Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-28

PAIR OF spectac1eS, which he described as
having large round glasses larger than a
silver dollar, and he asserted that by plac-
ing the plates in the bottom of a hat or
other deep receptacle, like wooden grain
measure, ne could put on the spectacles,
and looking down upon the plates, the en-
graved characters were translated into
plain English and he had only to read it
on and have it recorded by copyist.
rms claim with all its absurdity. was
not more ridiculous than one made to ME
personally by Martin Harris. who was one
OF the early and most faithful proselytes.
harris was farmer residing about mile
from the village,i with whom l was well
acquainted On one occasion I had been
out on horseback and was returning in
the evening. As I passed the house of
MI. harris he came out and, joining me,
we RODE together toward the village. 1t
was beautiful evening, and as we were
on elevated ground slop;ng toward the viii
lage, the full moon, which was just rising,
MADE everything before us look most
A Trip to the Moon.
AS l made some remark on the beauty
OF the moon, he replied to the effect that
II l could see it as he had done 1 might
Wen call 1t beautiful. I was at once curl
Gus TO know what he meant and piled him
with questions; but beyond the assertion
that he had actually visited the moon in
MS own person and seen it's glories face to
lace ne was not disposed to be commune
ea.a. remarkng that it was only the
FAITHFUL that were permitted to visit the
celestial regions. and with that he directed
conversation into other channels.
OF three or four years Smith Rigdon
s sa.i. HARRIS worked for converts to the new
latin Ihey all became. from constant
practice. good speakers and Smith was at
mat time as d.hgent and earnest as he had
PREVIOUSLY ,,y been careless and negligent.
Inc three men travelled all over New
1orK state, particularly up and down the
ERIE canal They were rotten-egged in some
places, rooted and howled to silence in 9TH
ers ana had some attention in few COM
muhitles Their meetings were generally
poorly attended and people regarded the
men as FOOLS whose cause would soon die
Out. L attended several of the meetings in
wayne county. Smith would tell with some
erect how the angel had appeared to him,
now ne felt an irresistible desire to dig
Where he did. and how he heard celestial
music and the chanting of a heavenly host
as he drew the golden plates from the
earth and bore them to his home.
Transported His Hearers.
Smith became 50 proficient in his de-
scription of the eostatic joy in heaven when
he found the plates that 1 have known a
large audience to hold it's breath as the
sentences rolled from Smiths mouth. 1
have seen farmers wives powerless and
almost unconscious in the spell of relig-
ious enthusiasm that Smith and Rigdon
c-ea ted.
Tho latter told in scores of meetings
how he was transported to the celestial
spheres at night, while his body lay on his
bee at home; how he actually walked in
flowery beds and down golden streets In
converse with Moses and Elisha on some
far-off planet.
''Of the printing of the Book of Nor
non have a peculiarly keen recollection.
Smith and Rigdon had hard work to ge.
money for the new Bible Smith told me
the world was so wicked and peryerse that
Il was hard to win converts; that he had
a vision to printsthe Bible, and as soon as
that work was tdene the cause would be
rrospered III
"a new convert named Andrews plain
ole farmer in Auburn N. Y. mortgaged
his property for $1,000 to start the printing
The Wayne Sentinel. published in Palmyra,
did the work on contract for $3.50 copies
The printing Office was on an upper floor.
near the store where 1 worked, and l was
one of the few persons allowed about the
office while the Publishing was going on
Helped Read the Proof.
81 helped to read proof on many pages
of the book and at odd times set some OF
the type The9copy was about half ready
fer the printer when there came halt in
the proceedings. = Mrs. Harris, wife of Mar
tin Harris. had become SO Disguised with
her husbandssT conversion to the. new re-
l.gion and the9 aba ndonment of his farm
to preach Mormonism that she threw In
the fire all the Bible manuscript that mad
been brought to him by Smith for review
It was weeks before Joe Smith and Rigdon
recovered from their dismay at this act.
Harris went down info his pocket for $500
to pay the loss caused by his wife's de-
struction of the manuscript.
1.-The copy of the Book of Mormon was
prepared in cave that Smith and others
dug near the scene of the finding of the
golden plates on Gold Hill. l went out
| there frequently on Sunday for a walk dur
| ing the process of the translation of the
plates and the printing of the book. Some
one of the converts was constantly about
| the mouth of the cave, and one but
| Smith and Alvin Cowdry, school teacher
there who had proselyted that season, were
allowed to go through the mouth of the
cave Rigdon had some hopes of converting
me- and l was permitted to go near the
door but not much as to peep inside.
| Smith told me later that no one had ever
seen the golden plates but himself. and that
| he wore the glasses found with the plates
| and was thus able to translate the new
message from heaven to the people. He
read aloud and Cowdry who was seated
on the other side of a screen or partition
in the cave, wrote down the words as pro-
nounced by Joe.
Spelling Was Pretty Bad.
"The penmanship of the copy furnished