Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-02-28
JOSEPH SMITHS -sEEuNo sroxr.-
Green Pebble That the Mormon Prophes
Credited with = woudrous Property.

~ er~en Pebble That the Mormon Prophet
Credited with = wondrous Property.
From the Syracuse Journal
HE germ Of Mormonism originated in this
city. About the year 1878 q teamsser in the
salt works by the name Of Joseph Beicher
found peculiar stone. or q stone that the
owners claimed contained great powers Soon
after Belcher and family removed 10 sus-
quehanna county, Pa, where Joe Smith was en-
gagged Is gold hunter. prophet and treasure
hunter. Belcher called his find seeing stone
IL was green, with brown irregular spots on il,
and about the same shape and size AZ q goose
egg. In those days the country was verv wild
anu the people very superstitious and strange
stories were told Of lost animals and children
that were found by the aid Of this stone. The
modus operandi was TO conceal the stone in a
dark place and Belcher's little boy could then
see from its unnatural powers the exact loca-
tion OF any object he desired 90 find. Joe Smith
heard Of this miniature information bureau and
soon sought out Belcher, secured the stone and
renewed his researches.
In 1s25 Joe had in his employ q set OF men
who were called money diggers and his occu-
patton was that Of seeing or pretending TO see.
his hat closed over his face. In this vay n,
claimed the power 10 discover minerals and
hidden treasures. IL il said that he Was insolent
poorly educated and very careless in appear
anee One story told Of Smith is that a
struggling Indian, who WAS passing up the
Susqnehhnna river. had told of buried treasure.
Joe hunted up the Indian aud induced
him to tell the place where il
was buried. The Indian told him az a
point certain number Of PAGES due north
from certain point on the river. Ioe's ex-
ehequer was very low at this time, and % il
became necessary TO get a well-to-do farmer by
the name Of Harper to assist him in the scheme
IL seems That farmers were taken in" in those
early days rs well as now. They commenced
digging on a farm near the river and continued
Is long as Harper's cash held out. Smith now
declared to Harper that there was an
enchantment about the place that vas
removing the treasure further off; that
Harper must get q perfectly white dog and
sprinkle his blood over the ground. and that
would prevent the enchantment from remoy-
ing the treasure. Search was made all over
the country, but no perfectly white dog could
be found. Joseph said he thought a white
sheep would do as well. A sheep was killed
and the blood sprinkled as directed. The dig
glng was then resumed BY Harper. After dig
Ging for several weeks more and an outlay Of
$1,000 more of the farmers sheckels Harper
refused to 'come down" any further and the
digging was abandoned.
Joe now said tina; the enchantment had re-
moved all the treasure: that the Almighty was
displeased with them for trying to palm off ON
him white sheep for a white dog. He would
SIT for hours looking into the hat at the round
stone, and tell of seeing things far away and
supernatural. On one occasion a neighbor
bad piece OF corn planted rather late and on
moist piece of ground. and. feeling a little
doubtful about its ripening, got Smith to bless
II. Ii happened that il was the only niece of
corn killed by the frost in the neighborhood.
When the prophets attention was called 10 the
matter he got out of the difficulty by saving
that he had made a mistake and put a curse on
the corn instead of blessing.
About this time Smith procured a box of
plates, which it is supposed he brought from
Palmyra, n. Y, where he lived for a short time.
which he kept carefully locked. They were
alleged TO contain great quantity of charac-
tiers and hieroglyphics which no one but him.
self could interpret. From these plates Smith,
Cawdry. produced the manuscript for the Book
of Mormon. The book was compiled in a
small building on the Susquehanna river. about
two miles from the side-hill village of Susque-
hanna, and was printed in 1920, the manuscrip,
being taken TO the printing Office each morning
and together with the proofs, &C.. taken away
each night. The first account we have Of Joe
and his followers trying TO start a colony was
IN the year 1891 in remote corner of Luzerne
county. where the climate soon got too warn,
for them and they vacated. Their next colony
was near gainesville. Ohio.
9he most prominent of Joe's diggings is on
a farm near Susquehanna depot. The excava-
ton was $50 feet in circumference and twenty
feet deep. and although it has been under cul-
tivatlor for several years now, it is easily dis
eernlblc and often visited by the curious.
The old house where the manuscript was pro-
duced Is still standing ana is owned by one OF
the ex-offcials Of susquehanna county.