Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-04-10
rue spauLprNG STORY AGAIN.


II seems surprising to people VINO
know anything Of the history Of Nor
monlsm" that the old fables concern
inc # which obtained credence at us
,ncontion although thoroughly eX-
ploded BY the force Of irresistible iacls'
are sim held and clung to by preach-
ers and editors. who ought TO be sus-
cennble 10 the influence Of reason ana
70 the light OF recent events and deyel-
opments. Their failure to perceive pal
pable truth, 80 easy Of access ana
their readiness to repeat refuied errors
for undlsputed yerItles, would be
comlcal If they were not 80 pitlfuL
A few weeks ago we made some COM
ments on the efforts OF the Troy ~ I"
Press 10 enlIghten the world, by the
publication OF a LOT of stories told In a
book made up Of absurd anti-'Mor-
mon" fabrlcations. printed half een-
tury ago. but mixed with few quota
lions from authentic works That
paper imagined 1t was giving to the
public something choice and novel
about an unpopular faith, but In real
lty was simply repeating ancient Cos
sip and dead romances Among them
was the stupid spaudlng story which
every well-lnformed journalist ought to
know has been completely exposed and
settled.
Now comes the same fiction, copied
into many country newspapers, from
no less an authority than the New
York Tribune. In an article headed
The Mormon Bible that paper has
once more told the tale Of the Manu-
script Found" which was the chief re-
lance Of the religious opponents Of
Mormonism' for many years, and
found It's way into encyclopedias and
historical narratives, and was the only
way by which the preachers and edi
tors could account for the production
Of the Book Of Mormon Here Is the
way the New York Tribune, at this
late date relates the story:
According TO the opponents Of Nor
monlsm, from investigations made soon
fter the Book OF Mormon appeared.
he fact Is fully established that the
zeal author Of the work was Solomon
3paldlng. who was born at Ashford.
In af,t,, In,
business in various States, died at
Cherry Valley n, Y. I'm 1916 During
his residence In Ohio. In lSl0-l2 he
wrote romance 20 account for the
peopllng Of America by deriving the
American Indians from the Hebrews. in
accordance with prevalent notion that
the Indians were descended from the
lost tribes Of Israel The book, under
the title Of Manuscript Found was,
as early as 1913. announced in the
newspapers as forthcoming and TO
contain a translation Of the Book OF
Mormon His widow published a
statement In the Boston Journal in
May, 1889, declaring that IN 1912 he
placed his manuscript In a printing Of
nee IN Plttsburg whore Il was copied
by Sidney Rgdon who, about 1929. be-
came associated with Mr.. Joseph
smith. Immediately after the publica-
ton Of the Book Of Mormon In 1880 It
was recognized not only by Spaldlng's
widow, but by many Of his friends, as
his long lost work"
There are a few Inaccuracies IN this
version, deylatlons from the original
narration but they are not very I'M
portant. The so-calltd fact was NOT
fully established" but was merely
a groundless suspicion. The Manu-.
script Found" was not an
nounced as early as 1913"
or at any time previous TO
the connection Of the charge against
Joseph smith,as that IT was "a transla-
ton Of the Book Of Mormon The
widow OF solomon spaulding did not
state that It was copied by Sidney
Rigdon,' nor did she recognize the
Book OF Mormon as her husbands
long lost work" Nor did Sidney Rig.
don become associated with Josepb
smith In 1929; he never saw him tn
long after the Book Of Mormon was
published.
Inc first notion that the Spauldlng
manuscript might have had something
TO 90 with the Book Of Mormon. was
put forward by an apostate Mormon"
named Hurburt who was cut of the
Church for unvirtuous conduct. In 1896
he wrote a book called 'Mormonlsm
Unveiled, - which was published BY T.
D Howe a printer. Of pansvlle, Ohio.
Hurlburt obtained the Manuscript
Found" by false representations. from
Solomon spaulding's widow, but ala not
publish ii, because II did not answer
his purpose. being found totally unlike
the Book Of Mormon, nor did he return
the manuscript to the owner. For many
years II was a manuscript lost.
But 70 the main story: The alleged
connection between spauldlug's manu-
script and the Book OF Mormon. con
tnued 70 serve the purpose OF its in
yontors and ropeaters for many years.
Notwithstanding the mass Of evidence
against Il. But IN 1884 Professor James
A. Fairchild OF Oberlln college. Ohio.
was visiting his friend, Mr.. L. L. Rice,
then residing at Honolulu. Hawaiian
Islands who was formerly associated in
business with t. d. Howe IN Ohio he
had In his possession a number OF old
papers received from his partner when
he purchased the business. Searching
among them for some anti-slayery doe
uments, a package was discovered
marked Manuscript story--Conneaut
Ohio" Examination showed that II
was the long lost spauiding story OBJ
tanned from the ciergyman's widow By
tr.-,,.,,... for.vatght ypara before