Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1916-09-06
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SALESMAN HOLDS
GOLD PLATES OF
The MORMONS
MiSSourian Said to Possess >Sa-
cred Tablets Unearthed by
Joseph Smith.
WILL NOT give Them UP
Is Lineal Descendant of David Whit
ner, Who Was the Last of the
Three Witnesses to Translation
of Golden Plates.

Three Witnesses to Translation
of Golden Plates.
Hutchinson, KAMA little man car.
rying the ordinary grips of the CONNER
cial traveller who registered at the
BisOnte hotel as sc. W. Schweisch
Richmond, No." didn't look like a
man carrying the weight of an enor-
nous secret. But he is, for Mr.
Schweisch, who is a steel fence-post
salesman, is the man in whose posses
sion are supposed to be the golden
plates of the Book of Mormon, I'M
earthed by Joseph Smith, founder of
the Mormon church, and whose where
abouts have long remained mystery.
Mr.. Schweisch won't give them up.
There are those who claim it would
be the greatest gold brick sale in the
world if Schweisch should sell the tab
let's to the Utah church but he would
surrender his right hand first, for
Schweisch believes those tablets are
genuine, and that a solemn obligation
requires him to keep them from the
Utah church.
Mr.. Schweisch is supposed to be the
possessor of the golden record of the
Naphites, as well as the copper plates
of the Sanhedrin and other priceless
Mormon relics. Consequently, he is
one of the most-watched men in the
country, and needs barricade of his
own steel fence-posts to keep the in
vestigators, and even thieves, away
who seek to rob him of the valuable
relics.
He talks freely enough about his
grandfather, in whose home in New
York state the plates of gold were
translated by the founder of the Nor
mon church, and admits delivering the
original copy of the Mormon Bible
himself to Joseph Smith at Independ-
ence, Mo.
Mormons Want Plates.
Recently a statement was published
that the plates of pure gold which
bear the original record of the Nor
mon church and which either would
prove or disprove the claims of that
church are in the guardianship of Mr..
Schweisch. But this he could not
be prevailed on to discuss.
Some years ago the town of Rich
mond, where he lives, was blown away
by a cyclone. The house of David
Whitmer was wrecked with the excep-
ton of one room. This is said to have
contained the sacred plates of gold
and was saved by an act of Cod
1t is said that David Whitmer made
provisions that the records should not
fall into the hands of any save his
own lineal descendants, and refused
to turn them over to the church au
thorities at Salt Lake City after he
had quarreled with Joseph Smith over
the question of polygamy.
Whitmer scoffed at Smith receiving
any revelation from God indorsing pc
lygamy and broke away from the Sail
Lake City church. He also disagreed
with what is known as the reorgan
lied church, clinging to the branch OF
the church called the Church Of
Christ" Mr.. Schweisch and hi.
daughter take the same view as Davi(
Whitmer and they refuse to deliver
/ over the sacred relics.
Mormon emissaries from the Utal
church have made constant efforts t.
recover them, and this travelling pos
salesman declares his home at Rich
mond has been frequently searched.
"But they win never find them," he
said. "They are in existence, bu
where | am not at liberty to say"
The whereabouts of the COLDER
| plates and the sealed book became one
of the mysteries of the church. Some
believe they were buried again at the
hill of Cumorah. Others hold thai
they remained in the possession of Da
vid Whitmer and passed on down tC
his lineal descendants and are now il
hiding in the home OF Mr.. Schweisct
OF Richmond, Mo-, his grandson.
Il don't want to make any statement
about it, insisted the fence-post sales
man. "If l had the sealed book
would not dare admit it. 1t has caused
me enough trouble already. l can say
this, however, that those who have
been searching for the golden plates
will never find them. They might as
well give up.
Il don't want to make any statement
about that. But know what they are
They consist of the golden plates, the
copper plates which are the record OF
the Jewish Sanhedrin or Great Coun-
Gil, and the sword of Laban, the ia
ther-in-law of Jacob. Then there are
| some other minor articles. But l want
to repeat that search for them will
never find them, nor need anybody
bother my daughter after 1 am dead
for they will never find them"
Record of Descendants.