News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1905-08-30
SAYS MORMON BIBLE IS AN ALLEGuaY
Major Jonas 0instedd, Who Knew Spald-
ing, Its Author, and Joseph Smith,
the Prophet, Ialhs Of EarlY Days.

prophet, said bis bible the Book o
Mormon, vas a revelation from God
His statemeBtWas III quail tiedly false
| saw the Mormon MO = before Joe
Smith did. saw Charles Spaldiug
writing Il. / knew boon Spalding anO
Smith, and am thoroughly familiar
with the prophets pedigree.
This remarkable statement was
made by Maj. .ionae Omstead of 827
West Tenth street. Major OImstead
served with distinction during the
Civil Wa, and while employed in the
government secret service he was in.
strumeutal in destroying a powerful
ante bellum secret society which
threatened to disrupt tie union and
accomplish wh0'esaie treason.
Major OImstesd, when asked for
particulars concerning the above
quoted statement, added:
81 r. peat, Joe was a fakir, pure
and simple, and though ignorant he
possessed qualities which enabled hiE2
to lead the gullelees and superstitious,
much like Dowie and Others are lead
ing weak, minded men and women to.
day, and withal Smith was, despite
his ignorance, as cunning scOundrel
as ever cut throat,
81 was born at Blenheim, Schoharie
county, New YORK, eighty seven years
ago. In 1919 my father and his arge
family and my eldest brother and his
family moved to the adjoining coun-
ty, Delaware, and settled,at Meredith,
about five miles from Joe Smiths
house. My next oldest brother set
tied only two miles from Joe Smith,
and his eldest son, Stephen Olmstead
was born there. This nephew came
west in 1851, and now resides at Car
penteria, Cal. He also could give
many interesting accounts of Joe
Smiths early life. Two years ago
Stephen visited the old home and
slept in the room in which he was
born.
Gas a boy | attended school in the
Adney Lewis district, on the old
Keatskil turnpike. A milestone
stood near with the sign, '68 miles to
Kaatskill," chiseled on it. We had at
this time q tt acher named Charles
Spalding, a large fine appearing man,
always clad in threadbare suit OF
broadcloth. At 4 O'Clock Mr.. Spald.
ing would cover the burnt logs in the
fireplace with ashes, pull the old
table near to the fire and sit for hours
with his back to the chimney and
write. He boarded with my parents.
At eight O'Clock in the evening Mr..
Spalding would appear at our Preside
-one worthy the name, with fire.
place that would accommodate a
huge backlog seven feet long. B..
fore bed time my good mother would
make the teacher hot mush or set be.
fore him bread and milk.
REAL AUTHOR OF BOOK.
Mr.. Spalding was man of superb
or education. He enlivened our Gull
evenings by reading delightful stories
from French, Latin and other books.
He was an author, and wrote inces.
sanity. His efforts were applied to
the writing of novels and stories. At
the close of the winter term his table
drawers were full of manuscripts.
"When Mr.. Spalding left us he went
to Joe Smiths house to board. Soon
he was taken sick and died there. In
his last hours he secured a promise
form Joe Smith, in the presence of
witnesses, to surrender all OF his man.
uscripts to his (Mr. Spauding's) sis
ter, and, if she did not come to burn
them. He explained that for past
time he had written an allegory, but
as the work was unfinished he did
not want it to go before the public.
Smith solemnly promised. Spalding's
sister did not come and Joe Smith
turned traitor to the dead man and
used the manuscript for his own pur-
poses. That manuscript was the
basis of Smiths Mormon Bible
"Joe Smith was denounced as an
and a bad man by our en-.
tire community. No one in our coun-
ty followed him. While living at Mer-
edith Smith duped many of his credu-
lous neighbors into believing that
there was gold in the hills near the
town. He induced them to dig all
night for many nights in succession.
At dawn he would declare some one
had spoken, thereby breaking the
spell, 'and on that account the gold
disappeared Thus Smith skillfully
utilized the credulity of the men.
"Soon after Spalding' death Smith
removed to Palmyra. There he en-
bellished, amended and arranged his
bible From that time until he was
mobbed in Illinois many poor people
were led astray. Many others, know
ing Smith to be an impostor, followed
him through promise of material re-
ward.
Smiths 'bible,' with which am
thoroughly familiar, did not original
y advocate polygamy. Smith had
only one wife, and she, of course, did
not believe in polygamy. To this
lay the orthodox Mormons, Smiths
real followers, do not believe in DO.
ygamy and hold aloof from the rul-
ng Utah aggregation.
"When Joe Smith died, however, a
ar worse man succeeded him as lead
,r-the black. hearted assassin re-
,nOnaihla for fho rnosuoopo n = Ho,,v