Mormon History
Evidence for Solomon Spaulding - 1886
Michigan Christian Herald – September 16, 1886
A Question of Identity.
The most
interesting literary controversy of the time, and the only one which has
important practical bearing, is raging around the Book of Mormon, sometimes but
incorrectly called the Mormon Bible. This is the foundation stone of the "Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," held by the Mormons as superior in
composition and authority to the Bible itself; and whatever affects its validity
affects immediately the great superstition that bases upon it. The tradition
held by the "Gentiles," or unbelievers, is that pretty nearly the whole thing,
except the doctrinal or "religious" parts, is a flat plagiarism from the
"Manuscript Found" of Solomon Spaulding, a romance written seventy-five years
ago by a broken down preacher at New Salem (now Conneaut), Ohio. The evidence
for this has heretofore, to anti-Mormons, seemed to be conclusive. But about two
years ago President Fairchild of Oberlin, visiting the Sandwich Islands, found
in the possession of an old resident of Northeastern Ohio, who had removed to
Honolulu, a written volume of Spaulding's, which he believes to be the original
of "Manuscript Found;" and as it does not correspond to any large exten with the
Book of Mormon, he proclaims the old-time Gentile theory to be incorrect. In
various publications, from
Bibliotheca Sacra down to
The Magazine of Western History -- an absurd compend of extravagant
biography (inserted for handsome consideration), hailing from Cleveland --
President Fairchild has striven to promulgate his views. Apparently he has not
labored in vain; for, following others heretofore converted, Mr. George Rutledge
Gibson, in
the last issue of the New Princeton Review, affirms the Fairchild
doctrine in his entertaining paper on "The Origin of a Great Delusion."
But the Oberlin advocates have not yet, as the lawyers say, "made their case."
The older theory does not rest, as Mr. Gibson seems to think, upon dim
recollections of what was "heard over twenty years before," nor upon "the
shadowy resemblance of a few names and incidents common to both." It rests upon
historical facts impossible to be gainsaid, impossible to reconcile with any
other theory than that of absolute theft and fraud in the evolution of the Book
of Mormon. When that shameless product of imposture appeared, in 1830, it was
subjected to crucial tests, which are as conclusive to-day as they were half a
century ago. Numbers of the relatives and old neighbors of Solomon Spaulding
were still living when the Mormon emissaries appeared at Conneaut with the new
revelation; and when extracts from it were read in their meetings, Mr. John
Spaulding arose, and bursting into tears denounced indignantly the outrageous
larceny that had been made of the well-remembered writings of his brother. Mr.
Lake, a former partner of Spaulding's in business at Conneaut, and many others,
clearly recognized passages read as identical with those they had often heard
from the lips of their friend and neighbor, as he rehearsed the beloved pages of
his "Manuscript Found."
The evidence is cumulative from this on, for many years. And now a surviving
witness of those times has come to add testimony which ought to be final. Mr.
James A. Briggs writes from Brooklyn to The Watchman of
the 9th instant that in 1833-34 he was one of a self-appointed committee
that met in Mentor, O., the former parish of the apostate Rigdon, and close to
the "Zion" which the Saints had set up at Kirtland, to investigate the origin of
the Book of Mormon. His article is long and interesting throughout; but the pith
and point of it are in his first paragraph as follows: "We had the
manuscripts of Rev. Solomon Spaulding before us [italics ours], that we
compared with the Mormon Bible; and we had no doubt that from Spaulding's
writings Rev. Sidney Rigdon got up the Mormon Bible." This conclusion he
supports by a lengthy recital of facts and arguments that cannot be broken. He
has a copy of the Honolulu find, as printed at Lamoni, and [avers] emphatically
that "this is not a copy of the 'Manuscript Found, of Solomon Spaulding."
That work long since disappeared, pretty certainly through Mormon agency; but
its contents are distinctly remembered by men yet living; and too many others
have set their seal in writing to the general character of its contents, and
their correspondence with the narrative portions of the Book of Mormon, to have
their positive evidence destroyed by the accidental finding of another Spaulding
manuscript in a far off isle of the ocean. That this is a genuine writing of
Spaulding, nobody denies; but comparing information from all accessible sources,
we can learn of but, one important point of similarity between it and the
"Manuscript Found;" and that is the notion of an ancient emigration from the Old
World to the New. The names in the one tale are widely different from anything
in the Book of Mormon, or remembered to have been in the vanished Spaulding
manuscript. The one may have been a preliminary "study" of the other, or another
attempt at the same general theme; but, as it does not bear the name "Manuscript
Found," neither does it bear the character, and are confident will not take the
reputation or place of the latter in history of American literature, religion,
or superstition, even if President Fairchild and his following should blindly
adhere to their untenable theory.
Michigan Christian Herald – October 21, 1886
Who Wrote the Book of Mormon?
JAS.
A. BRIGGS.
There is but one question to settle as
to the "Book of Mormon;" is it the work of men who were inspired, or is
it the manufacture of Sidney Rigdon and Joseph Smith?
The fact that the historical portion of the "Book of Mormon" was taken
from the work of Rev. Solomon Spaulding's "Manuscript Found" was
clearly and undeniably established in my article published in "The
Watchman," Boston, Sept. 9, 1886, by the testimony of some eight or
more credible witnesses, whose testimony in the matter has never been
impeached, or shaken. And if it be true now as in the olden time, "that
at the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may be established,"
then we have the established and overpowering fact that the "Book of
Mormon" in the historical part was taken from the "Manuscript Found,"
that was conceived in and born of the brain of Rev. Solomon Spaulding.
Have we any proof that the Rev. Solomon Spaulding ever wrote the
"Manuscript Found?" Yes, the same evidence, that we have that the
historical part of "Manuscript Found" is in the "Book of Mormon." If
one is ignored the other must be. The "Manuscript Found" and the "book
of Mormon" must stand or fall together. There is no separating them.
They are indivisible.
What has become of the "Manuscript Found" that was written by Rev.
Solomon Spaulding? The last person in whose possession it was, so far
as we can trace it, is Dr. D.P. Hurlbut. In 1854 [sic] Mrs. Davison,
the widow of Mr. Spalding, gave D.P. Hurbut an order for the delivery
to him of her copy of her husband's "Manuscript Found." And she and her
daughter were folly [sic] convinced that Hurlbut obtained the document
and sold it to the Mormons. In confirmation of this we quote from a
letter of Rev. Mr. Storrs of Holliston, Mass., of June 28, 1841, to
Rev. John A. Clark, D. D., in which he says:
"Dr. Hurlbut took the manuscript. It is reported in Missouri that he
sold it for $400, that the manuscript is not to be found."
Rev. D. B. Austin of Monson, Mass., says: "Dr. Hurlbut stated some time
after he had received the Manuscript that he had $400 out of it."
The "Manuscript Found" is in the possession of Dr. D. P. Hurlbut. What
did he do with it? Did he sell it to the Mormons? He denied it. He got
the manuscript. His statements in regard to it were conflicting. He
made no explanation. He kept silent. When I wrote to him a short time
before his death, and said to him we were the only persons living who
were at the Mentor, Ohio, meeting in 1834, and asked him to tell me
what he did with the manuscript of Spaulding we had there, he made no
reply. I have believed for fifty years that I have seen and held in my
hands the "Manuscript Found" from which the "Book of Mormon" was gotten
up by Sidney Rigdon and Joseph Smith.
This is the last trace we have of the "Manuscript Found."
The following extract of a letter to me, dated Little Mountain, Ohio,
Sept. 23, '86, is from Mr. E. J. Ferris, Esq., a gentleman 85 years
old, hale and hearty, who has lived in Lake Co., since 1823, and who
heard Rigdon preach. He says:
"A few days since I received a newspaper containing an article on the
origin of the Mormon Bible, that I read with much interest. I have no
doubt that you are right in your opinion that Sidney Rigdon and Joe
Smith were in complicity in manufacturing the Mormon Bible out of the
Romance of Spaulding.
Sidney Rigdon was a sharp fellow, a smooth talker, cunning and wily,
and he held such an influence over the Disciples in Mentor and Kirtland
at the time the Book was brought here that he supposed he could carry
with him the whole body of what was then called Campbellites. And he
did carry away very many. The most of them in Lake County left him."
There is another link in the chain of evidence of a living and very
intelligent witness as to his opinion of the origin of the Mormon
Bible.
Now, Mr. Editor, does my long time and excellent friend, President
Fairchild of Oberlin, ignore the testimony of many who say that the
"Book of Mormon" was manufactured out of the "Manuscript Found" of Rev.
Solomon Spaulding, because he doubts if we had the veritable manuscript
of Spaulding at the meeting in Mentor, in 1854[sic]?
I would refer my enquirer desirous of learning the origin of the "Book
of Mormon" to Mr. Robert Patterson, 198 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa.
A letter from my old friend, Mr. L.S. [sic] Rice, dated Honolulu, Feby.
21, 1886, says the words "Manuscript Found" do not occur on the wrapper
or in the Manuscript at all. The wrapper was marked in pencil,
"Manuscript Story, Conneaut Creek." Mr. Rice says "I should as soon
think the Book of Revelation and Don Quixote were written by the same
author as this story and the "Book of Mormon," My friend, Mr. Rice died
at Honolulu, May 14, '86, aged 85.
I can but regret that the writer is the only one of the number who met
in Mentor, at the now Garfield home, in 1854 [sic], to investigate
Mormonism. All but myself have gone to that land where life is ever
upward, onward in the light and glory and peace of the Everlasting
Father. 177 Washington St., Brooklyn, New York, Oct. 14, 1886