give, and he then took his leave, taking his paper with him.

"This paper in question was, in fact, a singular scroll. It consisted of all kinds of singular characters, disposed in columns, and had evidently been prepared by some person who had before him at the time a book containing various alphabets, Greek and Hebrew letters, crosses, and flourishes; Roman letters inverted, or placed sideways, were arranged and placed in perpendicular columns; and the whole ended in a rude. delineation of a circle, divided into various compartments, arched with various strange marks, and evidently copied after the Mexican calendar, given by Humboldt, but copied in such a way as not to betray the source whence it was derived. I am thus particular as to the contents of the paper, inasmuch as I have frequently conversed with my friends on the subject since the Mormon excitement began, and well remember that the paper contained any thing else but 'Egyptian hieroglyphics.'

"Some time after, the farmer paid me a second visit. He brought with him the 'gold book' in print, and offered it to me for sale. I declined purchasing. He then asked permission to leave the book with me for examination. I declined receiving it, although his manner was strangely urgent. I adverted once more to the roguery which, in my opinion, had been practiced upon him, and asked him what had become of the gold plates. He informed me that they were in a trunk with the spectacles. I advised him to go to a magistrate, and have the trunk examined. He said. 'the curse of God' would come upon him if he did.

On my pressing him, however, to go to a magistrate, he told me he would open the trunk if I would take 'the curse of God' upon myself. I replied I would do so with the greatest willingness, and would incur every risk of that nature, provided I could only extricate him from the grasp of the rogues. He then left me. I have given you a full statement of all that I know respecting the origin of Mormonism, and must beg you, as a personal favor, to publish this letter immediately, should you find my name mentioned again by these wretched fanatics. Yours respectfully,

"CHARLES ANTHON."

Much of the marvel attached to the idea that an illiterate young man could fluently dictate in connected series a voluminous work, is of course removed when we regard him as reading from Spaulding's manuscript, but to those not in the secret it was sufficiently miraculous, and made a deep impression. This seeming prodigy has been used as one of the strongest proofs of the divinity of his mission. In the usual sense of the term, Smith was an uneducated man. His bookknowledge was very limited. He often said, in substance, "How could I, as an illiterate impostor, hope to impose upon the intelligence of the nineteenth century?" and all persons of learning and refinement, who live in an upper world of their own, and in ignorance of the under-currents of ignorance and superstition coursing beneath them, were astonished at the prodigy. But in this he exhibited his almost intuitive knowledge of the weak traits of humanity, in which, in fact, he had more available learning than all the

closet men put together. His own autobiography shows him well studied at an early period in the nice shades and differences of modern sectarian creeds, and subsequent developments proved him well read in the history of Mohammed and other religious impostors. He would undoubtedly have excelled in such other pursuits as were suited to his disposition and tastes. As a gambler, he would have exhibited unrivaled dexterity; as a trader, he would have been a skillful sharper; as a military man, a master of strategy; as a politician, an adroit whipper-in; and as a policeman (without a single lesson from " Old Hays”), a firstrate nabber of thieves and discoverer of stolen goods.

CHAPTER IV.

HISTORY CONTINUED.

Coincidence between Book of Mormon and “ Manuscript Found.”Witnesses, their Character.-Church organized at Fayette, N. Y.Removal to Kirtland, Ohio.-Zion located at Independence, Mo.Lands purchased in Jackson County, Mo.-Discords among the Saints. Quorum of Three.-Troubles with the Gentiles.-Mormons expelled from Jackson County.

IN 1830, the Book of Mormon made its appearance. The following is a brief description of it by Parley P. Pratt, one of the Mormon apostles:

"The Book of Mormon contains the history of the ancient inhabitants of America, who were a branch of the house of Israel, of the tribe of Joseph, of whom the Indians are still a remnant; but the principal nation of them having fallen in battle in the fourth or fifth

century, one of their prophets, whose name was Mormon, saw fit to make an abridgment of their history, their prophecies, and their doctrines, which he engraved on plates, and afterward being slain, the records fell into the hands of his son Moroni, who, being hunted by his enemies, was directed to deposit the records safely in the earth, with a promise from God that it should be preserved, and should be brought to light in the latter days by means of a Gentile nation who should possess the land. The deposit was made about the year 420, on a hill then called Cumora, now in Ontario county, where it was preserved in safety until it was brought to light by no less than the ministry of angels, and translated by inspiration; and the Great Jehovah bore record of the same to chosen witnesses, who declare it to the world."

The occurrence of the same leading events and names in the "Manuscript Found" and the Book of Mormon, which fact is proved by a perfect cloud of witnesses living in and about New Salem, Ohio, establishes to the satisfaction of the anti-Mormon the identity of the two works beyond all possible question, whatever of confusion or contradiction there may be in regard to the ultimate destination of Spaulding's book. In the death of the principal personages, it is easy to confuse dates and circumstances; but such a series of coincidences could not by possibility have happened by chance, and seems to demonstrate either that Spaulding took a peep into the stone box at Cumora, or that Joseph got possession of his manuscript.

The prophet was a bold innovator. In defiance of the maxim that truth is open and aboveboard, and

that roguery requires mystery and concealment, he strenuously guarded the sacred plates from the gaze of profane curiosity. It was accordingly revealed to him that they were not to be exhibited to any, except the witnesses chosen by the Lord for that purpose; and it seems that after the translation and witnessing, the angel who had negotiated the whole business on the part of the supernal powers took them in charge. In the first place, three witnesses were obtained-Oliver Cowdry, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris, who certify to having seen the plates, and to their having been "translated by the gift and power of God"—and they declare, "with words of soberness, that an angel of God came down from heaven, and brought and laid before our eyes, that we beheld and saw the plates, and the engraving thereon."

Afterward eight more witnesses were procured, who signed a short certificate in terms much more general than the first—John Whitmer, Christian Whitmer, Jacob Whitmer, Peter Whitmer, Jr., Hiram Page, Joseph Smith, Senr., Hyrum Smith, and Samuel H. Smith. Who were these witnesses upon whose testimony depends the authenticity of a new Bible, and the verity of a new religious dispensation? Three of them are the father and two brothers of the prophet, and five are made up of a family of Whitmers; and Hiram Page was a brother-in-law of the Whitmers. If we are to credit the affidavits made by sundry of the neighbors, their characters are all very much below par, according to the Gentile standard. But it will perhaps be more satisfactory to adduce Mormon testimony on the subject.