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Document: 1872-1890 RLDS historical information (excerpts) Source: Smith, Joseph III History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Vol. 4. IA, 1903; this e-text taken from the 1908 edition. Other vols.: 1 (full) 1 (Spalding excerpt) | 2 (full) 2 (Sp. excerpt) | 3 (full) 3 (Sp. excerpt) Notes: (forthcoming) |
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HISTORY of the CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST Of Latter Day Saints. 1872-1890. WRITTEN AND COMPILED BY PRESIDENT JOSEPH SMITH AND APOSTLE HEMAN C. SMITH, Of the Reorganized Church. VOLUME 4. LAMONI, IOWA: PUBLISHED BY THE BOARD OF PUBLICATION OF THE REORGANIZED CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS. 1903. |
408 HISTORY OF THE CHURCH. [1883 1883. THE SITUATION -- PATTERSON'S PAMPHLET -- EDMUNDS BILL -- CAINE ELECTED TO CONGRESS -- NEBRASKA DEBATES -- CONGROVER ABSCONDS --C OMMITTEE IN WASHINGTON -- ANNUAL CONFERENCE -- M'LELLIN'S DEATH -- KIRTLAND ITEMS -- LITTLEFIELD'S LETTER -- S. BRANNAN -- CENTER POINT DEBATE. The situation at the opening of the year 1883 is well expressed in an editorial in the Herald for January 6, entitled, "Greeting:" The Situation. In greeting the readers of the Herald at the beginning of the year, we experience great pleasure. The old year has been filled with moving events, many of them closely connected with the work we are all trying to forward, and which is regarded by us as being a good work, worthy of all our powers. During the past year, the powers that rule over the destinies of the church have, as we believe, been propitious to us; and out of the many strange events which have transpired while the year was passing, some have been full of interest to all the faithful, and fraught with import of good to them. Moral prestige has been obtained, and advancement made. Things that have been, and things that are, have been made to take on new significance, and he who ran read as he ran, and his heart was filled with joy. The action of Congress last winter, and the forced recognition of the Reorganization in the controversy then waged in regard to the Utah affairs, were of great moment; and the far-spread acknowledgment of the position the church has from the first taken, have operated much to the advantage of the cause. The steady forward march of slow-moving truths has left some of the peculiar besetments of the latter-day work high and dry, as way marks for the guidance of those who endure in the days to come. One or two of these we mention. The unfortunate ending of the W. R. Lay movement, with its peculiar fascination; the strange outcropping of the post-script to the "letter of appointment," the foundation 1883] HISTORY OF THE CHURCH. 409 corner-stone of the Beaver Island dynasty, under James J. Strang; the meeting of the April conference on the historic ground at Independence, Missouri; the assembling of the fall session at Lamoni; and the prospective meeting at Kirtland, Ohio, have all had their effect for good, effectually establishing the fact that overruling providences have stayed the earlier happening of these events, that they might transpire with effective weight to aid in the grand progression. We take leave of the year 1882 with gladness. No year has passed, of late, so quickly in seeming; nor been so fraught with present recollections touching our good work. The faces so persistently set Zionward have glowed in the sunlight shining from the distant glory; and the hearts weighed down by sadness and sorrow through their long waiting, have been made to rejoice in the near approach of full deliverance. The church now stands on higher planes for development and hope of success than ever before. We begin the new year with stronger determinations than ever to prosecute the work at our hands to do, with unabated zeal, and so far as we can with undiminished force. . . . The Herald has reached the completion of its twenty-ninth volume, and begins the thirtieth with fair prospects, so far as its journalistic existence is concerned; and in the form of a weekly proposes still to carry out the design of its institution, the dissemination of the principles of the gospel, as revealed to Joseph Smith and others, and taught by them prior to and until 1844. . . . The high standard of truth and morality which it has been the endeavor of the church to rear and uphold, it will be the constant aim to still maintain. In the above it will be observed that the Herald is mentioned as a "weekly." It had before been published as a semimonthly, and this was its first venture as a weekly. It has been so published ever since. Patterson's Pamphlet. About this time appeared a pamphlet written by a Mr. R. Patterson, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in defense of the Spalding story theory of the origin of the Book of Mormon. This pamphlet was reviewed by President Joseph Smith. The review was first published in the Saints' Herald and subsequently in pamphlet form by the Board of Publication. Mr. Patterson's treatise attracted some notice at first, but has since been relegated to comparative obscurity. Edmunds Bill. On January 11 Senator Edmunds introduced another bill in the United States Senate intended "to provide further means for the suppression of the crimes of bigamy, polygamy, and unlawful cohabitation in the Territories of the United States." |
1885] HISTORY OF THE CHURCH. 469 1885. THE EXPOSITOR -- NORRINGHAM BRANCH -- LEEDS BRANCH -- SPALDING ROMANCE -- BLAIR-GURLEY CONTROVERSY -- TEST OATH -- INFORMATION FROM BURTON -- ANNUAL CONFERENCE -- EDITORIAL COMMENT -- UTAH MASS-MEETING -- EUROPEAN MISSION CONFERENCE -- SOUIX CITY BRANCH. The Expositor Bearing date of January, 1885, the first number of The Expositor appeared, published at Oakland, California. The first number contained the following declaration of its policy and purpose: The Expositor is published in the interest of the truth, as its name implies; but more especially the truths believed in, and taught by the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and to draw the distinction plainly and clearly between the said church, which is opposed to polygamy and its kindred evils, and the so-called Latter Day Saint or "Mormon" church of Utah, which teaches and practices the abominable doctrines of polygamy, Adam worship, and "blood-atonement." We want it distinctly known and understood by all the world, that the Reorganized Church of Christ, under the presidency of Joseph Smith, son of the martyred prophet, is a separate and distinct organization, duly and legally incorporated under the laws of our country, and has no connection or fellowship with the "Mormon church" of Utah under the presidency of John Taylor, successor to Brigham Young. It has been judicially decided by the courts of Ohio, that the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ, is the true and lawful continuation of, and successor to the church organized by Joseph Smith and others, on April 6, 1830. While the same tribunal has decided and determined that the Utah church is a schismatic and apostate church, having denied and rejected the original doctrines of said church of 1830. And while this paper will fearlessly attack what it deems errors and heresies in religion, its columns will always be open as far as possible for the respectful reply of those 470 HISTORY OF THE CHURCH. [1885 who think different from us. This we believe is one anamoly [anomaly] in religious journalism. Of course articles will necessarily have to be brief, and they must be gentlemanly and decent, to insure insertion. With regard to members of the Reorganized Church, it must be distinctly understood that its columns will not be used to ventilate private notions, or doctrines adverse to the well-established and generally accepted doctrines of said church. The church is a unity, and so are her doctrines. "We must all speak the same thing," for we are all baptized into one body, and have been all made to drink of the same spirit, for with us there is only "one Lord, one faith, and one baptism." Nottingham Branch. February 22 a branch was organized at Nottingham, England, by Elders C. H. Caton and G. S. Greenwood, with William Shepherd, presiding elder; A. Wibberly, priest; J. Cope, teacher; and William Coxen, deacon. Leeds Branch. The Leeds Branch, at Leeds, England, was organized soon after by Elders Joseph Dewsnup and James Baty, with Joseph Naylor, president; Martin Haywood, priest; and Henry Warren, teacher. Spalding Romance. About this time it became generally known that the Spalding Romance, of which so much has been said in connection with the Book of Mormon, had been discovered in the possession of Mr. L. L. Rice, of Honolulu, Sandwich Islands. This excited much inquiry, both on the part of those who believed in the identity of the manuscript with the Book of Mormon, and those who believed otherwise. The following account of the find appeared in the January, 1885, number of the Bibliotheca Sacra, published at Oberlin, Ohio, and was copied into several other publications: The theory of the origin of the Book of Mormon in the traditional manuscript of Solomon Spalding will probably have to be relinquished. That manuscript is doubtless now in the possession of Mr. L. L. Rice, of Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands, formerly an anti-slavery editor in Ohio, and for many years State printer at Columbus. During a recent visit to Honolulu, I suggested to Mr. Rice that he might have valuable antislavery documents in his possession which he would be willing to contribute to the rich collection already in the Oberlin College Library. In pursuance of this suggestion Mr. Rice began looking over his old pamphlets and papers, and at length came upon an old, worn, and faded manuscript of about one hundred and seventy-five pages, small quarto, 1883] HISTORY OF THE CHURCH. 471 purporting to be a history of the migrations and conflicts of the ancient Indian tribes which occupied the territory now belonging to the states of New York, Ohio, and Kentucky. On the last page of this manuscript is a certificate and signature giving the names of several persons known to the signer, who have assured him that, to their personal knowledge the manuscript was the writing of Solomon Spalding. Mr. Rice has no recollection how or when this manuscript came into his possession. It was enveloped in a coarse piece of wrapping paper and endorsed in Mr. Rice's handwriting, "A Manuscript Story." There seems no reason to doubt that this is the long-lost story. Mr. Rice, myself, and others compared it with the Book of Mormon, and could detect no resemblance, between the two, in general or in detail. There seems to be no name or incident common to the two. The solemn style of the Book of Mormon, in imitation of the English Scriptures, does not appear in the manuscript. The only resemblance is in the fact that both profess to set forth the history of lost tribes. Some other explanation of the origin of the Book of Mormon must be found, if any explanation is required. This caused President Joseph Smith to write Mr. L. L. Rice, suggesting that the manuscript be placed for safe keeping in the hands of some proper and safe custodian in America, and suggested the Historical Society in Chicago, Illinois. To President Smith's suggestion Mr. Rice replied as follows: Mr. Joseph Smith: The Spalding Manuscript in my possession came into my hands in this wise. In 1839-40 my partner and myself bought of E. D. Howe the Painesville Telegraph, published at Painesville, Ohio. The transfer of the printing department, types, press, etc., was accompanied with a large collection of books, manuscripts, etc., this Manuscript of Spalding among the rest. So, you see, it has been in my possession over forty years. But I never examined it, or knew the character of it, until some six or eight months since. The wrapper was marked, "Manuscript Story-Conneaut Creek." The wonder is, that in some of my movements, I did not destroy or burn it with a large amount of rubbish that had accumulated from time to time. It happened that President Fairchild was here on a visit, at the time I discovered the contents of it, and it was examined by him and others with much curiosity. Since President Fairchild published the fact of its existence in my possession, I have had applications for it from half a dozen sources, each applicant seeming to think that he or she was entitled to it. Mr. Howe says when he was getting up a book to expose Mormonism as a fraud at an early day, when the Mormons had their headquarters at Kirtland, he obtained it from some source, and it was inadvertently transferred with the other effects of his printing-office. A. B. Deming, 472 HISTORY OF THE CHURCH. [1885 of Painesville, who is also getting up some kind of a book I believe on Mormonism, wants me to send it to him. Mrs. Dickinson, of Boston, claiming to be a relative of Spalding, and who is getting up a book to show that he was the real author of the Book of Mormon, wants it. She thinks, at least, it should be sent to Spalding's daughter, a Mrs. Somebody-but she does not inform me where she lives. Deming says that Howe borrowed it when he was getting up his book, and did not return it, as he should have done, etc. This Manuscript does not purport to be "a story of the Indians formerly occupying this continent;" but is a history of the wars between the Indians of Ohio and Kentucky, and their progress in civilization, etc. It is certain that this Manuscript is not the origin of the Mormon bible, whatever some other manuscript may have been. The only similarity between them, is, in the manner in which each purports to have been found-one in a cave on Conneaut Creek -- the other in a hill in Ontario County, New York. There is no identity of names, of persons, or places; and there is no similarity of style between them. As I told Mr. Deming, I should as soon think the Book of Revelation was written by the author of Don Quixote, as that the writer of this Manuscript was the author of the Book of Mormon. Deming says Spalding made three copies of "Manuscript Found," one of which Sidney Rigdon stole from a printing office in Pittsburg. You can probably tell better than I can what ground there is for such an allegation. As to this Manuscript, I can not see that it can be of any use to anybody, except the Mormons, to show that IT is not the original of the Mormon bible. But that would not settle the claim that some other manuscript of Spalding was the original of it. I propose to hold it in my own hands for a while, to see if it can not be put to some good use. Deming and Howe inform me that its existence is exciting great interest in that region. I am under a tacit, but not a positive pledge to President Fairchild, to deposit it eventually in the library in Oberlin College. I shall be free from that pledge, when I see an opportunity to put it to a better use. Yours, etc., L. L. RICE. P. S. -- Upon reflection, since writing the foregoing, I am of the opinion that no one who reads this Manuscript will give credit to the story that Solomon Spalding was in any wise the author of the Book of Mormon. It is unlikely that any one who wrote so elaborate a work as the Mormon bible, would spend his time in getting up so shallow a story as this, which at best is but a feeble imitation of the other. Finally I am more than half convinced that this is his only writing of the sort, and that any pretense that Spalding was in any sense the author of the other, is a sheer fabrication. It was easy for anybody who may have seen this, or heard anything of its contents, to get up the story that they were identical. L. L. R. 1883] HISTORY OF THE CHURCH. 473 Later Mr. Rice wrote as follows: MR. JOSEPH SMITH. Dear Sir: I am greatly obliged to you for the information concerning Mormonism, in your letters of April 30 and May 2. As I am in no sense a Mormonite, of course it is a matter of curiosity, mainly, that I am interested in the history of Mormonism. Two things are true concerning this Manuscript in my possession: First, it is a genuine writing of Solomon Spalding; and second, it is not the original of the Book of Mormon. My opinion is, from all I have seen and learned, that this is the only writing of Spalding, and there is no foundation for the statement of Deming and others, that Spalding made another story, more elaborate, of which several copies were written, one of which Rigdon stole from a printing-office in Pittsburg, etc. Of course I can not be as certain of this, as of the other two points. One theory is, that Rigdon, or some one else, saw this Manuscript, or heard it read, and from the hints it conveyed, got up the other and more elaborate writing on which the Book of Mormon was founded. Take that for what it is worth. It don't seem to me very likely. You may be at rest as to my putting the Manuscript into the possession of any one who will mutilate it, or use it for a bad purpose. I shall have it deposited in the Library of Oberlin College, in Ohio, to be at the disposal for reading of any one who may wish to peruse it; but not to be removed from that depository. My friend, President Fairchild, may be relied on as security for the safe keeping of it. It will be sent there in July, by a friend who is going there to "take to himself a wife." Meantime, I have made a literal copy of the entire document-errors of orthography, grammar, erasures, and all -- which I shall keep in my possession, so that any attempt to mutilate it will be of easy detection and exposure. Oberlin is a central place, in the vicinity of Conneaut, where the manuscript was written. I have had an idea, sometimes, that it is due to the Mormons to have a copy of it, if they took interest in it enough to publish it. As it is only of interest as showing that it is not the original of the Book of Mormon, no one else is likely to wish it for publication. Miss Dickinson, whom you call a granddaughter of Solomon Spalding, represents herself to me as his grandniece: "My great-uncle, Reverend Solomon Spalding," she writes. Reverend Doctor Hyde, President of the Institution, in this place, for training Native Missionaries for Micronesia, (a very prominent and successful institution), has written an elaborate account of this manuscript, and of Mormonism, and sent it for publication in the Congregationalist, of Boston. I presume it will be published, and you will be interested in reading it. Very respectfully, yours, L. L. RICE. 474 HISTORY OF THE CHURCH. [1885 To this letter Mr. Rice added postscript saying that he found the following indorsement on the manuscript: "The writings of Solomon Spalding proved by Aaron Wright, Oliver Smith, John N. Miller and others. The testimonies of the above gentlemen are now in my possession. (Signed) D. P. HURLBUT." The following communications will explain that the manuscript was finally made the property of Oberlin College, and from there a copy was obtained by the church:HONOLULU, Hawaiian Islands, June 12,1885. PRESIDENT J. H. FAIRCHILD:Herewith I send to you the Solomon Spalding Manuscript, to be deposited in the Library of Oberlin College, for reference by any one who may be desirous of seeing or examining it. As a great deal of inquiry has been made about it since it became known that it was in my possession, I deem it proper that it be deposited for safe-keeping, where any one interested in it, whether Mormon or anti-Mormon, may examine it. It has been in my possession forty-six years -- from 1839 to 1885 -- and for forty-four years of that time no one examined it, and I was not aware of the character of its contents. I send it to you inclosed in the same paper wrapper, and tied with the same string that must have inclosed it for near half a century -- certainly during the forty-six years since it came into my possession. I have made and retain in my possession a correct literal copy of it, errors of orthography, of grammar, erasures and all. I may allow the Mormons of Utah to print it from this copy, which they are anxious to do; and a delegation is now in the Islands, awaiting my decision on this point. They claim that they are entitled to whatever benefit they may derive from its publication; and it seems to me there is some justice in that claim. Whether it will relieve them in any measure, from the imputation that Solomon Spalding was the author of the Book of Mormon, I do not attempt to decide. It devolves upon their opponents to show that there are or were other writings of Spalding -- since it is evident that this writing is not the original of the Mormon bible. L. L. RICE. P. S.-The words "Solomon Spalding's Writings" in ink on the wrapper were written by me, after I became aware of the contents. The words "Manuscript Story -- Conneaut Creek," in faint penciling, were as now when it came into my possession. Oberlin College, OBERLIN, Ohio, July 23, 1885. I have this day delivered to Mr. E. L. Kelley a copy of the Manuscript of Solomon Spalding, sent from Honolulu by Mr. L. L. Rice, to the Library of Oberlin College, for safe-keeping, and now in my care. The copy was prepared at Mr. Kelley's request, under my supervision, and is,1883] HISTORY OF THE CHURCH. 475 as I believe, an exact transcript of the original manuscript, including erasures, misspellings, etc. President of Oberlin College. KIRTLAND, Ohio, 24th July, 1885. PRESIDENT W. W. BLAIR, Lamoni, Iowa:Herewith I transmit to you the copy of the Spalding Manuscript prepared by President Fairchild as attested by him, together with his certificate, and photograph sheets. E. L. KELLEY. The "Manuscript Story" was published by the church, and has been and is kept on sale by the Herald Publishing House, at Lamoni, Iowa. An examination does not disclose any resemblance to the Book of Mormon. Blair-Gurley Controversy. A controversy had been running through the columns of the Herald for some time between Elders W. W. Blair and Z. H. Gurley, on the questions of the gathering and tithing. In the Herald for April 11, 1885, the closing arguments were published. Test Oath. At the spring session of the United States Supreme Court a decision was rendered annulling the test oath prescribed by the Utah Commission, thus restoring the elective franchise to several who were deprived by the test oath. Information from Burton. The following information was received from Elder J. F. Burton dated at Sydney, Australia, March 25: Everything is going on as usual. We reorganized, or revived the Wallsend Branch; but the Sydney Saints do not wish to be organized. They never were a regularly organized branch here. We are still preaching on domain and in hall. Annual Conference. The annual conference for 1885 convened on April 6 at Independence, Missouri; Joseph Smith and W. W. Blair, presidents; H. A. Stebbins and W. C. Cadwell, secretaries. The following ministers were present and reported: W. W. Blair, J. R. Lambert, J. H. Lake, A. H. Smith, James Caffall, Josiah Ells, W. H. Kelley, Charles Derry, H. A. Stebbins, E. C. Brand, J. S. Patterson, J. C. Foss, G. T. Griffiths, Heman C. Smith, George Montague, R. M. Elvin, Rudolph Etzenhouser, Joseph Luff, G. E. Deuel, Henry Kemp, W. J. Smith, Thomas Nutt, Peter Anderson, A. H. Parsons, Columbus Scott, I. N. Roberts, M. T. Short, |
486 HISTORY OF THE CHURCH. [1885 1885. UTAH ELDERS IN DENMARK -- IMPORTANT ITEMS -- BRIGGS' EXPLANATION -- SITUATION IN UTAH -- SPALDING MANUSCRIPT -- CHANGE OF FIELD -- PLEASANT GROVE DEBATE -- REVEREND HYDE'S ARTICLE -- LIMERICK DEBATE -- LETTER FROM ISLANDS -- ADVOCATE" CHANGES EDITORS -- WEATHERFORD DEBATE -- BISHOP SHARP PLEADS GUILTY -- NEEDS OF UTAH -- OPOLIS DEBATE -- GALLANDS GROVE REUNION -- BRADEN UNMASKED -- CONFERENCE OF SOCIETY ISLANDS -- GENERAL CLARK'S DEATH -- CARRINGTON EXPELLED -- SNOW ARRESTED -- PRESIDENT SMITH IN UTAH -- CONDITION IN WALES -- WORK IN UTAH -- PARRISH DEBATE -- DOVEITES -- SNOW CONVICTED. Utah Elders in Denmark June 1 the spirit of opposition against Utah elders culminated in the forcible banishment from Jutland, Denmark, of Elders Ferdinand F. Hintze, Christian N. Lundsten, Jens Nielson, and Neils Hansen, for preaching their doctrines; and on June 4 Elder John P. Ihsen was brought on board the steamer Milo, at Copenhagen, Denmark, by the police officers, having been banished from the country for preaching the doctrines of the Utah Mormons. Important Items. The Vindicator of Truth, the official publication of the Reorganization in England, in its issue for June, thus speaks of two important items of business transacted at their recent annual conference: First. The question of making the church in this country self-supporting was presented, resulting in the appointment of a committee to ascertain the general feeling of the branches in this country, and to formulate a scheme whereby self-support may be had. The committee consists of Brn. T. Taylor, C. H. Caton, J. Dewsnup, and Henry Greenwood. |
1885] HISTORY OF THE CHURCH. 493 women who were not already married into polygamous families, or were bespoken for some bishop. This man further stated that he was not alone in being unmarried for the same cause, the contamination of polygamy." Neither the Times nor Herald gave the sentence in the obnoxious form used by the Tribune. I had twice before been misrepresented by the same paper, and tried to have them set me right, and failed; and so did not try in this instance; but in the issue of our own paper, the Saints' Herald, for June 1, 1882, as soon after the presentation of the matter in your issue for May 13, 1882, as it was possible, I published this correction, of which a copy of the paper containing it was sent you, with the denial of having made the statement; using the following language concerning it: "The statement as given in the Tribune report, and which the News denounces as an 'atrocious lie,' was not made as stated. The Times and Herald each published a report, and neither of them got the remark in the form given by the Tribune. As given it is a harsh remark, of which we do not object to the News finding fault." The virtue and purity of the women of Utah, aside from plural marriage, were not questioned by me and never have been. I hand you herewith a copy of the Saints' Herald for June 1, 1882, that you may see that I made the correction of the improper statement as soon as I could after my attention was called to it. Had I made the remark I should justly deserve censure; but not having made it, you should in honor to yourself and justice to me permit this to go before your readers. Yours respectfully, JOSEPH SMITH. This was presented to the Deseret News by President Smith in person, but it did not appear. Spalding Manuscript. July 15 Elder E. L. Kelley wrote to the Saints' Herald from Obarlin, Ohio, with reference to the celebrated Spalding Manuscript, as follows: In response to your letter forwarded to me by Bro. Blakeslee, I came here yesterday to arrange for a copy of the long-lost and hidden story of Solomon Spalding. The Manuscript is old and getting much worn; the outside leaves being in places thumbed and pinched to such an extent as to make it necessary, in a few instances, to supply words from the evident connections. There are sufficient marks and dates connected with its pages to show beyond any question that the writing is that obtained by Hurlbut from Mrs. Davison, as the one claimed by the enemies of the Book of Mormon to be the story forming the basis of the same, and delivered by the said Hurlbut to E. D. Howe, of Painesville, Ohio. After examining (in connection with the reading of President J. R. Fairchild) the Manuscript and story as related therein, I am fully satisfied as to the object Howe had in suppressing it when he published his "Mormonism Unveiled." 494 HISTORY OF THE CHURCH. [1885 There is sufficient in the Manuscript to base the stories upon made by Howe's witnesses who claimed they had heard it read twenty-two years prior to giving their statements, except as to a few of the technical expressions and names that Hurlbut and Howe run in when they wrote up the "statements" for their "witnesses;" but nothing whatever to show that it was the foundation of the Book of Mormon. . . . The copy will be ready and placed in your hands next week. The copying will be done by a typewriter copyist, verbatim et literatim, and will contain the certificate of President Fairchild, that it is correct. The copy that Mr. Rice took will also be published, thus furnishing two independent copies to the public, making any suppressions or erasures impossible without detection. President Fairchild charges nothing for his time in the examination of the matter and giving certificate; and finding that he desired a copy of the Book of Mormon for the Oberlin Library, I told him I would ask our publishing house to furnish him a copy free. The Manuscript contains one hundred sixty-five pages, and between forty-five thousand and fifty thousand words. I expect to leave Kirtland for the West on Tuesday or Wednesday next, and hope to hear from you at once at Kirtland, if there are any other points worth looking after. There will be no necessity of getting in further evidences as to the genuineness of the manuscript, as there is proof sufficient. The first pages and indorsement [endorsement] on the last will be photographed so that should you wish to have it stereotyped and presented in this form for evidence, you can do so. There will be three pages of this in photograph form. July 23 Elder W. H. Kelley contributed a letter to the Saints' Herald touching the same subject. 1 Change of field. The field of Elder Peter Anderson was changed by order of the First Presidency from Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa, to the Rocky Mountain Mission, and to the latter field he repaired about the last of July. Pleasant Grove Debate. Under date of August 1, Elder Joseph Luff wrote of a debate between Elder Jensen of the Utah church, and Elder R. J. Anthony, at Pleasant Grove, Utah. ____________ 1 Yesterday, In company with E. L., I dropped into the office of Professor Fairchild, at Oberlin, and had the pleasure of examining the famed old Spalding Manuscript, which has been posed against the faith so long by self-willed and unscrupulous opposers, as constituting the ground-plot for the origin of the Book of Mormon. Beyond question it is the identical Spalding Romance. There are so many things which identifies it, that the mind is set at rest that it is the thing "de facto." It has an antiquated appearance; leaves soiled by use and torn in places, and has a smoked, rusty appearance. The paper is thicker than ordinary writing paper now in use, and is not ruled. Water marks are easily traced upon it. The leaves are six and one half inches wide and eight inches long, and are closely written on both sides in an old fashioned cramped hand. The Manuscript when lying 1885] HISTORY OF THE CHURCH. 495 The writer agreed to act as moderator for Bro. R. J. Anthony in a debate to be held with Elder Andrew Jensen, on the evening of July 20, on the following proposition: "Do the revelations contained in the Doctrine and Covenants (old edition) and the history of the church up to the death of Joseph Smith, as published in the Times and Seasons and Millennial Star, warrant the Saints in locating in the Rocky Mountains. Jensen affirming; Anthony denying. This same gentleman, (?) after agreeing to affirm the above, went to the lady from whom we had rented a hall for the purpose, (according to agreement), and insisted that she should refuse the building, and demand a return of the key. The lady came, and when a return of the key was refused, wept and stated that this very gentleman (?) had directed her to demand it. Notwithstanding the contract for the house had been fully made, the brother holding the key gave it up rather than permit the lady to suffer at the hands of men whose duplicity places them beneath contempt. Another hall was secured in the little town, (Pleasant Grove,) and the debate advertised. The time arrived, and forth we went; but just imagine, if you can, how we felt when this "defender of the faith," this assistant editor of the Danish paper here, the Bikuben, positively refused to affirm his own proposition; in fact would not lead off in the debate at all. After considerable parley Bro. Anthony agreed, rather than lose the chance for being heard, to affirm the negative of the above proposition. It was the only show, and, at the last minute, without special preparation for such an emergency, he sailed in, and piled up the Doctrine and Covenants' arguments admirably. When the learned editor undertook a reply, he characteristically passed by all the pointers offered, and read from the Juvenile Instructor an item copied from the nineteenth volume of the Millennial Star, which was said to have been copied from Willard Richards' Journal. The reader will please observe that the nineteenth volume of the Millennial Star was not printed until thirteen years after the Martyr's death. . . . ____________ loose on the table, measures three fourths of an inch in thickness. A few leaves were stitched together with linen thread, thus forming them into little sections, or books, easy to handle. Take a sheet of paper thirteen inches wide and sixteen inches long, double twice, so as to leave it six and a half by eight inches, and you have the precise manner of the arrangement of the paper for use. I counted eighty-seven sheets in all. Some are missing. On the large wrapper enveloping the Manuscript, the following is found written with lead pencil, "Manuscript Story -- Conneaut Creek." It is known that writing done with lead pencil will remain legible for years. This wrapping-paper, however, looks to be a little more modern in its make-up than the Manuscript paper, but shows age. It is of good consistency, and is a good, durable, buff-colored wrapping-paper. The most probable thing is, that this wrapper was put around the "Manuscript Story" by D. P. Hurlbut when he procured it from Mrs. Davison; and that the pencil writing was done at Conneaut, Ohio, when he, Aaron Wright, John Miller, Henry Lake, et al., were closeted with the manuscript before them, endeavoring to invent a theory that would account for the origin of the Book of Mormon, other than the truthful narrative given of it, and in a way that would tickle the fancy and please the ear of the fable-loving, give to themselves some note, a lucrative business, and to the Devil one more chance to close the eyes of the willingly blind. 496 HISTORY OF THE CHURCH. [1885 To the above was added several statements said to have been made by the Martyr, and several acts interpreted by the Brighamites to mean or point to a Utah Zion; but none of them were ever published until fifteen years after the Prophet's death, and that, too, by residents in the Utah Zion, in justification for their course in settling here. At the close the writer challenged the editor to discuss the original proposition, either there or in Salt Lake City, embodying in it, specifically, that the evidence shall be produced from the history published prior to the Martyr's death. This was refused on the ground that there was no history before the year 1844. We took up the Millennial Star and Times and Seasons, and showed that there was. But it was no use, the debate must end there and then. Yet a number of that "intelligent audience" failed to discover when he said there was no history before Joseph's death, that he virtually admitted that he had been discussing a proposition which he knew all the time to be false in the essential claim made for it. C.M. Hyde's article. On July 30 appeared an important communication in the Boston Congregationalist, entitled, "Who wrote the Book of Mormon? Solomon Spalding not its Author," by Reverend C. M. Hyde, D. D. The gentleman referred to by Mr. Rice (see page 473), shows the conclusions to which a judge certainly not prejudiced would naturally come in regard to the Spalding Manuscript. It is as follows: Just now many inquiries have come to Honolulu in regard to a manuscript in the possession of Mr. L. L. Rice, who came from Ohio to this city in 1879, to reside with his daughter, Mrs. J. M. Whitney. Mr. Rice was at one time editor of the Painesville (Ohio) Telegraph, having, in connection with his partner, Mr. P. Winchester, in 1839, bought that newspaper, with all the appurtenances of the printing-office in connection with it, from Mr. Eber D. Howe, the former proprietor. In the mass of material turned over to Mr. Rice was a small parcel that was labeled in pencil, "Manuscript Story -- Conneaut Creek." The parcel never had been opened till last summer, when Mr. Rice was looking over his papers, in search of memorabilia, in regard to the early anti-slavery movements in Ohio, in which he had actively engaged. He then found that it was the story written by Reverend Solomon Spalding, who, it has been claimed, wrote the "Book of Mormon," which Joseph Smith, Jr., published as an inspired translation of certain records, in regard to the American Indians and their connection with Christianity, engraved on golden plates, and found by him on the top of a hill in Palmyra, New York. In the rubbish of a printing-office that manuscript of Mr. Spalding's for which diligent search has hitherto been made in vain, has been as effectually lost as if it had been entombed in some forgotten Indian burial cave, to be strangely resurrected in these islands out in the Pacific Ocean. 1885] HISTORY OF THE CHURCH. 497 When President Fairchild of Oberlin College visited Honolulu last summer, he had the opportunity of examining this manuscript. In the Bibliotheca Sacra for January, 1885, he inserted a brief paragraph, expressing the opinion that this was not the original of the Book of Mormon. The Mormons came to the Hawaiian Islands in 1846, seeking proselytes, and have now on Oahu quite a settlement, with fifteen "missionaries." They are anxious to secure and publish the manuscript, as the best refutation of the claim that has been made that Reverend Solomon Spalding was the real author of the Book of Mormon. The statement of a few facts, however, will be convincing proof enough to any unprejudiced mind, both that this manuscript can not be the original of the Mormon bible, and that Reverend Solomon Spalding has no valid claim to have written any such book. It was through an article by Reverend D. R. Austin in the Boston Recorder for 1839, that the claim was made for Mrs. Matilda Davison, of Monson, that the Book of Mormon was written by her former husband, Reverend Solomon Spalding. The facts in regard to Mr. Spalding are briefly these: He was born in Ashford, Connecticut, in 1761; graduated at Dartmouth, 1785; was pastor of a church in Connecticut, 1787, but left the ministry and went into business with his brother Josiah, in Cherry Valley, New York. In 1809 he removed to Conneaut, Ohio, and thence, in 1812, to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where he resided two years. Thence he removed to Amity, Pennsylvania, where he died in 18l6. Conneaut and Painesville are in the northeastern corner of Ohio, not far from Kirtland, where, in 1831, Joe Smith established the Mormon Zion. He professed to have been told of the existence of the plates in 1823, but did not obtain them till 1827, nor was the translation finished till 1830. Then the first Mormon church was organized April 6, 1830, of six members. In October four elders set out on a mission to the Indians in the far West, and on their way, at Kirtland, Ohio, made one hundred thirty converts to the Mormon faith, the number being increased the next spring to one thousand. This was largely through the influence of Sidney Rigdon, formerly a Campbellite preacher, then residing at Kirtland, and an acquaintance of Parley P. Pratt, one of the four Mormon elders, who gave him a copy of the Mormon bible that had then just been printed. Early in 1831 Rigdon visited Joe Smith, and, in consequence of his representations, Smith removed to Kirtland. Mr. Howe published, in 1834, from the office of the Painesville Telegraph, a book called Mormonism Unveiled, in refutation of the pretensions of Joe Smith. This book was prepared by Doctor D. P. Hurlbut, now or lately residing in Sturgis, Michigan. He had been at one time connected with the Mormons, but had left them and wrote this expose of their foolish and absurd notions. It was in this book that it was first claimed that Reverend Solomon Spalding was the real author of the Book of Mormon. The claim seems to have originated in the statement of Henry Lake of Conneaut, at one time a partner of Mr. Spalding. Mr. Lake, 498 HISTORY OF THE CHURCH. [1885 on hearing the Mormon bible read, exclaimed that it was the same story that Spalding had read to him twenty years before from his Manuscript Found. John Spalding testified that his brother Solomon, about the year 1812, was writing a book called the Manuscript Found, showing that the American Indians are descendants of the Jews. "Their arts, sciences and civilization were brought into view, in order to account for all the curious antiquities found in various parts of North and South America. (After their battles) they buried their dead in large heaps, which caused the mounds so common in this (section of the) country." His wife corroborates this testimony and says: "The names of Nephi and Lehi are yet fresh in my memory as being the principal heroes of his tale." These testimonies are confirmed by Messrs. Aaron Wright, Oliver Smith, Nahum Howard, Artemas Cunningham, John N. Miller and others, and also, as has been said above, by the widow of Reverend Solomon Spalding. After Mr. Spalding's death this widow removed to her brother's, Mr. Harvey, Sabine, Onondaga Hollow, New York. In 1820 she married Mr. Davison and removed to Harwick, New York, removing thence, 1832, to Monson, Massachusetts, to reside with her daughter, Mrs. Doctor McKinstry. She had up to this time in her possession a small trunk with some manuscripts of her husband, but left it, in 1832, with Mr. Jerome Clark, in Harwick. At Mr. Sabine's solicitation, she authorized Doctor Hurlbut to examine this trunk, and take the manuscripts he might find for comparison with the Book of Mormon. Only one manuscript was found, which purported to be a short unfinished romance, deriving the origin of the Indians from Rome, by a ship driven to the American coast while on a voyage to Britain, before the Christian era. It is this manuscript which, through the purchase of the Painesville printing-office, fell into Mr. Rice's possession, has been kept by him all these years in ignorance of its character, and is now brought again into public notice. On the last leaf is written: "The Writings of Solomon Spalding. Proved by Aaron Wright, Oliver Smith, John Miller and others. The testimonies of the above gentlemen are now in my possession. D. P. Hurlbut." The paper on which the manuscript was written is of poor quality, yellowed and softened by age, six and a half inches wide by eight inches long. One hundred and seventy-one pages are numbered and written out in full, but the threads which kept them together are broken, and pages 133 and 134 are missing. On the back of page 132 is the beginning of a letter in different handwriting. "Hond Parents I have received 2 letters this jan 1812." The story has not the slightest resemblance in names, incidents or style to anything in the Book of Mormon. Its first nine chapters are headed: Introduction; An Epitome of the Author's Life, and of his Arrival in America; an account of the Settlement of the Ship's Company; Many Particulars respecting the Natives; A Journey to the Northwest; A Description of the Ohons; Description of the Learning; Religion; An 1885] HISTORY OF THE CHURCH. 499 Account of Baska, Government and Money. The Introduction begins thus: "Near the west bank of the Coneaught River there are the remains of an ancient fort. As I was walking and forming various conjectures respecting the character, situation and numbers of those people who far exceeded the present race of Indians in works of art and ingenuity, I happened to tread on a flat stone." This is then described as being the cover of an artificial cave, eight feet deep. In the side of this cave a recess is seen, in which an earthen jar is found, containing twenty-eight parchment sheets, "written in an elegant hand, with Roman letters and in the Latin language." Then follows what purports to be a translation of one of these sheets, relating the adventures of Fabius, a young Roman sent by the Emperor Constantine from Rome to Britain, but driven by a storm to the coast of America. The wanderings of the shipwrecked party to the West are next described, and account given of the people, the Ohons, then living in the interior, with their manners and customs, and their wars with King Bombal and the Kentucks, Hadoram, king of Sciota, the Emperor Labmak and the allied nations under Habosan, king of Chianga, Ulipoon, king of Michegan, etc. Here is a specimen of the style: "While Labanco was engaged in conflict with another chief, Sambul thrust his sword into his side. Thus Labanco fell, lamented and beloved by all the subjects of Kentuck. His learning, wisdom and penetration of mind, his integrity and courage had gained him universal respect and given him a commanding influence over the emperor and his other counselors." There is no attempt whatever to imitate Bible language, and to introduce quotations from the Bible, as in the Book of Mormon. On the contrary, Reverend Solomon Spalding seems to have been a man who had no very high regard for the Bible. There are two manuscript leaves in the parcel of the same size and handwriting as the other one hundred seventy-one pages of manuscript. A few sentences will show the views of the writer. "It is enough for me to know that propositions which are in contradiction to each other can not both be true, and that doctrines and facts which represent the Supreme Being as a barbarous and cruel tyrant can never be dictated by infinite wisdom. . . . But, notwithstanding I disavow my believe in the divinity of the Bible, and consider it as a mere human production, designed to enrich and aggrandize its authors, yet casting aside a considerable mass of rubbish and fanatical rant, I find that it contains a system of ethics, or morals, which can not be excelled on account of their tendency to ameliorate the condition of man." It would seem improbable from such avowed belief that Reverend Solomon Spalding was an orthodox minister, who wrote the Book of Mormon in biblical style, while in poor health, for his own amusement. The statement is more probable that he wrote this Manuscript Found, with the idea of making a little money, if he could find some one to print it for him. It is evident from an inspection of this Manuscript, and from the above statements, that whoever wrote the Book of Mormon, Solomon Spalding 500 HISTORY OF THE CHURCH. [1885 did not. The testimony of the Conneaut people after the lapse of twenty years, as to their knowledge of the contents of Spalding's story, the Manuscript Found, is not to be relied upon, imperfect and contradictory as it is. The supposition that Spalding wrote another story, which he carried with him to Pittsburg, to the office of Patterson and Lambdin, to be printed; that he left it there, where it was found in 1822 by Rigdon when he worked in that office, and that Rigdon took this Manuscript with him and published it through Joe Smith in 1830 as the Book of Mormon, is a most violent supposition, unsupported by any evidence whatever; Rigdon, in fact, having never met Smith till after the publication of the Mormon bible. That Spalding ever wrote any other romance seems to be disproved by the date, 18l2, found in the latter part of this Manuscript, and by the correspondence of its contents with what it was found Spalding had actually written. While, on the contrary, all that is known of Joe Smith, his money-digging, his religious ranting, his schemes for getting a livelihood, corroborate the belief, in view of all the facts of the case, that he, and he alone, is the author of the Mormon bible and the founder of the Mormon church. Limerick Debate. On August 26 Elder W. H. Kelley entered upon a discussion with Elder J. B. Taylor, of the Bible Christians or Newlights, at Limerick, Ohio, on the respective claims of the two churches represented. Elder Taylor acquitted himself as a gentleman throughout the debate, and Elder Kelley conducted his side of the battle in the same spirit. Some were baptized by Elder Kelley, or his associate ministers, nearly every day of the four days' debate, which indicates the conditions surrounding the controversy. Letter from islands. August 28 Elder T. W. Smith wrote from a point two hundred miles east of Tahiti, Society Islands, giving a very full report of the conditions surrounding the work in that far-off land. It follows: I am now at Anaa, where there are five branches, of Benjamin Grouard's followers. Anaa is called the head of all the other branches of these people, and as it goes, so goes the others. There are branches at Fakarava, Faite, Makemo, Marikau, Takomi, Raroia, Takaroa, Hikuera, Niau, Ravahara, Nerigningo, Koatiu, Mitia, Tairaro, and perhaps others, with five here, Teimatahoa, Tekahora, Butuhara, Otepipi, Temaria, and Tuhora, makes at least twenty branches who claim to receive the old organization. These I think will, without doubt, accept the following propositions: 1. That you are the lawful successor to your father in his office and gifts; 2. That the proper name of the church is the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; 3. To recognize my appointment, and |
1885] HISTORY OF THE CHURCH. 605 1888. MONTANA DISTRICT ORGANIZED -- YOUNG'S LETTER -- DRIFT CREEK BRANCH -- MISSIONARIES SAIL -- WATERFORD DEBATE -- SUNDAY-SCHOOL ASSOCIATION -- FULTON BRANCH -- HICKEY'S PROPOSITION -- SOUTHWESTERN TEXAS DISTRICT ORGANIZED -- PROSPECTS IN WALES -- WILBER DEBATE -- FORSTER DISTRICR ORGANIZED -- ARKANSAS DEBATE -- WEST VIRGINIA DEBATE -- COUNCIL BLUFFS DEBATE -- MONMOUTH BRANCH -- HALEY CREEK BRANCH -- ARCADIA DEBATES -- BRANCH IN TEXAS -- IRONDALE BRANCH -- SNOWFLAKE BRANCH -- GARAFRAXA BRANCH -- PIPE CREEK DEBATE -- CANNON SURRENDERS -- MISSOURI VALLEY REUNION -- OLIVET DEBATE -- NEBRASKA CITY DEBATE -- DIAMOND VALLEY BRANCH -- DEDICATION -- UTAH AFFAIRS -- INTERVIEW WITH SPALDING -- EXPLANATION OF ATTITUDE -- WOODBINE DEDICATION -- GENOA DEBATE -- OENAVILLE DEBATE. District organized On June 2, 1888, the Montana DistriCt was organized, Embracing the territory of Montana, by R. J. Anthony, president of the Rocky Mountain Mission. Gomer Reese was chosen president of the district and William Nelson secretary. Young's Letter. A letter was received from Elder T. W. Smith, then in Australia, inclosing a communication from one James L. Young, regarding the work in the Society Islands and the natives there who had embraced the faith. 1 ____________ 1 PAPEETE, Tahiti, January 26, 1888. Reverend T. W. Smith, Forster, New South Wales. Dear Sir: Yours of December 27, from Hastings, just in hand per "Richmond." I am glad to hear that you reached Victoria safely and that you had a pleasant passage there. Your people have paid up all they owed on the church and held an opening festival a |
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