Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-28
HOW MORM0NS BEGAN
Recollections Of One Who
Knew Joe Smith Well.
FOUND GOLDEN PLATES
PRINTING OF FIRST BIBLE IN
PALMYRA IN 1884.
Earliest Converts Were Farmers Of
Wayne County Proselyted by
Smith and Sidney Rigdon.

Smith and Sidney Rigdon.
The picture of Mormonism presented in
the testimony at the Smoot Investigation
by the Senate committee on privileges and
elections is one of a powerful religious in
stitution with possible political ramifica-
tions reaching into several states. But
whatever its power and influence now for
good or evil the Book of Mormon" had
an obscure, not to say suspicious, origin
and the first of the Latter Day Saints were
rural people of Wayne county, N. Y. The
facts of Mormonisms beginning were we'll
remembered by one man who was intimate
ly acquainted with Joseph Smith and his
associates in Palmyra, where the lnstitu-
ton had it's inception.
This man was Daniel Hendrix, who lived
in Palmyra in his early life and spent his
declining years at San Jacinto, Cal, In the
home of his son. Mr.. Hendrix preserved
few proof sheets of the original Mormon
Bible, printed by Major John Gilbert IN
Palmyra in 1884 Though never Mormon
himself, and having no faith in its teach
ings. he had lifelong interest in the move
ment and its history, retaining to his death
a vivid recollection of how it started, as
we'll as of the persons connected there
with Mr.. Hendrix, with the help of his
niece, wrote out an account of the early
history of Mormonisn in the form OF
"Reminiscences, which was seen and read re-
Gently by a visitor in San Jacinto from
Washington. In It's essential part the story
follows:
Ragged "Joe" Smith.
''As young man l worked in store IN
Palmyra, and among the daily visitors there
was Joseph Smith, jr. Every one knew
him as Joe Smith. He was the most
ragged, lazy fellow in the place, about
twenty-five years old. can see him now,
with his torn and patched trousers, held to
sheeting with his calico shirt as dirty as
the earth. and his uncombed hair sticking
through the holes in his battered hat.
In winter l used to pity him. for his
shoes were so old and worn he must nave
suffered in the snow and Slush, yet Joe
had a jovial don't-care way about him that
made him lots of friends. He was known
among the young men associated with as
a romancer of the first water.
Il never knew so ignorant man as Joe
to have such a fertile imagination. lie
never could tell common occurrence With
out ernbellishing the story. yet l remember
that he was grieved one day when old Par
son Reed told him he was going to hell
for his lying habits.
His Mother Had Faith.
Mrs. Smith, Joe's mather, was stanch
Presbyterian, and a great admirer OF her
son, despite his shiftless ways. She de-
clared he was born with genius and did
not have to work.
"'Never mind about my son Joseph, she
said one day when my employer rallied her
upon Joe's useless ways for the boy will
be able some day to buy the whole of Pal
myra and all the folks in it,. You don't
i'm how hoe nndd a
old hat
For two years and more Joe Smith
chief occupation was digging for gold at
night and sleeping in the daytime. He was
close mouthed on the subject of his gold
seeking on the farms of Wayne county,
where not a speck of gold was ever mined,
and when people joked him too severely
concerning the precious metal he would
turn his back upon the )okers ana go nome
as fast as possible. With some of us
young men who were serious with him and
affected an interest in his work he was
more confidential.
Joe in his excursions after gold carried
a divining rod to tell him where there was
hidden treasure, and he left many holes in
the ground about that region, which testi-
fled that he could work If the spirit moved.
He had all the supersttions of the money
diggers of that day, one Of which was that
the digging must be done at night and not
a word spoken.
Joe's Great Find.
FINALLY in the fall of 1923 Joe went
about the village of Palmyra telling the
people of the great bonanza he had found
I remember his sitting upon some boxes in
the store and telling knot of men, who
did not believe word they heard, all
about his vision and his find But Joe went
into such minute details about the size
weight and beauty of the carvings on the
golden tablets. the strange Characters and
ancient adornmentS that I confess he had
some Of the smartest men in PALMYRA
guessing. The women were not so skepticaI
as the men, and several of the leading ones
in the place began to feel at once that Toe
was a remarkable man
Joe declared with tears in his ewes and
the most earnest expression that he had
louno the gold plates on a hill six miles
south or Palmyra on the main road between
that place and Canandaigua Joe had ding
mere for gold for years, and from thar
tlme the hill has been known as Gold Hill
OF the hrst month or two Joe did not
say himself that the plates were any new
revelation or that they had any religions
signihcance, but simply that he had found
Naiuaoie treasure in the shape of a record
Oh some ancient people which had been in
scrloed on 1mperishable gold for preserva-
tlon The pretended gold plates We're never
aiioWed 10 be seen, though l have hea I'd
Joes mother say she had lifted them. when
covered with cloth, and that they were yery
them, though she was a robust woman
What Joe expected at that time to ac-
complish seems difficult to understand hut
he soon began to exhibit what he claimed fo
be copies of the characters engraved on the
plates. though the irreverent were disposed
TO think he was more indebted to the let
tiers found on China tea chests and in the
histories of the Egyptians and the Baby
lonians than to any plates he had dug IN
near Palmyra. Before long, however, a
new party appeared on the scene in the per
son OF one Sidney Rigdon, and thence for
ward new aspect was put upon the whole
matter.
Rigdon Shrewd Man.
II remember Rigdon as man of about
forty years. smooth, sleek and with some
means. He had much assurance and in
these days would be good broker or spec
ufator. He was distrustaA by large part
of the people of Palmyra and Canandaigua.
HE and Joe Smith fell in with one an
other and were cronies for several months.
1t was after Rigdon and Smith were so in
innate that the divine part of the finding of
Nln 70. h,x~ Il =.