Mormon History
Examining the BOM Witnesses - 1879
The Salt Lake Daily Tribune – May 13, 1879
THE WITNESSES TO THE
BOOK OF MORMON.
________
The
foundation stone of this Latter-day dispensation is the Book of Mormon. If the
founder of this religious system was not chosen by the Almighty for His sacred
work, was not visitd by angels as he claims, and did not discover the plates by
divine instruction, the theological fabric he has reared has no support, and it
falls to the ground as rank imposture. To determine the truth of the testimony
borne in favor if the Gold Bible and its translator, we have to look at the
character of the man who assumes to have been appointed by the Lord as His
prophet, and also what credibility attaches to the witnesses who certify to the
genuineness of the work. The name of Joseph Smith has come down to us as the
founder of a new religion, who held constant communication with celestial
intelligences, and who gave up his life to seal his testament. Uninquiring faith
seizes hold of such a man as a divine instrument, and a halo suffuses his life
which misleads the judgment and disarms criticism. But if we go back to the
neighborhood where he spent his early years, and take the statements of the men
who saw him in his ordinary pursuits, this spell vanishes, and Joseph Smith, the
prophet, becomes less than an average mortal. Elder John Hyde, in his History of
Mormonism, has taken pains to collect the sworn testimony of scores of Joseph
Smith's neighbors, and as a man is best known by the reputation he has at home,
we will show the standing held by this holy man among those persons who best
knew him. Eleven residents of Manchester, Ontario county, New York, make
affidavit, Nov. 3d, 1833, as follows:
We, the undersigned, being personally
acquainted with the family of Joseph Smith, sen., with whom the Gold Bible,
so-called, originated, state that they are not only a lazy, indolent set of men,
but also intemperate, and their word not to be depended upon, and that we are
heartily glad to dispense with their society.
(Here follow the signatures)
The following month, (dec. 4th) fifty-one other men, (reported to be of good
standing and reputation,) made the following affidavit.
We, the undersigned, have been
acquainted with the Smith family for a number of years, while they resided near
this place, and we have no hesitation in saying that we consider them destitute
of that moral character which ought to entitle them to the confidence of any
community. They were particularly famous for visionary projects; spent much of
their time in digging for money, which they pretended was hid in the earth * * *
Joseph Smith, sen., and his son Joseph, in particular, were considered entirely
destitute of moral character and addicted to vicious habits
Willard Chase made affidavit before a local justice (Judge Smith) as follows:
I have regarded Joseph Smith, jr. from
the time I first became acquainted with him, as a man whose word could not be
depended on. * * * After they became Mormons, their conduct was more disgraceful
than before. * * * Although they left this part of the country without paying
their just debts, yet their creditors were glad to have them do so, rather than
to have them stay.
Joseph Capron testified that "the object of the Smith family appeared to be to
live without work. While digging for money they were constantly harrassed by
creditors, who are still unpaid." Barton Stafford, on oath before Judge Baldwin,
desposed and said,
Joseph Smith, sen, was a noted drunkard,
most of his family followed his example, especially Joseph Smith, jr., the
prophet, who was much addicted to intemperance. He got drunk in my father's
field, and when drunk would talk about his religion.
Levi Lewis testifies to somewhat similar effect. This witness says he knows
Smith to be a liar; that he saw him intoxicated three different times while
pretending to translate the Book of Mormon; and he has heard him say adultery
was no crime.
The above is enough to establish the reputation of the founder of the Mormon
religion; now let us see what is said of the "three witnesses" who attest the
sacred character of his work. The following is their voucher for the genuineness
of the Book of Mormon: ...
[witnesses' statement follows]
Elder John Hyde calls attention to the fact that neither date nor place is given
to this "record." The signers do not make three separate affidavits
corroboraating each other without collusion; but one testimony is given signed
by the three men. And whose pen produced the rigmarole? If we compare the style
with a number of Smith's revelations, it will be seen that the author of these
divine commandments is also the writer of this testimony. Now let us see what
the character and credibility of these men who were favored with the visitation
of an angel to attest the truth unto all kindreds, tongues and people.
The first signer is Oliver Cowdery. This devout Saint was a school teacher, and
becomming smitten with his prophet's doctrines, he enrolled himself among
Smith's followers. Martin Harris having grown tired of his work as an
amanuensis, Cowdery was selected to succeed him. But he also felt a lack of
faith, and required stronger evidence in support of his master's pretensions.
Whereupon Joseph received several revelations for his scribe's especial benefit,
which for awhile seem to have answered the required purpose. But matters did not
go along harmoniously. Shortly after the organization of the Church in 1830, we
find Hiram Smith charging Oliver Cowdery with going to his house while he
(Hiram) was in prison, ransacking his goods and carrying off some valuables. He
also complains of Cowdery compelling his aged father (Smith senior) to deed over
to him, by threatening to bring a mob to his aid, 160 acres of land in payment
of a note for $160, which Cowdery said he received from Hiram, but which the
latter pronounces a forgery. The testimony of a man guilty of theft and forgery
cannot be very convincing to the inquiring mind.
Next David Whitmer receives a setting up at the hands of his friends. In
Independence, in the year 1838, Sidney Rigdon charged Oliver Cowdery and David
Whitmer with being connected with a gang of counterfeiters, theives, liars and
blacklegs of the deepest dye, the object of this choice fraternity being to
deceive and defraud the Saints. Joseph Smith, in Times and Seasons,
charged this choice pair with being "busy in stirring up strife among the
brethren in Missouri," and that "they were studiously engaged in circulating
false and slanderous reports against the Saints." And he asks upon this showing,
"Are they not murderers at heart? Are not their consciences seared with a hot
iron? They were cut off from the Church, being too deeply implicated to deny the
testimony, and too thoroughly defamed beforehand for such a denial to have any
weight."
The third witness is Martin Harris. This strange genius was a farmer in affluent
circumstances, and he was forever in quest of some new road to heaven. His
acquaintance with the Prophet Joseph began through the latter accosting him on a
chance meeting with, "I have been commanded from God to ask the first man I meet
to give me fifty dollars to help me do the Lord's work in translating the Gold
Bible." Joseph had studied his man before he approached him, and chose just the
rightmeans to win his confidence. Martin shelled out the cash. Previous to his
turning Saint, he had been Quaker, Universalist, Restorationist, Baptist,
Presbyterian. But his frequent conversions never succeeded in uprooting the old
Adam from within, for he was a man of violent and quarrelsome temper, and
treated his wife most brutally. Richard Ford and G. W. Stoddard made sworn
statements to his frequently putting her out of doors. The poor woman herself
tells of her shoulders being left black and blue after her husband's gentle
administrations, and once, she says, "he struck me over the head several times
with the butt end of a whip three or four feet long." The acquaintance opened as
above, the pair soon became intimate, and Martin was employed as scribe. But his
faith fading him, he wanted to see the plates. Smith put his dsiciple off, and
sent him to Professor Anthon with what he professed to be characters copied from
the plates. The professor's opinion of the hieroglyphics was by no means
reassuring, and he came back more dissatisfied than ever, Joseph treated his
patient's disease with his unfailing specific, revelation.
Harris then stole 118 pages of the translation, hoping to expose Smith by a
second copy. But the prophet was too cute to be caught that way. He obtained a
revelation commanding him to not to retranslate. The book as finished at last,
and testimony gotten up to establish its divine authenticity. Harris' signature
was appended as a witness, but it had to be extorted from him, and was given
last when it should have been first.
"Harris' testimony," says John Hyde, "has convinced thousands but not himself,
nor did it deter him from desiring to commit murder and adultery." We find the
prophet rebuking his wayward follower, and getting a revelation commanding him
to repent and not to covet his neighbor's wife, nor to seek his neighbor's life;
also to impart freely of his means to pay for printing the Book of Mormon. In
1837 [sic -
1838?], the man of God got after the bucolic Saint in the following lively
manner,
There are negroes who have white skins
as well as black ones. Granny Parrish had a few others who acted as lackeys,
such as Martin Harris. But they are so far beneath my contempt that to notice
any of them would be too great a sacrifice for any gentleman to make.
IN addition to the three witnesses there are eight others; four of the Whitmer
family, three Smiths and a Hiram Page -- the last a relative of Cowdery. This
little syndicate testify that the translator has exhibited the plates to them,
"which have the appearance of gold," that they handled them with their hands,
saw the engraving thereon, and "know of a surety that the said Smith has got the
plates of which we have spoken." The author and translator was evidently hard
run when he was reduced to this expedient. So sacred had these plates been held
hitherto that Joseph divided his translating room with a blanket, he sitting on
one side and the scribe on the other, and before the three could be indulged
with a sight of them, we have frequent revelations, many warnings, three years'
delay, and the use of endless subterfuge, mystery and magical paraphrenalia. It
will be seen there is no date or place given to this latter testimonial. It is
not an affidavit, and it also bears the marks of Joseph's handiwork. It is a
snug little family arrangement. Three of the signers are relatives of the
prophet, four are related to David Whitmer, who signed the first voucher, and
the eighth signer, as we remarked above, is a kinsman of Oliver Cowdery. These
to help the prophet out of a scrape, were willing to put their hands to a
document prepared for them, but when we see how fraudulent was the character of
the man who is connected with the whole business, the mere attest of half a
score of persons embarked in the scheme with him will never give authenticity to
what has been showen to be a transparent swindle.