The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-09-25
OF MORMON
PLATES PLANTED
+. BY ILLINOIS Man

st. Louis, Mo-, Sept. 25-Evidence,
which has just been placed before the
Illinois state Historical society by w.
D. Fugate, 1926 Obear avenue, and his
brother, DR.. John T. Fugate Of Urbana,
ILL.,, proves that the original copper
plates, from which the Second Book of
Mormon was written, were planted"
in an Indian mound near Undertook,
Pike county, ILL.,, in a plot to expose
the Mormon leader, Joseph Smith.
The planting was done by the faith
er Of the brothers, Wilbourn Fugate, in
the '4Os, but was new revealed by
him until 1875, because Of fear of Nor
mon indignation. The story as told
by the two sons and backed by aff1-
davits, made by the elder Fugate, prior
to his death In 1886, have just been
placed before the Illinois State Histor-
ical society.
w. D. Fugate of st. Louis, who is 70
years old, told today how the plates
came to be planted"
my father was a free thinker inc
essentially opposed to the Mormons,
thousands of whom had colonized in
Illinois, prior to their exodus to Utah.
he related.
Prophecy Suggests Plot.
"Joe Smith was then at the heighth
of his career as a prophet. One Of his
prophecies which was given circula-
ton at the time was that a set of
plates, similar to those OH which the
First Book of Mormon vas written by
translation, would be found in thei
bowels of the earth.
This gave my father the idea. Near
Kinderhook there stood three Indian
mounds from which innumerable In
dian relics were found. Scores Of peg
sons. particularly on Sunday, visited
these mounds and dug about, and the
explorers in the middle mound in one
place had unearthed a hole about
twenty-five feet deep.
Father took two men into his con-
tidence. They were Bridge Written
and Wirum Weldon. Bridge was a
blacksmith. They procured several
copper plates, and cut them out in the
shape of a bell, about six inches deep
and four inches wide. Then they got
knowledge of hieroglyphics, took a
sharp instrument and drew the char
acters in the wax. He then poured
acid into the Impressions, placed the
plate over the wax, NJ the characters
were thus etched on the plates.
Plates ArtificiaIIy "Aged."
After preparing the plates, which
occupied several days, he set about to
age them. This he did by preparing
some sort of a rust paste, which gave
the plates the appearance of having
been made by the early Egyptians.
Then they planted them in the hole
in the middle mound.
Next they planned the discovery.
This they carried out by inducing Dr..
Harris, a Mormon, and close friend of
Joe Smith, to accompany father and
Bridge on a relic hunting expedition.
Incidentally they came to the hole in
he mound and father suggested they
it. He n DR.. Harris did so.
"Father attempted, by all means, to
have Dr.. Harris discover the plates,
but for some reason he could not in
1uce Dr.. Harris to find them, so faith
ar himself had to discover them. The
effect, however, was all he could have
desired.
Smith Translates Them.
"Dr. Harris took the plates to Joe
Smith, and the prophet immediately
hailed them as the plates of which he
had foretold. He translated the char
and shortly the Second Book
of Mormons appeared. as his divine
Interpretation of the copper plates
in the mound.
The story was known in our fami-
~, but father would eve reveal it,
nor would he permit us to. The plates
sent all over the world.
I'm 1875, an Mormon paper Of
Lake City wrote him and asked
him to relate the truth of the finding
Of the plates. Father told the story in
aftidaVits,' which were sent to the Salt
Lake newspaper and published"
Practiesd in ST. Louis.
DR.. John T. Fugate of Urbana is 81
years old. He is a graduate of the
Did st. Louis Medical college and was
l practitioner in st. Louis in the sos.
According. to the brother in st.
Louis, the plates were returned to the
after they had been viewed in
many places. DR.. Fugate brought them
% st. Louis and gave them to DR.. Nc
Dowell, then dean of the medical
Mr.. Fugate does not know
where the plates are now. but believes
are in st. Louis.
ny COntraries.
Chicago Tribune: ."This is a FUNNY