Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-10-11
JOE SMITH A PLAG|AR|ST.
Book of Mormon Said to be a
Fraud. d.-Greatest Religious De
ception Ever Perpetrated.

the foundation of the Mormon Church.
is fraud is claimed by the Rev. j. +.
Mahatfey, of Grantieville. to be in his
possession. DIR. Mahaffey is a promi-
nent figure in the South Carolina Meth.
odist Church and has spent ten years
in his investigation.
He says he has ascertaincd that Nor
monism is undoubtedly the greatest re-
ligious deception that has ever been
perpctrated. So adroitly was the fraud
carried out that he believes many Nor
mons of to-day are ignorant of their
error
DIR. Mahatfey says that 1000 Mormon
missionaries are now in the field and
that the sect is fast becoming the most
formidable element i'll modern civiliza.
ton. They hold the balance of power
in seven of the United States are adroit-
ly colonizing in half dozen others and
have present membership of more
than 100000. In the last year alone
they gained 10 900 memb bers in the east.
DIR. Mahaffev says:
1.-The age of strange things has not
passed away. When Mormonism was
first organized and the Book of Nor
mon circulated i'll Conneant, o., many
of the friends and acquaintances of the
Rev. Solomon Spalding affirmed that it
was the writings of that gentleman,
who had been dead about II years
"All of Spalding's writings mysteri-
ously disappeared, and over 20 years have
passed away and nothing further of
any consequence has been done in this
direction. The Mormons have gone on
dcceiving and being deceived with Jo-
seph Smith tale of angels and golden
plates.
but truth is coming to the front at
last. The original Spalding manuscript
has been found. Ii was resurrected in
Honolulu, Hawaii. our new possession,
and is now deposited in the library of
Oberlin College, i'll Ohio. and through
the kindness of that institution | have
had the loan of it for the purpose of ex-
animation of the two documents shows
more than 20 features of perfect idcnti-
| ty. The following examples briefly
stated will give an idea of how they
stand. For example:
Both stories pretend to be transla
tions or abridgements of older and
more elaborate records found buried in
the earth.
Both stories trace the ancestry of
the American Indians from tn. old
world, and give tragic accounts of the
providential passage across the ocean to
the American Continent; their settle
ments; the rise and fall of nations: their
political devisions; terrible wars, etc.
Both stories cater to the use OF the
little transparent stone through which
sights could be seen, hidden treasures
translated. etc.
| Both stories contain the same account
of an army contending in battle. aud
painting their foreheads red in order to
distinguish themselves from their enc
Both stories are characterized by
the same tale of Sacred Roll, which
was believed to have been of divine or
lgin. and which formed the basis of re-
| ligious belief and teaching
Both stories contain accounts of the
discovery of other nations who had pre-
ceded them to the American Continent,
and that some of these other nations
were i'll Il savage state, but were soon
educated and restored to civilization.
Zone more important feature is this:
The hieroglyphics of the plates de-
scribed by Joseph Smith are identical
with the literary style of people de-
scribed in the Spalding romance. The
identity here Is perfect i'll every respect.
''These are only few examples of
the many features of identity. some of
which are threefold in detail, and will
bear even the closest analytical subdi-
vision-all proving conclusively that
either the Book of Mormon is plagiar-
ism of the Spalding manuscript or the
manuscript plagiarism of the Book of
Mormon. 1t is either the one or the
other. But as Il result of eight years of
careful and painstaking work, | have
collected abundant reliable proof that
Spalding wrote and rewrote his romance
on this subject several times between
| the years 1910 and 1916 Smith says he
got possession of his wonderful docu-
ment i'll 1927. and had known where il
was for four years previous to that time
The evidence at hand indicates that
Smith appropriated final revision of
Spalding's romance from an old hair
covered. moth eaten trunk which was
left at the residence of Mr. Sabine dur
ing Smiths employ at that place as
teamster, about the year 1920, and had
doubtless known where it was ever
since that time.
THE evidence also shows that Sidney
Rigdon got i'll possession of another
copy which had been left in Patterson :
printing office, i'll Pittsburg. in 1918, and
a perfectly plain connection is establish
ed between these two gentlemen through
the mediation of Farley Parker Pratt
showing how they finally got to. ether