The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-07-09
RELICS OF MORMONISM.
The Old MeKsae Resideuce Going to
Decay...Story Of Joe Smith
and the "Seeing Stone"
pscial to The Scranton Tribune.

Special to The Scranton Tribune.
New Milford, July s.-The old Nc
kune residence, Of Mormon fame, be-
tween this place and Susquehanna, Ia
fast falling to decay. 1t was in this
building that the manuscript for the
Mormon bible was compiled In the year
1880, and the funds for the printing of the
same was furnished by a farmer named
Martin Harris, coadjutor Of Joe Smith
No manuscripts or proofs were left in
the Office over night, and the work was
done with as much secrecy as possible
The cost Of publiBhing the work caused
Harris to sell his farm and reduced his
family to poverty. The germ Of Nor
nonism originated in the salt works
near the city Of Syracuse in the form
of green egg-shaped stone. which was
known as "a seeing stone" and was
brought to this country by Jack Belcher
Of Gibson, who obtained it while team
ing in the salt works at the Saline city
BY the aid Of this marvellous stone
placed beneath q hat certain people
could see locations Of lost cattle, child.
ren, jewels, treasures, etc, or almost
anything that the aforesaid certain
people wanted to find.
1t was at this stage Of the game that
Joe Smith. then a lumberman and a
gold hunter, ran across Belcher and Sc
cured the precious stone. that he
(Smith) might employ 1t in his searches
for treasure near what is now known
as Hickory Grove, midway between
Great Bend and Susquehanna. During
the year previous to meeting Belcher,
Smith had posed as religious prophet.
and although his prophecies often went
by the contraries, yet among the early
settlers he was considered as something
more than the ordinary. But as his dig
gings resulted in the finding of no treas
ures, Joe told his followers that the
place was enchanted, and that to re-
move the said enchantment a white dog
should be killed and its gore scattered
about the place. Then a search for q
white dog was instituted, but white dogs
were scarce in those days and none
could be found. SO as a substitute for q
white dog white sheep was procured
and its blood sprinkled about the en-
chanted place. But when the enchant-
ment wanted dog II wouldn't be fooled
by sheppard so the treasure was never
discovered and is probably secreted in
those hills to this day. The largest
digging was about $50 feet in circumfer-
ance and twenty feet deep, and Is easily
disernable to this date. Smaller pits
In the same locality were also dug,
Soon after the above described dig.
gings occurred, Smith. with a few fol-
lowers. removed to Ohio and founded a
church; from there the Saints" re-
moved to Independence, NO., and from
there to Nanvoo. ILL.,, where Smith was
imprisoned by the owners of a news
paper called the Expositor, which had
been demolished by Smiths orders. On
the 9th Of June. 1874, a mob of nearly
200 men broke into the Jail and shot
Joseph Smith, jr., and Hiram, his
brother.
And so the old house where the book
was compiled crumbles back to earth
and the winds mourn over it's ruins. NO
are the foundations of Mormonism sink
ing into dust and the winds of truth are
chanting sad requiems as they pass up
and down this great land Of freedom,