Peter Ingersoll Statement on Joseph Smith, Jr.
Palmyra, Wayne Co. N. Y. Dec. 2d, 1833.
I, Peter Ingersoll, first became acquainted with the family of
Joseph Smith, Sen. in the year of our Lord, 1822. -- I lived in the neighborhood
of said family, until about 1830; during which time the following facts came
under my observation.
The general employment of the family, was digging for money. I had frequent
invitations to join the company, but always declined being one of their number.
They used various arguments to induce me to accept of their invitations. I was
once ploughing near the house of Joseph Smith, Sen. about noon, he requested me
to walk with him a short distance from his house, for the purpose of seeing
whether a mineral rod would work in my hand, saying at the same time he was
confident it would. As my oxen were eating, and being myself at leisure, I
accepted the invitation. -- When we arrived near the place at which he thought
there was money, he cut a small witch hazle bush and gave me direction how to
hold it. He then went off some rods, and told me to say to
the rod, "work to the money," which I did, in an audible voice. He rebuked me
severely for speaking it loud, and said it must be spoken in a whisper. This was
rare sport for me. While the old man was standing off some rods, throwing
himself into various shapes, I told him the rod did not work. He seemed much
surprised at this, and said he thought he saw it move in my hand. It was now
time for me to return to my labor. On my return, I picked up a small stone and
was carelessly tossing it from one hand to the other. Said he, (looking very
earnestly) what are you going to do with that stone? Throw it at the birds, I
replied. No, said the old man, it is of great worth; and upon this I gave it to
him. Now, says he, if you only knew the value there is back of my house (and
pointing to a place near) -- there, exclaimed he, is one chest of gold
and another of silver. He then put the stone which I had given him, into his
hat, and stooping forward, he bowed and made sundry maneuvers, quite similar to
those of a stool pigeon. At length he took down his hat, and being very much
exhausted, said, in a faint voice, "if you knew what I had seen, you would
believe." To see the old man thus try to impose upon me, I confess, rather had a
tendency to excite contempt than pity. Yet I thought it best to conceal my
feelings, preferring to appear the dupe of my credulity, than to expose myself
to his resentment. His son Alvin then went through with the same performance,
which was equally disgusting.
Another time, the said Joseph, Sen. told me that the best time for digging
money, was, in the heat of summer, when the heat of the sun caused the chests of
money to rise near the top of the ground. You notice, said he, the large stones
on the top of the ground -- we call them rocks, and they truly appear so, but
they are, in fact, most of them chests of money raised by the heat of the sun.
At another time, he told me that the ancient inhabitants of this country used
camels instead of horses. For proof of this fact, he stated that in a certain
hill on the farm of Mr. Cuyler, there was a cave containing an immense value of
gold and silver, stands of arms, also, a saddle for a camel, hanging on a peg at
one side of the cave. I asked him, of what kind of wood the peg was. He could
not tell, but said it had become similar to stone or iron. The old man at last
laid a plan which he thought would accomplish his design. His cows and mine had
been gone for some time, and were not to be found, notwithstanding our diligent
search for them. Day after day was spent in fruitless search, until at length he
proposed to find them by his art of divination. So he took his stand near the
corner of his house, with a small stick in his hand, and made several strange
and peculiar motions, and then said he could go directly to the cows. So he
started off, and went into the woods about one hundred rods distant and found
the lost cows. But on finding out the secret of the mystery, Harrison had found
the cows, and drove them to the above named place, and milked them.
So that this stratagem turned out rather more to his profit that it did to my
edification. -- The old man finding that all his efforts to make me a money
digger, had proved abortive, at length ceased his importunities. One
circumstance, however, I will mention before leaving him. Some time before young
Joseph found, or pretended to find, the gold plates, the old man told me that in
Canada, there had been a book found, in a hollow tree, that gave an account of
the first settlement of this country before it was discovered by Columbus.
In the month of August, 1827, I was hired by Joseph Smith, Jr. to go to
Pennsylvania, to move his wife's household furniture up to Manchester, where his
wife then was. When we arrived at Mr. Hale's, in Harmony, Pa. from which place
he had taken his wife, a scene presented itself, truly affecting. His
father-in-law (Mr. Hale) addressed Joseph, in a flood of tears: "You have stolen
my daughter and married her. I had much rather have followed her to her grave.
You spend your time in digging for money -- pretend to see in a stone, and thus
try to deceive people." Joseph wept, and acknowledged he could not see in a
stone now, nor never could; and that his former pretensions in that respect,
were all false. He then promised to give up his old habits of digging for money
and looking into stones. Mr. Hale told Joseph, if he would move to Pennsylvania
and work for a living, he would assist him in getting into business. Joseph
acceded to this proposition. I then returned with Joseph and his wife to
Manchester. One circumstance occurred on the road, worthy of notice, and I
believe this is the only instance where Jo ever exhibited true yankee wit. On
our journey to Pennsylvania, we could not make the exact change at the toll gate
near Ithaca. Joseph told the gate tender, that he would "hand" him the toll on
his return, as he was coming back in a few days. On our return, Joseph tendered
to him 25 cents, the toll being 12 1/2. He did not recognize Smith, so he
accordingly gave him back the 12 1/2 cents. After we had passed the gate, I
asked him if he did not agree to pay double gatage on our return? No, said he, I
agreed to "hand" it to him, and I did, but he handed it back again.
Joseph told me on his return, that he intended to keep the promise which he had
made to his father-in-law; but, said he, it will be hard for me, for they will
all oppose, as they want me to look in the stone for them to dig money: and in
fact it was as he predicted. They urged him, day after day, to resume his old
practice of looking in the stone. -- He seemed much perplexed as to the course
he should pursue. In this dilemma, he made me his confident and told me what
daily transpired in the family of Smiths. One day he came, and greeted me with a
joyful countenance. -- Upon asking the cause of his unusual happiness, he
replied in the following language: "As I was passing, yesterday, across the
woods, after a heavy shower of rain, I found, in a hollow, some beautiful white
sand, that had been washed up by the water. I took off my frock, and tied up
several quarts of it, and then went home. On my entering the house, I found the
family at the table eating dinner. They were all anxious to know the contents of
my frock. At that moment, I happened to think of what I had heard about a
history found in Canada, called the golden Bible; so I very gravely told them it
was the golden Bible. To my surprise, they were credulous enough to believe what
I said. Accordingly I told them that I had received a commandment to let no one
see it, for, says I, no man can see it with the naked eye and live. However, I
offered to take out the book and show it to them, but they refuse to see it, and
left the room." Now, said Jo, "I have got the damned fools fixed, and will carry
out the fun." Notwithstanding, he told me he had no such book, and believed
there never was any such book, yet, he told me that he actually went to Willard
Chase, to get him to make a chest, in which he might deposit his golden Bible.
But, as Chase would not do it, he made a box himself, of clap-boards, and put it
into a pillow case, and allowed people only to lift it, and feel of it through
the case.
In the fall of 1827, Joseph wanted to go to Pennsylvania. His brother-in-law had
come to assist him in moving, but he himself was out of money. He wished to
borrow the money of me, and he presented Mr. Hale as security. I told him in
case he could obtain assistance from no other source, I would let him have some
money. Joseph then went to Palmyra; and, said he, I there met that dam fool,
Martin Harris, and told him that I had a command to ask the first honest
man I met with, for fifty dollars in money, and he would let me have it. I saw
at once, said Jo, that it took his notion, for he promptly gave me the fifty.
Joseph thought this sum was sufficient to bear his expenses to Pennsylvania. So
he immediately started off, and since that time I have not been much in his
society. While the Smiths were living at Waterloo, William visited my
neighborhood, and upon my inquiry how they came on, he replied, "we do better
there than here; we were too well known here to do much.
PETER INGERSOLL.
State of New York, Wayne County, ss:
I certify, that on this 9th day of December, 1833, personally appeared before me
the above named Peter Ingersoll, to me known, and made oath, according to law,
to the truth of the above statement.
TH. P. BALDWIN,
Judge of Wayne County Court.