Henry Harris Statement on Joseph Smith, Jr.
I, Henry Harris, do state that I became acquainted with the
family of Joseph Smith, Sen. about the year 1820, in the town of Manchester, N.
York. They were a family that labored very little -- the chief they did, was to
dig for money. Joseph Smith, Jr. the pretended Prophet, used to pretend to tell
fortunes; he had a stone which he used to put in his hat, by means of which he
professed to tell people's fortunes.
Joseph Smith, Jr. Martin Harris and others, used to meet together in private, a
while before the gold plates were found, and were familiarly known by the name
of the "Gold Bible Company." They were regarded by the community in which they
lived, as a lying and indolent set of men and no confidence could be placed in
them.
The character of Joseph Smith, Jr. for truth and veracity was such, that I would
not believe him under oath. I was once on a jury before a Justice's Court and
the Jury could not, and did not, believe his testimony to be true. After he
pretended to have found the gold plates, I had a conversation with him, and
asked him where he found them and how he come to know where they were. He said
he had a revelation from God that told him they were hid in a certain hill and
he looked in his stone and saw them in the place of deposit; that an angel
appeared, and told him he could not get the plates until he was married, and
that when he saw the woman that was to be his wife, he should know her, and she
would know him. He then went to Pennsylvania, got his wife, and they both went
together and got the gold plates -- he said it was revealed to him, that no one
must see the plates but himself and wife.
I then asked him what letters were engraved on them, he said italic letters
written in an unknown language, and that he had copied some of the words and
sent them to Dr. Mitchell and Professor Anthon of New York. By looking on the
plates he said he could not understand the words, but it was made known to him
that he was the person that must translate them, and on looking through the
stone was enabled to translate.
After the Book was published, I frequently bantered him for a copy. He asked
fourteen shillings a piece for them; I told him I would not give so much; he
told me had had [sic] a revelation that they must be sold at that price.
Sometime afterwards I talked with Martin Harris about buying one of the Books
and he told me they had had a new revelation, that they might be sold at ten
shillings a piece.
State of Ohio, Cuyahoga County, ss:
Personally appeared before me, Henry Harris, and made oath in due form of law,
that the foregoing statements subscribed by him are true.
JONATHAN LAPHAM,
Justice of the Peace.