Mormon History
How Martin Harris was Duped - 1841
The Warsaw Signal – July 14, 1841
THE MORMONS.
The
following narrative was written by the Rev. John A. Clark, now of the city
of Philadelphia, a gentleman of unquestionable veracity, in whose statements
every confidence may justly be placed. It bears on its face the evidence of
sincerity and truth. From it the reader will learn all that is essential to know
of the origin of the singular imposture by which Smith and his Mormon aiders and
abettors have succeeded in making so many weak and miserable dupes.
The Mormons first located themselves, as a body, in Kirtland, Grange [sic] Co.,
Ohio. Some difference arose among their leaders on account of certain banking
operations which they attempted, and they separated, and a portion of them went
to Independence, Jackson Co., Mo. The people in the neighbourhood of that
location became unfriendly to them, and drove them away by force, subjecting
them to great sufferings and loss of property. They were at last entirely and
forcibly expelled from the state of Missouri. They afterwards purchased the town
of Commerce, said to be a situation of surpassing beauty, at the head of the
lower rapids on the Illinois shore of the Mississippi River. The writer to whom
I have already referred, and who has revisited these western Mormons this
present summer, remarks: -- "The name of the place where they now reside, they
have recently changed to Nauvoo, the Hebrew term for fair or beautiful. Around
this place, as their centre, they are daily gathering from almost every quarter;
and several hundred new houses, erected within the last few months, attest to
the passing traveller the energy, industry, and self-denial with which the
community is imbued. They have also obtained possession of extensive lands on
the opposite side of the river, in that charming portion of Iowa Territory,
known as the 'Half Breed Reservation;' and there upon the rolling and fertile
prairies they are rapidly selecting their homes and opening their farms. As the
traveller now passes through those natural parks and fields of flowers, which
the hand of the Creator seems to have originally planted there for the
inspection of his own eye, he beholds their cabins dotted down in the most
enchanting perspective, either on the borders of the timber, or beside the
springs and streams of living water, which are interspersed on every hand."
The other portion that remain in Ohio, have erected a stone temple in Kirtland,
of splendid appearance and singular construction. The first floor is a place of
worship, with four pulpits at each end; each pulpit calculated to hold three
persons. These pulpits rise behind and above one another, and are designed for
different grades of ministers according to their rank in office. These are the
two principal settlements of these people, although there are small societies of
them found in almost every part of the United States. In some instances not only
members but ministers of orthodox churches have been led to leave their own
churches, and identify themselves with the Mormons.
It is time that I should acquaint you with some facts that came to my personal
knowledge full thirteen years ago, connected with the rise of this imposture.
It was early in the autumn of 1827 that Martin Harris called at my house in
Palmyra, one morning about sun-rise. His whole appearance indicted more than
usual excitement, and he had scarcely passed the threshold of my dwelling,
before he inquired whether he could see me alone, remarking that he had a matter
to communicate that he wished to be strictly confidential. Previous to this, I
had but very slight acquaintance with Mr. Harris. He had occasionally attended
divine service in our church. I had heard him spoken of as a farmer in
comfortable circumstances, residing in the country a short distance from the
village, and distinguished by certain peculiarities of character. He had been,
if I mistake not, at one period, a member of the Methodist Church, and
subsequently had identified himself with the Universalists. At this time,
however, in his religious views he seemed to be floating upon the sea of
uncertainty.
He had evidently quite an extensive knowledge of the Scriptures, and possessed a
manifest disputatious turn of mind. As I subsequently learned, Mr. Harris had
always been a firm believer in dreams, and visions, and supernatural
appearances, such as apparitions and ghosts, and therefore was a fit subject for
such men as Smith and his colleagues to operate upon. On the occasion just
referred to, I invited him to accompany me to my study, where, after having
closed the door, he began to draw a package out of his pocket with great and
manifest caution. Suddenly, however, he stopped, and wished to know if there was
any possibility of our being interrupted or overheard? When answered in the
negative, he proceeded to remark, that he reposed great confidence in me as a
minister of Jesus Christ, and that what he had now to communicate he wished me
to regard as strictly confidential. He said he verily believed that an important
epoch had arrived -- that a great flood of light was about to burst upon the
world, and that the scene of divine manifestation was to be immediately around
us. In explanation of what he meant, he then proceeded to remark that a GOLDEN
BIBLE had recently been dug from the earth, where it had been deposited for
thousands of years, and that this would be found to contain such disclosures as
would settle all religious controversies and speedily bring on the glorious
millennium. That this mysterious book, which no human eye of the present
generation has yet seen, was in the possession of Joseph Smith, Jr., ordinarily
known in the neighbourhood under the more familiar designation of Jo Smith;
that there had been a revelation made to him by which he had discovered this
sacred deposit, and two transparent stones, through which, as a sort of
spectacles, he could read the Bible, although the box or ark that contained it,
had not yet been opened; and that by looking through those mysterious stones, he
had transcribed from one of the leaves of this book, the characters which Harris
had so carefully wrapped in the package which he was drawing from his pocket.
The whole thing appeared to me so ludicrous and puerile, that I could not
refrain from telling Mr. Harris, that I believed it a mere hoax got up to
practice upon his credulity, or an artifice to extort from him money; for I had
already, in the course of the conversation, learned that he had advanced some
twenty-five dollars to Jo Smith as a sort of premium for sharing with him in the
glories and profits of this new revelation. For at this time, his mind seemed to
be quite as intent upon the pecuniary advantage that would arise from the
possession of the plates of solid gold of which this book was composed, as upon
the spiritual light it would diffuse over the world. My intimations to him, in
reference to the possible imposition that was being practiced upon him, however,
were indignantly repelled. He then went on to relate the particulars in regard
to the discovery and possession of this marvellous book. As far as I can now
recollect, the following was an outline of the narrative which he then
communicated to me, and subsequently to scores of people in the village, from
some of whom in my late visit to Palmyra, I have been able to recall several
particulars that had quite glided from my memory.
Before I proceed to Martin's narrative, however, I would remark in passing, that
Jo Smith, who has since been the chief prophet of the Mormons, and was one of
the most prominent ostensible actors in the first scenes of this drama, belonged
to a very shiftless family near Palmyra. They lived a sort of vagrant life, and
were principally known as money-diggers. Jo from a boy appeared dull and
utterly destitute of genius; but his father claimed for him a sort of second
sight, a power to look into the depths of the earth, and discover where its
precious treasures were hid. Consequently long before the idea of a GOLDEN BIBLE
entered their minds, in their excursions for money-digging, which I believe
usually occurred in the night, that they might conceal from others the knowledge
of the place where they struck upon treasures; Jo used to be usually their
guide, putting into a hat a peculiar stone he had through which he looked to
decide where they should begin to dig.
According to Martin Harris, it was after one of these night excursions, that Jo,
while he lay upon his bed, had a remarkable dream. An angel of God seemed to
approach him, clad in celestial splendor. This divine messenger assured him that
he, Joseph Smith, was chosen of the Lord to be a prophet of the Most High God,
and to bring to light hidden things, that would prove of unspeakable benefit to
the world. He then disclosed to him the existence of this golden Bible, and the
place where it was deposited -- but at the same time told him that he must
follow implicitly the divine direction, or he would draw down upon him the wrath
of heaven. This book, which was contained in a chest, or ark, and which
consisted of metallic plates covered with characters embossed in gold, he must
not presume to look into, under three years. He must first go on a journey into
Pennsylvania -- and there among the mountains, he would meet with a very lovely
woman, belonging to a highly respectable and pious family, whom he was to take
for his wife. As proof that he was sent on this mission by Jehovah, as soon as
he saw this designated person, he would be smitten with her beauty, and though
he was a stranger to her, and she was far above him in the walks of life, she
would at once be willing to marry him and go with him to the ends of the earth.
After their marriage he was to return to his former home, and remain quietly
there until the birth of his first child. When this child had completed his
second year, he might then proceed to the hill beneath which the mysterious
chest was deposited, and draw it thence, and publish the truths it contained to
the world. Smith awoke from his dream, and according to Harris, started off
towards Pennsylvania, not knowing to what point he should go. But the Lord
directed him, and gained him favour in the eyes of just such a person as was
described to him. He was married and had returned. His first child had been born
and was now about six months old. But Jo had not been altogether obedient to the
heavenly vision. After his marriage and return from Pennsylvania, he became so
awfully impressed with the high destiny that awaited him, that he communicated
the secret to his father and family. The money-digging propensity of the old man
operated so powerfully, that he insisted upon it that they should go and see if
the chest was there -- not with any view to remove it till the appointed time,
but merely to satisfy themselves. Accordingly they went forth in the stillness
of night with their spades and mattocks to the spot where slumbered this sacred
deposit. They had proceeded but a little while in the work of excavation, before
the mysterious chest appeared; but lo! instantly it moved and glided along out
of their sight. Directed, however, by the clairvoyance of Jo, they again
penetrated to the spot where it stood and succeeded in gaining a partial view of
its dimensions. But while they were pressing forward to gaze at it, the thunder
of the Almighty shook the spot and made the earth to tremble -- a sheet of vivid
lightning swept along over the side of the hill, and burnt terribly around the
spot where the excavation was going on, and again with a rumbling noise the
chest moved off out of their sight. They were all terrified, and fled towards
their home. Jo took his course silently along by himself. On his way homeward,
being alone, in the woods, the angel of the Lord met him clad in terror and
wrath. He spoke in a voice of thunder, and forked lightning shot through the
trees and ran along the ground. The terror of the divine messenger's appearance
instantly struck Smith to the earth, and he felt his whole frame convulsed with
agony, as though he was stamped upon by the iron hoofs of death himself. In
language most terrific did the angel upbraid him for his disobedience, and then
disappeared. Smith went home trembling and full of terror. Soon, however, his
mind became more composed. Another divine communication was made to him,
authorizing him to go alone by himself and bring the chest and deposit it
secretly under the hearth of his dwelling, but by no means to attempt to look
into it. The reason assigned by the angel for this removal, was that some report
in relation to the place where this sacred book was deposited had gone forth,
and there was danger of its being disturbed. According to Harris, Smith now
scrupulously followed the divine directions. He was already in possession of the
two transparent stones laid up with the GOLDEN BIBLE, by looking through which
he was enabled to read the golden letters on the plates in the box. How he
obtained these spectacles without opening the chest, Harris could not tell. But
still he had them; and by means of them he could read all the book contained.
The book itself was not to be disclosed until Smith's child had reached a
certain age. Then it might be published to the world. In the interim, Smith was
to prepare the way for the conversion of the world to a new system of faith, by
transcribing the characters from the plates and giving translations of the same.
This was the substance of Martin Harris' communication to me upon our first
interview. He then carefully unfolded a slip of paper, which contained three or
four lines of characters, as unlike letters or hieroglyphics of any sort, as
well could be produced were one to shut up his eyes and play off the most antic
movements with his pen upon paper. The only thing that bore the slightest
resemblance to the letter of any language that I had ever seen, was two uprights
marked joined by a horizontal line, that might have been taken for the Hebrew
character |-|.
My ignorance of the characters in which the pretended ancient record was
written, was to Martin Harris new proof that Smith's whole account of the divine
revelation made to him was entirely to be relied on.
One thing is here to be noticed, that the statements of the originators of this
imposture varied, and were modified from time to time according as their plans
became more matured. At first it was a gold Bible -- then golden plates engraved
-- then metallic plates stereotyped or embossed with golden letters. At one time
Harris was to be enriched by the solid gold of these plates, at another they
were to be religiously kept to convince the world of the truth of the revelation
-- and, then these plates could not be seen by any but three witnesses whom the
Lord should choose. How easy it would be, were there any such plates in
existence, to produce them, and to show that Mormonism is not a "cunningly
devised fable." How far Harris was duped by this imposture, or how far he
entered into it as a matter of speculation, I am unable to say. Several
gentlemen in Palmyra, who saw and conversed with him frequently, think he was
labouring under a sort of monomania, and that he thoroughly believed all that Jo
Smith chose to tell him on this subject. He was so much in earnest on the
subject, that he immediately started off with some of the manuscripts that Smith
furnished him on a journey to New York and Washington to consult some learned
men to ascertain the nature of the language in which this record was engraven.
After his return, he came to see me again, and told me that among others he had
consulted Professor Anthon, of Columbia College, who thought the characters in
which the book was written very remarkable, but he could not decide exactly what
language they belonged to. Martin had now become a perfect believer. He said he
had no more doubt of Smith's divine commission, than of the divine commission of
the apostles. The very fact that Smith was an obscure and illiterate man, showed
that he must be acting under divine impulses. "God had chosen the foolish things
of the world to confound the wise, and the weak things to confound the mighty;
and base things of the world, and things which are despised -- yea, and things
that are not to bring to nought things that are -- that no flesh should glory in
his presence." That he was willing to "take of the spoiling of his goods" to
sustain Smith in carrying on this work of the Lord; and that he was determined
that the book should be published, though it consumed all his worldly substance.
It was in vain I endeavoured to expostulate. I was an unbeliever, and could not
see afar off. As for him, he must follow the light which the Lord had given him.
Whether at this time Smith had those colleagues that certainly afterwards moved
unseen the wheels of this machinery, I am unable to say. Even after Cowdery and
Rigdon were bending the whole force of their minds to the carrying out of this
imposture, Jo Smith continued to be the ostensible prominent actor in the drama.
The way that Smith made his transcripts and translations for Harris was the
following: Although in the same room, a thick curtain or blanket was suspended
between them, and Smith concealed behind the blanket, pretended to look through
his spectacles, or transparent stones, and would then write down or repeat what
he saw, which, when repeated aloud, was written down by Harris, who sat on the
other side of the suspended blanket. Harris was told that it would arouse the
most terrible divine displeasure, if he should attempt to draw near the sacred
chest, or look at Smith while engaged in the work of decyphering the mysterious
characters. This was Harris's own account of the matter to me. What other
measures they afterwards took to transcribe or translate from these metallic
plates, I cannot say, as I very soon after this removed to another field of
labour where I heard no more of this matter till I learned the BOOK OF MORMON
was about being published. It was not till after the
discovery of the manuscript of Spaulding, of which I shall subsequently give
some account, that the actors in this imposture thought of calling the
pretended revelation the BOOK OF MORMON. This book, which professed to be a
translation of the golden Bible brought to light by Joseph Smith was published
in 1830 -- to accomplish which Martin Harris actually mortgaged his farm.