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                            Castle Shannon

                                   Allegheny Co. Pa

                                      Dec 3d -- 78.

Dear Sir,

            A few days since  I handed to 

Mr. Isaac Craig a copy of my pamphlet 

against Mormonism to forward to you.  

I fortunately found  another copy and 

I hope you have received it safely.  

The Rev. Robert Patterson's only surviving 

son is the assistant editor of the "Presbyterian 

Banner" published in Pittsburgh.  To make

matters doubly sure  I showed to him 

his father's certificate in my pamphlet 

and he added his confirmatory of that 

I received from his father which I gave 

to Mr. Craig to send to you. And I also

found that my dates were all correct to 

the very day.

       He had no old account books or

other documents from which he could 

learn the time when Lambden came 

into partnership with his Father but 

from all that he had heard about it 

it must have been in 14 or 15 and existed 

until 23 or 24 when they failed and dissolved.  

Then some friends assisted his father 

to continue the Bookstore as Agent.  

He continued only a few years and gave 

up the business to his eldest son and a Mr. Ingram.

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He then moved a few miles into the country 

where he died in fifty two if I remember 

rightly.  His son's certificate gives the 

exact date.  I also learned that 

Silas Engles  the foreman in the printing 

office was a cousin of the Rev. P.'s 

and entrusted with the management 

of the business.

    It makes no difference whether Rigdon 

copied it or procured it from either 

Lambdin or Engles  the identification

of it and the Mormon Bible could not 

be proven more strongly.  It is more 

probable however that Rigdon obtained 

the Manuscript and  modified it here 

and there in order as he imagined  better to

accomplish his purpose.  It is said 

that Whitmer who remained in Mo. 

near Nauvoo has that Manuscript.

When Rigdon fled from Mo. with the 

Danites on his track  he no doubt was 

in great haste and was not able to 

collect all of his traps.  This was not 

very long before the murder of Smith, 

but he was evidently frightened. He came 

through Pittsburgh and was pointed

to me one day and two of his family

but they did not remain any length of time.

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In my last  I was led into a great 

mistake by Mr. Craig which I now 

correct. He said he had Mr. Robt 

P.'s death from his tombstone 

whereas it was his Father's death

Mr. Joseph P's  he had which 

made me think that the date of 

the certificate should be 32 instead 

of 42, but when I had a little time 

to think about it I remembered a 

number of things that made it clear

that the date was entirely correct. 

And I also said that Rigdon was 

Pastor only about a year of the first 

Bap Chh -- what I should have 

said was that before he was with 

them a year he  preached his errors 

and was charged with them  but 

not excluded until the 11th of Oct 1823, 

making it one year and nine months.

These dates are taken from the old 

church book and the Minutes of the 

Association.

    It was shortly after Page left Pittsburgh 

that Smith and Rigdon quarrelled and the 

flight of the latter from the 

saints in Mo.

    It is amazing to what a magnitude this 

imposture has grown in this land and century! 

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And yet when one reflects that the poor

ignorant foreigners in those old feudal lands 

can never hope to possess a foot of land 

for themselves or posterity are told by 

the Elders from Salt Lake that they 

can every one have 160 acres of the best 

land in the world and live in the New 

Jerusalem they become willing to make 

any profession the Elders may dictate. 

From the first, Rigdon, Smith, Harris, 

Pratt &c. were evidently impelled by 

the spirit of insatiable avarice to pursue 

this course and practice these impostures. 

They became so hardened in this wickedness 

that they were ready to commit any crime 

to accomplish their object.  And no 

doubt although Rigdon had to leave the

community  he took a good sum of money 

with him. But not enough to enrich 

himself and family as he expected to do.

   I hope you will publish a full and 

complete history of this great imposture.  

It has not yet been done.  You may rely 

on Mr. Howe's statements for he took great 

pains to inform himself about the Smiths 

but he had not the facts about Rigdon.  

And you   rely implicitly upon my dates 

and facts as I have been the Pastor of the same 

1st Bap Chh for 28 years and often conversed with 

the old members about the tricks and errors of Rigdon.

              Resp. &c  S. Williams.

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                             Castle Shannon

                                  Allegheny Co Pa

                                       Dec 14th -- 78


Dear Sir,

      I have just recd. yours of the 27th ult 

through Mr. Craig, and answer your questions 

as well as I can in detail.

   Mr. Patterson of the Presn Banner says Engles was 

his Father's cousin and was in his employ 

during the term of his partnership with 

Lambden, and was entrusted with the 

management of the printing office.

   I am not certain about Lambden being a 

Portrait painter.  I distinctly recollect of 

a Mr. Lambden  a Painter  being in Pittsburgh 

when I came to the city in 1827 and somehow 

I received the impression that it was the 

same man.  They may not have been the same. 

    Mr. Craig has made a great mistake in regard 

to the death of Robert Patterson -- he gave you 

the date of the death of his Father the Rev. 

Joseph Patterson. Robt Patterson was 

the Pastor of the Highlands Chh twenty years 

and all that time was engaged in the Book 

business on a small scale up at least to 1840 

when his son and a Mr. Ingram succeeded 

him and he moved about six or seven miles 

out on the Washington road south of the city 

where he lived until 51 or 2 or about 

that time.  I have been in his store a hundred 

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times, had books or pamphlets on sale 

in his store, and was  standing near him 

when he wrote that certificate in 1842.  

Besides I often met him on the street 

and preached once or twice for him in his 

church at Hilands.  The date of his death 

is now certified by his son as you will see 

the by the scrap of paper with the pamphlet.  

The small chh to which he preached gave 

him but a small support and he was 

obliged to do something else for a living, as 

many others of us have to do.

   I was led to think 1842 was a misprint by 

Mr. Craig and without much thought gave 

you that date, 1832, but 1842 and not 32 is the

correct date.  Because when I came to 

recollect distinctly, I got the certificate 

when I was opposing John E. Page and 

I know he flourished in Pittsburgh in 

1841-2, and all the other dates in the 

Pamphlet are correct for they were taken 

from the minutes of the Redstone Association 

and the old Church Book of the 1st Bap Chh.

   Mr. Patterson stated to me that Mr. Spaulding 

brought the Manuscript to the Office and 

of course it came under the charge of Engles, 

and at or about that time Engles spoke to 

Mr. Patterson about it.  That time must have 

been 1814 or 15.  All of the old men of our Church 

knew about Rigdon hanging about that Printing 

Office, and whether he spent his time there in 

copying it or concocting his schemes while 

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conversing with Engles and others, or 

at length procured the Manuscript by 

purchase or otherwise, makes not the 

smallest difference.  If it is true that 

Mrs. Spaulding had the Manuscript 

returned to her, then unless Mr. Spaulding 

had duplicate copies leaving one in the 

office, Rigdon must have copied it.  
  
   The identification of the Mormon Bible 

with the Novel of Mr Spaulding I consider 

complete and placed beyond cavil.

   Now I wish to write about J. Patterson.  He 

was Mr. Joseph Patterson who I suppose was 

in with his brother Robert before Lambden 

came into the firm.  He married a very 

wealthy lady, built a long block of buildings 

on one of the principal business streets  6th 

producing high rents, retired from active 

business, and finally moved to Philadelphia 

to enjoy his fortune. I knew him well.  

I have no doubt you are right in the matter 

of Mrs. Spaulding's statement concerning the 

interest Jos. P. had taken in the Manuscript.

But Mr. Spaulding not being able to furnish

the money for its publication -- there it remained. 

I have never supposed that Rigdon ever saw 

Mr. Spaulding for at that time he had not as 

yet come on the stage, but finding such a 

document there shown to him by Engles in 1822 

or 3.  But I do not think he ever wished Patterson 

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to publish it, thinking he might turn it to account 

in making a fortune. And suppose the Novel was 

returned to Mrs. Spaulding -- it being a strange 

production, Engles might during his leisure 

hours have copied it with the intention of making 

something out of it and perhaps not being able 

to publish it, sold it to Rigdon.  Any one of these 

Lambden, Engles, Joseph Patterson, or Rigdon might 

have taken a copy.

   I think Rigdon had his plan of a community 

formed, { indeed the old members told me that 

when in Pittsburgh he often broached the 

subject to them of a common-stock system 

as he then called it }  before he met Joe Smith, 

and at first expected to use him as a tool 

to carry out his plans.  So that it may be that 

Rigdon had a little community begun at Kirtland 

before he met Joe Smith. But I remember 

well the report that Parley Pratt the tin pedlar 

told Rigdon of Smith and was the means 

of bringing them together, and I suppose it was 

1829 or '30.  Another thing I learned that about the 

time they published the first edition of the Mormon 

Bible they established a Bank at Kirtland without 

a basis  issued notes, and the Elders put them 

into circulation.  I saw one of the notes.

    I hope you will persevere and collect all of the 

facts and publish an authentic history of that 

huge imposture.  You will see by my pamphlet 

that you can get nowhere else the first facts 

in the history. I feel thankful that I can help 

a mite toward the  object.

    I was sick for three or four weeks but have 

recovered.  If I can aid you any further  I 

shall be glad to do it.

Judge Cobb.

              Very respectfully,
                      S. Williams.

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                                     Dallas, Polk Co. Or. Jan. 23" / 79
James T. Cobb -- Sir.

     Yours of the 12" inst is just at hand & before me

     Your apology for the use of that obnoxious epithet is perfectly 

satisfactory  I cannot give the date of Harris�s visit to Kirtland any 

nearer than to say it was in the winter of  /30 & /31  Cant say positively 

but I think it was as late as Jan. or Feb.  neither can I recollect 

the tenor of the revelation  But for the loss of everything by fire I 

think I could have produced a copy from the original

     Thomas Clapp of Mentor Lake Co. O. can come nearer answering 

some of your questions than any man living now  D. Atwater 

married his sister & I presume he can answer your question there 

I can�t.  He married Adamson Bentleys daughter & Bentleys wife & Rig-

dons wife were sisters & they were both Baptist preachers to-

gether & he can therefore perhaps tell where Rigdon was in /24 

& /25 & I am very sure he can tell verry near if not the exact time 

when Rigdon & Partridge left Mentor (not Kirtland R. never lived in 

K. till after 'the Stake' was set there & did not belong to the Morley 

Family though it was his child) for N.Y. & perhaps he could tell 

whether Rigdon was in Mentor when Harris was in Kirtland.  The 

two places are I think about 8 miles apart. --  I cannot give you 

the name of the judge  & he must be dead long ago for he was an 

old man then & I was a young man It must have been from /35 

to /38  It was at Conneaut & I think that was where Spalding lived 

& preached till on account of ill health he was unable to preach & I 

recollect distinctly that he told me that the Furnace Co. employed 

him more from charity than from need of his services & that

he was obliged to be in the office but had many idle hours 

& that he filled up those hours writing this romance & I think 

he gave me the title but not sure & I think you will find this 

judge�s name in Howe�s Book.

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A Clairvoyant is one who is easily Mesmerized easily controled  

& influenced by others  this was not Smith. He was the one to 

Mesmerize to control & influence others.  He could mesmerize 

Rigdon but R. could not mesmerize him  One cannot be a good 

Mesmerist & a Clairvoyant  All that I can tell you of 

Campbell�s analysis of the book you can find in the 'Memoirs of        

A. Campbell' Vol. 2" p 344-348: Yes I was in K. when 

T. Campbell was in Mentor & wrote to S. R.  I was baptized 

Sept. /24   T. Clapp perhaps can tell when my wife was 

immersed. Her name was Cordelia Hutt a niece of E. D. Howe 

She was immersed at Painesville & belonged to the church in 

Mentor at which place I was immersed & he I presume 

can tell you exactly when Rigdon first went to Mentor to 

live.  I believe I have noticed every point in your letter 

to the best of my ability   Respectfully Yours

                                       J. J. Moss

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                                 Philomath, Benton Co. Or. Jan. 30" /80
James T. Cobb. Sir

     Yours of Sept. 13" came duly to hand About that time my 

Son Rufus H. Moss with whom I live & myself were moving into 

our soldiers homesteads at this place & without entering into partic-

ulars suffice it to say that I have had my hands & head so full of 

labor & care that I have had no time to write & this is the first 

respite.  You ask about Hurlbut  I never saw him & know noth-

ing about him only what I learned from my Uncle E. D. Howe & 

Mormonism Unveiled.  I know nothing of how the Mormons man-

ufactured Angels. I only know how it could be done & was therefore 

willing to grapple with them & when they found that out the angels 

ceased their visits  Phosphorous dissolved in Sweet oil smeared over 

hands & face & clothes harms neither clothes nor flesh & gives you a 

living smoking pillar of fire in human form in a dark room or a dark night  

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& with anything to represent wings would make a first rate angel

There is a Chemical compound the receipt for which can be found 

in almost any Book of Hocus Pocus Ledgerdemain or The Black Art  

the compound liquified paper tow or cotton saturated in it & then 

dried put into a stone or earthen jar set on fire & covered over &      

set under the bed in a dark room & everything in the room is 

apparently all on fire & nothing consumed A man all on fire & mo-

ving amidst the fire would make a first rate angel.  Rigdon 

died not long since in Catauraugus or Chataqua Co N.Y.  He was 

living with a daughter who I think married a Methodist preach-

er Have you got on their track?  If not I think perhaps you could 

get their P.O. address from Thomas Clapp of Mentor Lake Co. O.

     Respectfully Yours       J.J. Moss