The record-union., 1893-03-20

to pay for printing the book; he assumed
grave-even unearthly-bearing, anC
here and there among his friends and ac,
quaintances made the most solemn enun-
| Citations concerning the most wonderful
event which was taking place.
His version of the great discovery, as
communicated to him by the Prophet
Joseph, was, in substance, this: Joseph
was directed by an angel where to find
! tby digging the gold plates, and was
compelled by the angel 10 be the inter
prefer of the sacred record they con-
lained, and TO publish the same to the
world. Further the said gold plates con-
tained record of the ancient inhabitants
OF America, the work of one named
Mormon, the son of Nephi.' Joseph
also Informed Harris that on the top OF
the box containing the plates he found a
par OF large spectacles, the stones-re-
ierrlng to the glasses-of which were
opaque in character to everybody but to
hlm-the prophet; that these belonged to
Mormon, and without them the plates
could not be read. Harris stated that he
and Cowdery had been selected TO per-
! form the sacred Office OF amanuenses, and
that the Prophet Joseph, secreted in a
place apart from both of them and the
world, with the aid of these spectacles,
read the contents of these gold plates to
them, and they committed the same to
paper.
THE GOLD-PLATE MYTH.
''Such was the story OF Harris. But at
| this time, as was subsequently ascer-
talned, Harris had not seen the plates,
but the glowing account OF their massive
richness, as related by the Prophet Joseph
to him. had excited, as il appeared. other
than spiritual hopes, us on a given occa-
sion he got village silversmith TO help
nm estimate their value, he taking as a
basis of calculation the prophets account
OF their size. In this respect it was Il
blending OF the spiritual and uIi!itarian
winch cast shadow of doubt on Harris
sincerity in the minds of the Sl[eptical.
IhIs fact, added to certain anticipation he
lndulged i'll as to the profits arising from
the sale of the Gold Bible, made ii
then-as it is nova mooted question
whether he was altogether a dupe.
he wife of Harris was a rank infidcl,
or hereto, touching the whole thing, and
opposed III most decided language her
husbands participation i'll it. With sac
rlleglous hands she seized over 100 pages
OF the manuscript and destroyed or Sc
creted them, 1t was decided by the
smiths, Cowdery and Harris not TO
transcrlDe these again, but 10 let so much
OF the new revelation drop out, as the
EVIL spirit would get up story that
the second translation did not agree with
the nrst.2 Some six months after the
purported discovery of the gold plates,
The amanuenses having performed their
task, the Prophet Joseph, in company
with his co-WO Orkers, Harris and Cow
dery. called one morning at the Office of
the wayne Seltti5teG and had protracted
conference with the proprietor respecting
the printing Of the manuscript OF the new
revelation, and in due time the work
passed into the hands of the Compositors
Having heard SO much about the reveia-
ton, after its committal To paper, we
printers Were naturally very curious to
see 1t, and now We had our opportunity.
THE MANUSCRIPT.
The manuscript volume consisted of
some 800 pages OF large size letter paper,
and on the title page We're drawn rude
ana awkward concentric circles, between, /,
above, and below which were characters
having bat little resemblance TO letters.
apparently a miserable imitation of hie-
roSlyphlcs such as the author may have
somewhere seen. The,productiou, we all
concluded, after looking it over some
what carefully - my associates in the
composlng-room were both past 30, and
very intelligent men, one being teacher
Ill the Sunday-school where | attended
we all concluded that the production was
far from being that of any educated man
or men.
~Ihe bungiing attempt to counterfeitthe
style OF the scriptures; the intermixture
OF modern phraseology, the utter ignor-
ance OF chronology and geography; its
crudeneSs and bOldnesS, Us a whole
stamped its character completely. and
gave clear evidence from what source it
came. In other words, the work was n
singular medley of Scripture, romance
and bad composition. Prior To and dur
ing the pretended decipherment of the
new revelation by the prophet, III order to
guard against prOtane curiosity, he stated
10 certain Of his Intimate friends that he
had been told by an angel that no one but
himself must be permitted TO see the gold
plates containing the revelation on pain
OF instant death; and, so far as it is
known, no one did see them. Something
IKE nifty copies of the production We're
printed, and these the Smiths-tather and
son-called for one evening after dark. at
the Sentinel office, and took away with
them i'll their lumber wagon-presumably
to their home. Years alter ii was ascer-
tertained that neither Harris or Cowderv
had ever possessed a copy of the book.
Not long after the publication OF the
new revelation, or the Gold Bible.' as
the Smiths and their friends now began
to call the book, the Prophet Joseph com
menced TO preach the new gospel. and
about 1880 the first Mormon church was
OlBduIZou III tne NlIlaSe OF Manchester
n. \. The first conference of the sect
was held at Fayette, in the State, in June
of that year, at which time the number of
believers had increased to some thirty.
BUCKEYE NEW JERUSALEM.
"a year later Smith, with his followers
emigrated to Kirkland, Ohio, directed
thither, as he declared, by revelation
which had come to him. Kirkland was TO
be the seat OF the New Jerusalem. Here
prosperity appeared to be on the side of
the new cause; converts were made in
respectable numbers; but ambitious for
greater gains and a more prominent
settlement than seemed to him to be war
ranted at Kirkland, Smith, after a time. in
company with the believers set ont
anew to the westward, locating finally at
Independence. Mo-, where a temple was
begun, and the place named the New
Jerusalem. Smith, years after, was shot
down and killed at Carthage. Ill. Inv a
mob because OF certain crimes he had
committed, and with his death ended the
career OF the ablest head of the Mormon
Church. unless possible execution be
made in the case of Brigham Young. To
go back a little in the history OF Nor
signs of the Smith family and Oliver
Cowdery were to make money, blended
with which, doubtless, was burning de-
sire for notoriety, which was to be OBJ
obtained by cheat and fraud. Indeed.
the idea OF becoming the founders of q
new sect or religion was an afterthought
in which these individuals were aidei bv
others.-George. Newell Loveioy, in Inter
Ocean,"
He DIES ONCE A WEEK.