Norwich bulletin., 1920-12-06
founder of the Morn cn states.

founder of the Morn cn states.
 There -lusL have teen something exccp- tiona1 in the man, for Smith was known in the little New York village of Man chester where he resided, as an idle, in- temperate and illiterate person, yet when he told his wonderful story of divine revelations and the discovery of new religion he found many willing dupes. According Co Smiths own account of himself, his mind was at a very early age exercised relisieusly. and that on the evening of Sept. q, 1923, when he was but IS years old, the angel Moroni ap- peared before him as messenger from the Lord, instructir him n the secret purposes of the Most High, and an Smith, should become a spiritual leader and commander of the nations of the earth.
 | He claimed he was also told that there was bundle of golden or metallic plates l deposited in a hill in Manchester which l contained some lost Biblical records, and with which were two transparent stones. set in the rim of bow of silver, which
 were anciently known as the trim and 1 Thummina, and that by looking through
 these stones he could see the strange i characters ou the plates translated into
 English.
 These plates were about eight inches long by seven wide, and a little thinner
 than ordinary tin. and were bound to-
 getheF by three rings running through tht
 whole, From these plates, with hiero glyphics in language called the Re
 formed Egyptian. Smith. sitting behind ,
 blanket hung across the room to keep thu
 sacred records from profane eyes. reaS
 off, through the transparent stones. tn
 Book of Mormon to Oliver Cowdery l cd
 This volume of several hundred page
 was printed in 1S30 Appended to it wa
 a statement signed by Oliver Cowdery David Whitmer and Martin Harrls. wh had become professed believers in Smith
 supernatural pretensions. and are eaile by the Mormons the three, witnesses" Il after years, however, these witnesse
 ouarrelled with Smith, renounced Mor l monism and ayowed the fslsity of thei testimony.
 !, As to the transcript on the paper. on
 of the golden plates having been submit
 ted to Prof. Charles Anthon of New Tor
 for his inspection, that eminent schols
 gave as his opinion that the paper was , kind of scroll consisting of all kinds C . crooked characters disposed in columns ! and had evidently been prepared by som 2 person who had before him at the time
 book containing various alphabets. Gree
 l and Hebrew letters, crosses and nourisl
 es; Roman letters, inverted CT place
 sideways, were arranged and placed e perpendicular columns. and the who \ ended in a rude delineation of circl divided into various compartments, deck, ' with various strange marks. and eviden Il ly copied after the Mexican calendar giv' U by Humboldt, but copied in such a "; = as not to betray the source.
 Shortly after the purported discove
 of these Mormon scriptures the first re
 ularly constituted church of the faith VI
 organized in Manchester, April 6, 1S5 n and from this time and event dates | D Mormon era. The first public discour l WIS p: cached By Oliver Cowdery. un | 's first of June the hrst conference of t T, church was held at Fayette, N. Y, a n from this on for some time convei Id multiplied rapidly, gaining greatest bea le way in the middle est. Today Salt La "a City Is the Mormon Zion, and while { Se doctrine is not gaining any mater st headway, yet its capital city is prosperi ae and bids fair to long remain a seat
 interest of the fake delvsions of the l. temperate and illiterate Joseph Smith l Manchester, N. I.
 K CTomorrow-Cemmode Perry's Visit 1i Japan.)