The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-03-04
JOE sMIra's SEEING sroNR.r
a Green Pebble That He Credited
With e Wondrous PropertY.


With WondrOus Property.
SYRACUSE, n. Y, Feb. 27.-Ihe germ Of
Mormonism originated in this city. About
the year 1918 a teamster in the salt works
by the name of Joseph Belcher found
peculiar stone, or stone that the owners
claimed contained great powers. Soon
after Belcher and family removed to Sus-
quehanna county, Pennsylvania, where
Joseph Smith was engaged as god
hunter, prophet and treasure hunter.
Belcher called his find the ''seeing stone" 1t
was green, with brown, irregular spots on
it, and about the same shape and size as a
goose egg. In those days the country was
very wild and 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 this stone in a dark place, and
Balcher'S little boy could then see from its
unnatural powers the exact location of any
object he desired to find. Joe Smith heard
Of this miniature information bureau and
soon sought out Belcher, secured the stone
and renewed his researches.
In 1925 Joe had in his employ a set of
men who were called money diggers. and
his occupation was that of seeing or pretend
ing to see, by means of this stone placed in
his hat, and his hat closed over his face. In
this way he claimed the power to discover
minerals and hidden treasures 1t is said
he was insolent, poorly educated and very
careless in appearance. One story told of
Smith is that a struggling Indian, who was
passing up the Susquehanna river, had told
of buried treasure. Joe hunted up the In
dian and induced him to tell the place where
it was buried. The Indian told him at a
point a certain number of PAGES due north
from certain point on the river. Joe's ex-
chequer was very low at this time, and so it
became necessary to get weIl-to-do farmer
by the name of Harper to assist him in the
scheme. 1t seems that farmers were taken
in" in those early days as well as now.
They commenced digging on a farm near
the river and continued as long as Harper's
cash held out. Smith now declared to
Harper that there was an enchantment
about the place that was removing the
treasure further off; that Harper must
get a perfectly white dog and sprinkle
his blood over the ground, .and that
would prevent the enchantment from res
moving the treasure. Search was made all
over the country, but no perfectly white
dog could be found. Joseph said he
thought white sheep would do as we'll A
sheep was killed and the blood sprinkled as
directed. The digging was then resumed
weeks more and an outlay of 81, 900 more of
the farmers shekels, Harper refused to
"come down" any further and the digging
was abandoned.
Joe now said that the enchantment had
removed all the treasure; that the Almighty
was displeased with them for trying to palm
off on him q 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 occa-
sion neighbor had piece of corn planted
rather late and on a moist piece of ground,
and, feeling q little doubtful about its ripen-
ing, got Smith to bless it. it happened
that it was the only piece Of corn killed by
the frost in the neighborhood. When the
prophets attention was called to the matter
he got out of the difficulty by saying that
he made a mistake and put curse on the
corn instead Of bles ing.
About this time Smith procured 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 guam
tity Of characters and hieroglyphicS, which
no one but himself could interpret. From
these plates Smith, with the assistance Of
Martin Harris and Oliver Crawdry, pro-
duced the manuscript for the Book of Nor
mon. The book was complied in a small
building on the Susquehanna river, about
two miles from the side-hill village
of Susquehanna. and was printed in 1880
the manuscript being taken to the printing
Office each morning. and, together with the
proofs. etc.. taken away each night. The
first account we have of Joe aud his fol-
lowers trying to start a colony was in the
| year 1881, in a remote corner of Luzerne
county, where the climate soon got
| too warm for them, and they vacated.
Their next colony was near Plainesville, o.
The most prominent of Joe's diggings Is
on farm near Susquehanna depot The
excavation was $50 feet in circumference
| and 20 feet deep, and although it has been
under cultivation for several years now, it
Is easily discernible. and often visited by
the curious. The old house whore the man
uscript was produced is still standing, and
is owned by one of the ex-oficials Of Sus-
quehanna county.