Mormon History
BOM Lost Pages Found - 1876
The Salt Lake Daily Tribune – August 26, 1876
BOOK OF MORMON.
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Let There Be Rejoicing Among the Faithful in Zion.
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The Lost Pages of Smith's Bible
Found Among the Ruins of Palmyra.
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The Gospel Restored, and Lehi Turns Up at Last.
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Readers of Mormon history are aware of the fact
that just before the Mormon Bible was printed, in 1830, one hundred and
sixteen pages of the sacred manuscript were made away with by Mrs. Harris,
wife of Martin the Witness, in consequence of which loss the Bible makers were
at their wits' ends, and the printing of the book delayed several months.
It was supposed by Smith and Cowdery that the missing pages had been handed over
by Mrs. Harris to some one who might produce them to the confusion of Joseph, in
case he should attempt to replace them. Smith did not reproduce the stolen
pages, (a thing easily accomplished had he been possessed of the plates and
ability to translate them,) but published a card giving his reasons for not
re-translating. This card of explanation was printed in the first edition of the
Book of Mormon, and is, of itself, conclusive evidence of imposture; indeed the
explanation was worse than the loss of the manuscript, and is now omitted by
Brigham and the Bible venders at Plano. The possible reappearance of the missing
sheets was a cause of much anxiety to Joseph for some months; and their coming
to light at this late day will be a matter of transporting astonishment to all
the Saints who hunger and thirst after Cumorah's hillside mysteries. The
following will explain itself.
After leaving Cumorah's sacred summit we wended our way to the old, rackety,
tumble-down building, to which, we were assured, Harris was in the habit of
going alone, during the inception of the new ism, wherein, also, Mrs. Harris was
occasionally seen during the absence of her husband. "This is the place," said
Havens, "the very place where old Martin and Joe used to inspire each other with
chances to gull the town and clear a thousand or two. Here, too, old Mrs. Harris
used to saunter in and out inquiringly, and just as like as not she chucked
those sacred pages into some of these cracks here. I say, Jenkins, give us a
lift there on that slab, while I stir up a rat's nest -- that's a mysterious
looking aperture." So said, and done; when, lo! amid the rubbish of rotten wood,
leaves and cob webs, a dingy, torn copy of the Wayne Sentinel, bits of
paper scribbled, but illegible, and by the shades of Nephi, a roll of
manuscript!
"Go for it, Jenkins," aid Havens excitedly; and I went for it. The outside pages
were tender with age, and like short cake fell to pieces in unrolling. "Give me
a chance at that," said Jenkins; "if there's anything I'm specially qualified
for it is in deciphering' old document’s. I hope this is a batch of Joe's love
letters or Harris's adventure with the Devil. Go to -- let's at it." On
examination this old roll of paper seemed to have neither beginning or end; it
commenced without a commencement and quit with dim obscurity. There were neither
capitals nor periods and but for the frequent recurrence of And it came to
pass," the first ten pages would have been wholly illegible. The following
pages told the rather uncertain story of one Lehi and his attempt to teach a
Sunday school class by the story method. Here it is --- as it were.
"---- And now for the more
instruction part of my hearers, and insomuch as the place that now knows me will
know me no more for ever (Selah) and as my father did observe to say a remark to
me of the bounden duty of ____ to bear testimony of my own knowledge concerning
that of which hath been spoken.
I, Lehi, the seventh son of the seventh son, all of whom were males now speech
to ye, before I go to that bourne from whence no traveler e'er returns, upon the
much wickedness of ye Sodomites, which was of much badness, and worse and more
so. And it came to pass, as my father were wont to say, so I saith to ye. (And
did not Zoram bear like chronology to his progenitors?) Thus endeth the eleventh
year of Coriantum[r] and Shiz. The Lamanites were driven out of the land; and
the Ammonihahites from Ammonihah, who lived a time after their fathers existed
before them, these all were destroyed; yea, and every living soul did cease to
be alive; and it came to pass, because of much desolation the land was desolate.
(For did not Annulek say, it is very lonely!) And their carcasses were mangled
by canines, which are dogs; and their carcasses, of which hath been spoken, were
scattered up on the face of the earth; and they were covered with a shallow
burial, and there was not much earth upon their bodies, for behold it was quite
thin. An it came to pass, Sodom did stand up and speak, and he did say a remark
with his mouth, and I saith the same to ye; did he not say, 'I am monarch of all
I survey' -- because of this desolateness; but it is not good for man to be
alone, and moreover, for as much more, Satan finds some mischief still for idle
hands to do, I will pass by the land of Shiz and Shux and Borax, and like the
busy bee that doth improve each shining hour, so I will -- yea verily.
And it came to pass as Sodom and his two wives and his three sons and their four
wives essayed to go into the south country, they were attacked by the Yanks and
Modocs and Busharecs. And Sodom said to his hosts (for by this time their
children were big.) "The question now is -- to be or not to be; we are
surrounded by bloodthirsty savages, whose souls are not regarded in Bozrah. They
care not for the inalienable rights of man among whom are life, liberty and the
pursuits of happiness." And it came to pass that he did exhort them with many
other fine oratories, insomuch that they were swollen with valor, and Damscopus
did nail the flag to the mast, and they did fall upon their enemies and did
smote them hip and thigh from sunrise until the going down thereof, and they did
slew forty-two hundred thousand, and when morning came there were a good many
dead, yea, verily, those who had died the day before!
Behold, is this not engraven on the plates? Verily, Selah!
CHAPTER XVII.
And it came to pass, yet,
so, as, thereby, neither; and Sodom went to, and did, and built a city and
called it after himself, Sodom, which is, as it was, a city named after himself.
And it came to pass that Sodom and his two wives and his three sons and their
four wives and their much relatives, insomuch they were forasmuch more so, did,
yea, verily, they didst, as hath been spoken, and married and did live up to
their privileges and did take unto themselves wives, all of which they chose,
and the daughters of men were fair to look upon. Selah! And they said, 'e
plurbus unum,' and they ceased to bear testimony, and the desert did cease to
blossom as the rose, and the Lord poured hot shot upon the town of Sodom because
of their intercourse with the Gentiles and their admiration for a certain vile
sheet, a Tribune, as it were, after a sort. So it came to pass, verily thus
saith I, it came to pass Sodom was no more, it was not and became as it had not
been, according to the sayings of the prophet who declareth in Zion, nux
comica!
And it came to pass that, the spindle did turn whithersoever it turned, and Lot
did get out of, go away and leave Sodom, with but one long, lingering look
behind. And it came to pass, the Angel of the Lord, thus saith the Angel of the
Lord, get thee out, Lot, and thy two daughters. And so it came to pass they did
go, and did get, and go from the ashes of Sodom. And, lo! it did seem to Lot
that he was alone in an inhospitable place, and there was not a woman, nor any
wife to him and he could not live up to his privileges, for Lot was of the genus
Mormon. And he did say to the girls, with that speech wherewith he did say unto
them, "Bring me to the pleasure of my fathers, and of the valley Tan whereof ye
have a wherewithal, let me have the solace of five several delights." And as he
said, so did the girls, and things became so-so.
And Lot knew the woman after a certain sort and did say in his heart, Heaven and
earth, and they did conceive and the mother of Moab became the mother of the
Moabites and Ammon the mother of the Ammonites, which are to this day.
And it came to pass that this became thus -- thusly, according to the words of
Alma. As the mothers of Moab and Ammon were sisters, the boys were each other's
uncles! Quotha; and as the children of the same father, are brother and sister,
Moab was his own uncle.
And now furthermore, as Moab and Ammon were children by the same parent, they
were brothers and sisters, and being at the same time children of sisters, they
were also cousins! So Moab was not only his own uncle, but cousin and uncle to
Ammon, who being child to the same father, was brother to his mother!
And now, forasmuch as the father of a mother is a grandfather, and as Lot was
both father to Ammon and Ammon's mother, father and grandfather were one and the
same man, consequently Lot was his own father. according to the most
excellent doctrines and peophecies of Mormon, the relative of I, Lehi!
And it came to pass --
* * * * * *
Beyond this the manuscript is illegible. But it is plain enough that the story
is that spirited away by Mrs. Harris in 1827-8-9. The facts, like those in the
Mormon Bible, are important; the names are easily recognized, and the
composition is characteristic. Beyond a doubt Havens and Jenkins have discovered
the missing pages of the Book of Mormon, and we shall look expectantly for a new
edition containing this addition to the revelations of Palmyra Joseph!