear of none of them nowadays
outside OF Joe Smith and his followers.
Some time before Joe Smith had found
and borne to his home for burial beneath
the hearthstone that strange parcel in the
blanket or bedspread, the confidential in.
tervlew with the ex-preacher and school
master Rigdon had been held,
Hero II ma 1,n
matter OF fact the identical stone beneath
which Joe Smith is said to have found, at
the direction OF the heavenly Angel the ar.
ticle he had buried beneath the hearth.
stone, ii now in the possession Of Now
York gentleman. a near friend of Judge O.
w. Powers. late OF the First Judicial Dis
trict Court OF Utah, and the same Judge
who presided at a most eventiul period OF
the life OF him of whom this story will
have much to tell. And in view OF this fact
the Judge has frequently been importuned
by some OF his friends in Utah to send to
New York for that stone, have it broken
up and the pieces neatly fashioned into
watch seals and necklace charms to be
worn by the Latter Day Saints and Saint.
esses as a fetish or sacred relic.
About this time of our story Joe Smith
boldly proclaimed that Angels and sainted
spirits who had long ago been gathered to
glory and been basking in the sunshine OF
as a revelation direct from the Almighty,
tidings that in the hill known as the
'Hill Of Curmorab," near Manchester, and
four miles from Palmyra, be, by digging.
would find q tablet or bible, the "Book Of
Mormon" which contained the will Of
God, who was about to lead his chosen
people-tbe Lost, Tribe Into great glory,
happiness and power. It was this tablet,
Bible or "Book OF NJ ,rmon" that Joe
Smith claimed he found upon Curmorah
and had carried home and placed for tenn
Porary safety beneath the family hearth
stone.
While searching. under the guidance OF
the Angel Of God, upon the hill Of Curmo.
rah for the book, Joe and his band OF
had dug out cave OF seance
sit before going to work at night, and in.
dulge in weird chants and listen to strange
stories which Joe related. When the divine
spirit began to circulate joe would lead his
out ON the hillside, and, in
obedience to the revelation, the throat of
q black sheep would be cut-the revelation
was explicit that it must be black sheep
and taking the bleeding animal by the
ear they would lead it in circle, and when
it had bled to death they would begin the
search for treasure and the bible within
the circle Of blood, and itisnot too much to
suggest that this smacks Of the ubsequent
''blood- toning' practiced by the Mormons.
Not long after these great, though strange,
events had transpired, Joe Smith had an.
other divine revelation to the effect that
the tablet he had found was q sacred
thirg; that it was written in Reformed
ieffa
Spctish and printed for the information
and guidance of Gods chosen people,
whose prophet henceforth he Joe Smith)
was to be.
It is related that when Joe found his tab
let he also found along with it, under the
stone on Curmorah, q pair OF spectacles.
These were of great value. They were OF
gold and exquisite manufacture. They
were of great size. One OF the glasses was
the Urim, the other the Tummin. By the
assistance of these the prophet" had no
difficulty in deciphering and translating
the Reformed Egyptian" OF the sacred
Book OF Mormon" This tab
let consisted of set of golden plates,
Joined together by rings Of precious metal.
On these golden plates were inscribed the
laws of God.
The work of translating the sacred tab:
let was done by Joe Smith (who could
peither read nor write) and the ex-preacher
and schoolmaster, Sidney Rigdon. 1t was
done in this wise: A blanket was hung in
the corner nf room, inclosing triangu-
lar SPACE. Smith would seat himself with
in this space, behind the blanket. and ad-
lust the great gold spectacles. His assist
ant. Riedon, would seat himself outside
and near the blanket, with pen, ink and
paper. Smith, by the aid of the Urim and
Tummin, would read aloud in English the
word of God, as written on the tablet and
piven to "GensraP' Mormon.
So mysterious, so holy and so secret was
this proceeding that if q neighbor, from
curiosity, or q stranger, by accident, ap-
preached during the translation and re-
cordation OF the tablet, an Angel OF God'
swift as the wind, would descend and seize
the tablet, the spectacles and the manu-
script and carry them off from the pres
epce of the intruder.
However strange and fabulous this may
appear to the readers of to-day, it ls
nevertheless the true history OF the faltn
known as Mormonism, whose followers
have. from that time to to-day, made such
-on;d progress in influence and numbers
and amidst whose temples, tabernacles
endowment houses and churches, surroun
ded by their bishops, elders, deacons, apos
Ties and prophets these words were written &c.
As fast as Joe Smith and his friend kie
don could prepare the manuscript Tor tn
nress it was done. They succeeded in ar
ranging for it's publication with ma]o
.Iohn Gilbert, who yet lives in Palmyra, j;
venerable representative OF the printer,
art. Each morning Joe, or Rigdon, woul'
carv to Gilbert's office as much copy o
Manuscript as he could ''set up" dur'n
that day. At their next visit with mort
that delivered the day before would Q
arefully gathered up and taken away
This was done at Smiths direction, to pre
vent any extra copies Of the holy wor
he;np possessed BY another, and any othe
sane Of the Book of Mormon" falling INT
mninspired hands. For Joe Smith said
had been instructed by the Ange! to kee
sole custody of the word OF the God OF u
,ost Tribe" who henceforth became
KNOWN AS "MoRMoNs"
!, Subsequently, it seems, the Print'
. struck. It may be, by the peculiar chara
ter and the mysterious contents OF =.
naees he had been putting into type, zoe
pne sheet from each ''strike off, ana
Sad when the work was done. q compie'
"Rnok Of Mormon" exactly as IL va
: when Toe Smith received it, and trt
' statement OF the word OF God, as reveale
a