r?^. ^ DEC 6 1917 Sectioe TT 8^ SMITH'S ACCOUNT OF TAKING THE "GOLDEN BIBLE" FROM MORMON HILL. : ORIGIN, RISE, AND PROGRESS '• ^i^^^' ( DEC 6 19 MORMONISM^%5SlCAl ^i BIOGRAPHY OF ITS FOUNDERS AND HISTORY OF ITS CHURCH. PERSONAL REMEMBRANCES AND HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS HITHERTO UNWRITTEN. By POMEROY TUCKER, PALMYRA, N. T. NEW YORK D. APPLETON AND COMPANY. 443 & 445 BROADWAY. 1867. Entered, according to Act of Cougress, in the year 1S67, by POMEEOT TUCKEE, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Northern District of New Tork. PREFACE MoRMONiSM, in its progress and maturity, has attained a conspicuous page in the annals of our century. Yet a fiiU account of the remarkable sect, beginning v/ith its origin and rise, and circumstantially disclosing the earlier designs and delusions of its founders, has hitherto re- mained unwritten. The facts and reminiscences contained in this volume, based upon the author's personal knowl- edge and information, are produced to fill the blank and supply the omitted chapters in Mormon history. Chronologically tracing the Church of Latter-D^y Saints, from its singularly humble starting-point, through a wonderfully successful career of domination by crafty leaders over blind infatuation, to its assumed dignity of a newly-revealed gospel dispensation, with its extraordinary hierarchal powers and pretensions, this truthfal narrative is necessary to the completion of the history from the foundation of the institution. Events and incidents, which at their occurrence were viewed by enlightened minds as too insimiificant for serious thouo-ht, are now rescued from oblivion for record and preservation, as important illus- 4 PREFACE. trations of tlie gTOiindwork of a stiipeiidoiis imposture at- taining an extended influence and world-wide notoriety. In claimino'o for the statements herein set forth the character of fairness and authenticity, it is perhaps appro- priate to add in this connection, that the locality of the malversations resulting in the Mormon scheme, is the au- " thor's birthplace ; that he was well acquainted with Joe Smith," the first Mormon prophet, and with his father and all the Smith family, since their removal to Palmyra from YeiTQont in 1816, and during their continuance there and in the adjoining town of Manchester ; that he was equally acquainted with Martin Harris and Oliver Cowdery, and with most of the earlier followers of Smith, either as money-diggers or Mormons ; that he established at Pal- myra, in 1823, and was for many years editor and pro- prietor of the Wayne Sentinel, and was editorially con- nected with that paper at the printing by its press of the " " original edition of the Book of Mormon in I'gSO ; that in the progress of the work he performed much of the reading of the proof-sheets, comparing the same with the manuscript copies, and in the mean time had frequent and familiar inten^iews with the pioneer Mormons, Smith, Cow- dery, and Harris ; that he was present at the repeated con- sultations and. negotiations between these men and Mr. Grandin in relation to the printing of the book, and united with the latter in the friendly admonitions vainly seeking to divert Harris from his persistent fanaticism in that losing speculation. PREFACE. O For corroboratory references, the author is permitted to name Messrs. Joseph Capron, Russell Stoddard, Barton Stafford, and Russell M. Rush, of Manchester, N. Y. ; and Messrs. George Beckwith, George W. Cuyler, Richard S. Williams, Willard Chase, John H. Gilbert, and Joseph C. Lovett, of Palmyra ; who, with himself (excej)t the last two named), were contemporaries and neighbors of Smith and his family for the whole period of their residence in this locality, and all of whom were famihar with their char- acter and pursuits, and with their money-digging repu- tation and fabulous " Golden Bible " discovery. The data for the later chapters of this Mormon his- tory, have been obtained from private correspondence, per- sonal communications, official records, and various pub- lished works. POMEROY TUCKER. Palmyra, K Y., May, 1867. LETTER OF THURLOW WEED. Mr. Weed resided at Rochester, near the scene of Smith's dekisive practices, at the time of the inception and development of the Mormon invention, and knew either personally or by common fame the chief impostor and his followers. The letter below will explain itself: New York, June 1, 1867. Dear Sir : I have been so constantly occupied, that I really did not get time to say how much I was interested 6 PKEFACE. in your history of Mormonism. I have long hoped that some person with personal knowledge of the origin of this great delusion—who saw it as I did, when it was "no bigger than a man's hand, " and who has the conrage and capacity to tell the w^hole truth, would undertake the task. I read enough of your manuscript to be confident that you have discharged this duty faithfully. The character you have given "Joe Smith," his family and associates, corresponds with what I have often heard from the old citizens of Palmyra. Such a work is wanted, and no one but a writer personally and familiarly acquainted with the false prophet and his surroundings cauld have written it. Truly yours, THUELOW WEED. CONTENTS CHAPTER I. Biography of Joseph Smith, Jr.—Early Life and Times of the Smith Family—Their Character and Employments, . 11 CHAPTER II. Smith's Money-Digging—How it began—Magic Stone—A Vision —Wonderful Discoveries— Fanatics and Dupes, . 19 CHAPTER HI. Mysterious Stranger—Smith has a Remarkable Vision—He as- sumes to be a Prophet—Finding of the Golden Bible and Urim and Thummim—Frightful Phenomenon—Translations —How received by the Public, 27 CHAPTER IV. Budding of the Mormon Church— Proposed Printing of the Golden Bible — Martin Harris consults Professor Anthon and Others—Translations lost—Mysterious Stranger again, . 38 CHAPTER V. New Translations—The Prophet's Cave—Printing Contract- Book completed—Harris " pays the Printer," ... 48 —— O CONTENTS. CHAPTER VI. PAGE Publication of the Mormon Bible—Blooming of the Church of Latter-Day Saints —Its Patriarch and President—Character- istic Anecdote—Failure of "Golden Bible" Speculation, . 58 CHAPTER VII. Modified Revelation—Testimony of Witnesses—A Prophet that was not a Prophet—Sidney Rigdon the first regular Preacher of the New Gospel—His Sermon—Calvin Stoddard receives " a Call"—Mormon Emigration to Ohio, . .68 CHAPTER VIII. Style of the New Revelation—Passages from the Book—Scat- tered Tribes — Journey from Jerusalem to the Promised Land—Their Tribulations in the Wilderness and at Sea " Records hid up in the Hill Camorah" pr Mormon Hill, . 84 CHAPTER IX. Origin of the Book of Mormon—Who wrote it?—Mormon Le- gends—Solomon Spaulding's Fable—Rigdon and Smith the Schemers, Ill CHAPTER X. Kirtland, Ohio—Maturity of the Mormon Church—Theology of the Saints—Brigham Toung converted—Martin Harris in Council—A Division of the Mormons remove to Missouri Saints under Proscription, • . 129 CHAPTER XL Mormons in Missouri—Their Prosperity and Adversity—^Failure of Smith's Bank at Kirtland—The Prophet and Young flee — CONTENTS. 9 PAGE to Missouri—Mob Conflicts—Interposition of Government Authorities—The Saints driven out of the State—Scattered Tribes—Asylum at Nauvoo, ....... 153 CHAPTER XII. Mormons settle at Nauvoo—Public Sympathy—Accessions and Conversions — City Charter — Revelations for Temple and Nauvoo House—Spiritual Wifeism and Polygamy, . 167 CHAPTER XIII. The Polygamous Revelation—Vices of the Saints—Criminations and Recriminations — Conflict with State Authorities — As- sassination of Joseph and Hyrum Smith—Young succeeds to the Spiritual Dictatorship — Rigdon defeated and ex- pelled, 183 CHAPTER XIV. Exodus from Illinois—Bold Adventure of Brigham Young—Suf- ferings on the Plains—Mexican "War and Mormon Battalion —Arrival at Salt Lake—State of Deseret and Territory of Utah—^Young declared ** Prophet of the Lord"—Corner- stone of the New Temple, , 203 CHAPTER XV. Political and Military—Recusancy of Young—He circumvents the Enemy—Clandestine Mormonism—Missionary Success Statistics of the Saints—Utah, its Lakes and its City, . 224 1* — 10 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XVI. PAOB Modified Theology—Young's Wealth—Polygamy and Spiritual Marriage—The Prophet's Harem—Mormon Abominations What of the Future ? . .260 APPENDIX. Letter of Ex-Governor Harding—Fate of Parley P. Pratt—Tem- ple Project at Salt Lake—Places of Mormon Worship—^Popu- lation of the City and Territory—The Church and Polygamy Young's Tithing Resources—Pioneer Mormons at Palmyra Sacred Archives—"Command" to preach the Gospel of Nephi—Statement of the late Rev. Jesse Townsend—War Romance of Mormonism—Institutions of the Mormon Me- tropolis, ... -V .. 280 MOEMONISM: ITS OIIIOI]N", RISE, AND PROGRESS. CHAPTER I. Biography of Joseph Smith, Jr.—Early Life and Times of the Smith Family—Their Character and Employments. Joseph Smith, Jr., who in the subsequent pages appears in the character of the first Mormon prophet, and the putative founder of Mormonism and the Church of Latter Day Saints, was born in Sharon, Windsor County, Vt., December 13, 1805. He was the son of Joseph Smith, Sr., who, Avith his wife Lucy and their family, removed from Royalton, Yt., to Palmyra, N. Y., in the summer of 1816. The family embraced nine children, Joseph, Jr., being the fourth in the order of their ages, viz. : Alvin, Hyrum (so spelled by his father), Soj^hronia, Joseph, Samuel H., William, Catherine, Carlos, and Lucy. These constituted the chief earthly possessions and respon- 12 MOEMONISM : sibilities of Mr. and Mrs. Smith at the time of their emigration to Western New York. At Palmyra, Mr. Smith, Sr., opened a " cake and beer shop," as described by his signboard, doing busi- ness on a small scale, by the profits of which, added to the earnings of an occasional day's work on hire by himself and his elder sons, for the village and farming people, he was understood to secure a scanty but honest living for himself and family.