History of the Prophet Joseph

IMPROVEMENT ERA. Vol. V. MAY, 1902. No. 7.

HISTORY OF THE PROPHET JOSEPH, BY HIS MOTHER, LUCY SMITH.

CHAPTER XXIX. MRS. HARRIS PROSECUTES JOSEPH —EX-PARTE EXAMINATION. About the first of August, Samuel returned home, bringing us news of Joseph's success. This intelligence produced in Martin Harris a great desire to go down to Pennsylvania to see how they were prospering. This being made known to his wife, she resolved to prevent him from going, also to bring Joseph into difficulty, which would perhaps hinder him from ever accomplishing the work in which he was engaged. To this end, she undertook to prove, that Joseph never had the Record which he professed to have, and that he pretented to have in his possession certain gold plates, for the express purpose of obtaining money. Accordingly, she mounted her horse, rode from house to house through the neighborhood, like a dark spirit, making diligent inquiry wherever she had the least hopes of glean- ing anything, and stirring up every malicious feeling which would tend to subserve her wicked purpose. Having ascertained the number and strength of her adherents, she entered a complaint against Joseph, before a certain magistrate of Lyons. She then

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sent word to Lyman Cowdery, requesting him to come thither, prepared to go post haste to Pennsylvania, (provided the decision should be given against Joseph,) to assist the officers in securing and confining him in prison. This call, Lyman Cowdery answered immediately, and all things seemed going on prosperously with Mrs. Harris. She made affidavit to many things herself, and di- rected the officers whom to subpoena. Among the number was her husband, who was a principal witness in the case. When the day of trial came on, the neighbors came and in- formed us, that the witnesses had gone to Lyons with the de- clared intention to obtain a verdict against Joseph, if it could be done by swearing. Immediately after our friends left, Hyrum came in, and I asked him what could be done. "Why, mother," said he, "we can do nothing, except to look to the Lord: in him is all help and strength; he can deliver from every trouble." I had never neglected this important duty, yet, seeing such confidence in my son, strengthened me in this hour of trial. Not being accustomed to lawsuits of this character, I trembled for the issue, for this was the first time a suit had ever been preferred before a court against any of my family. I retired to a secluded place, and poured out my whole soul in entreaties to God, for the safety of my son, and continued my supplication for some time; at length the spirit fell upon me so powerfully, that every fore- boding of ill was entirely removed from my mind, and a voice spoke to me, saying,"not one hair of his head shall be harmed." I

was satisfied. I arose, and repaired to the house. I had never before in my life experienced such happy moments. I sat down and began to read, but my feelings were too intense to allow me to do so. My daughter-in-law, Jerusha, came into the room soon after this, and when she turned her eyes upon me, she stopped short, and exclaimed, "Why! mother! what is the matter? 1 never saw you look so strangely in my life." I told her, that I had never felt so happy before in my life, that my heart was so light, and my mind so completely at rest, that it did not appear possible to me that I should ever have any more trouble while I should exist. I then informed her in rela- tion to the witness which I had received from the Lord.

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In the evening the proceedings of the court were rehearsed to us, which were as follows: The witnesses, being duly sworn, the first arose and testified, that Joseph Smith told him that the box which he had, contained nothing but sand; and he, Joseph Smith, said it was gold, to deceive the people. Second witness swore, that Joseph Smith had told him that it was nothing but a box of lead, and he was determined to use it as he saw fit. Third witness declared, that he once inquired of Joseph Smith what he had in that box, and Joseph Smith told him that there was nothing at all in the box, saying, that he had made fools of the whole of them, and all he wanted was to get Martin Harris's money away from him, and that he (witness) was knowing to the fact that Joseph Smith had, by his persuasion, already got two or three hundred dollars. Next came Mrs. Harris's affidavit, in which she stated, that she believed the chief object which Joseph Smith had in view, was to defraud her husband out of all his property, and that she did not believvs that Joseph Smith had ever been in possession of the gold plates which he talked so much about. The magistrate then forbade the introduction of any more wit- nesses, until Martin Harris should be sworn. Martin being called upon, testified with boldness, decision and energy, to a few simple facts. When he arose he raised his hand to heaven, and said, "I can swear, that Joseph Smith never has got one dollar from me by persuasion, since God made me. I did once, of my own free will and accord, put fifty dollars into his hands, in the presence of many witnesses, for the purpose of doing the work of the Lord. This, I can pointedly prove; and I can tell you, furthermore, that I have never seen in Joseph Smith, a disposition to take any man's money, without giving him a reasonable compensation for the same in return. And as to the plates which he professes to have, gentle- men, if you do not believe it, but continue to resist the truth, it will one day be the means of damning your souls." After hearing this testimony, the magistrate told them they need not call any more witnesses, but ordered them to bring him what had been written of the testimony already given. This he

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tore in pieces before their eyes, and told them to go home about their business, and trouble him no more with such ridiculous folly. And they did go home perfectly discomfitted,

CHAPTER XXX. JOSEPH AND OLIVER REMOVE TO WATERLOO — THEY FINISH THE TRANSLATION.

We will now return to Pennsylvania where we left Joseph and Oliver busily engaged in translating the Record. After Samuel left them, they still continued the work as be- fore, until about the time of the proceedings that took place in Lyons, New York. Near this time, as Joseph was translating by means of the Urim and Thummim, he received instead of the words of the Book, a commandment to write a letter to a man by the name of David Whitmer, who lived in Waterloo, requesting him to come immediately with his team, and convey himself and Oliver to his own residence as an evil-designing people were seeking to take ,

away his (Joseph's) life, in order to prevent the work of God from going forth to the world. The letter was written and delivered, and was shown by Mr. Whitmer to his father, mother, brothers, and sisters, and their advice was asked in regard to the best course for him to take in relation to the matter. His father reminded him that he had as much wheat sown upon the ground as he could harrow in two days, at least; besides this, he had a quantity of plaster of paris to spread, which must

be done immediately, consequently he could not go, unless he could get a witness from God that it was absolutely necessary. This suggestion pleased David, and he asked the Lord for a testimony concerning his going for Joseph, and was told by the voice of the Spirit to go as soon as his wheat was harrowed in. The next morning, David went to the field, and found that he had two heavy days' work before him. He then said to himself that, if he should be enabled, by any means, to do this work sooner than

the same had ever been done on the farm before, he would receive it as an evidence, that it was the will of God, that he should do all

in his power to assist Joseph Smith in the work in which he was engaged. He then fastened his horses to the harrow, and instead

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of dividing the field into what is, by farmers, usually termed lands, drove around the whole of it, continuing thus till noon, when, on stopping for dinner, he looked around, and discovered to his surprise, that he had harrowed in full half the wheat. After dinner he went on as before, and by evening he finished the whole two days' work. His father, on going into the field the same evening, saw what had been done, and he exclaimed, "There must be an overruling hand in this, and I think you would better go down to Pennsylvania as soon as your plaster of paris is sown." The next morning,David took a wooden measure under his arm and went out to sow the plaster, which he had left, two days pre-

vious, in heaps near his sister's house, but, on coming to the place, he discovered that it was gone! He then ran to his sister, and in- quired of her if she knew what had become of it. Being surprised she said, "Why do you ask me? was it not all sown yesterday?" "Not to my knowledge," answered David. "I am astonished at that," replied his sister, "for the chil- dren came to me in the forenoon, and begged of me to go out and see the men sow plaster in the field, saying, that they never saw anybody sow plaster so fast in their lives. I accordingly went,and saw three men at work in the field, as the children said, but, sup-

posing that you had hired some help, on account of your hurry, I went immediately into the house, and gave the subject no further attention." Daviijmade considerable inquiry in regard to the matter,both among his relatives and neighbors, but was not able to learn who had done it. However, the family were convinced that there was an exertion of supernatural power connected with this strange oc- currence, David immediately set out for Pennsylvania, and arrived there in two days, without injuring his horses in the least, though the distance was one hundred and thirty-five miles. When he arrived, he was under the necessity of introducing himself to Joseph, as this was the first time that they had ever met. I will observe, that the only acquaintance which existed be-

tween the Smith and Whitmer families, was that formed by Mr. Smith and myself, when on our way from Manchester to Penn-

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sylvania to visit Joseph, at which time we stopped with David over night and gave him a brief history of the Record. When Joseph commenced making preparations for the jour- ney, he inquired of the Lord to know in what manner he should carry the plates. The answer was, that he should commit them into the hands of an angel, for safety, and after arriving at Mr. Whitmer's the angel would meet him in the garden and deliver them up again into his hands. Joseph and Oliver set out without delay, leaving Emma to take charge of affairs during her husband's absence. On arriving at Waterloo, Joseph received the Record according to promise. The next day, he and Oliver resumed the work of translation, which' they continued without further interruption until the whole work was accomplished.

CHAPTER XXXI. — THE PLATES ARE SHOWN TO TWELVE WITNESSES JOSEPH MAKES ARRANGEMENTS FOR PRINTING THE BOOK OF MORMON.

As soon as the Book of Mormon was translated, Joseph des- patched a messenger to Mr. Smith, bearing intelligence of the com- pletion of the work, and a request that Mr. Smith and myself should come immediately to Waterloo. The same evening, we conveyed 'this intelligence to Martin Harris, for we loved the man, although his weakness had cost us much trouble. Hearing this, he greatly rejoiced, and determined to go straightway to Waterloo to congratulate Joseph upon his success. Accordingly, the next morning, we all set off together,

and before sunset met Joseph and Oliver at Mr. Whitmer's. The evening was spent in reading the manuscript, and it would be superfluous for me to say, to one who has read the foregoing pages, that we rejoiced exceedingly. It then appeared to those of

us who did not realize the magnitude of the work, as if the great- est difficulty was then surmounted; but Joseph better understood the nature of the dispensation of the Gospel which was committed unto him. The next morning, after attending to the usual services, namely, reading, singing and praying, Joseph arose from his knees,

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and approaching Martin Harris with a solemnity that thrills through my veins to this day, 'when -it occurs to my recollection, said, "Martin Harris, you have got to humble yourself before God this day, that you may obtain a forgiveness of your sins. If you do, it is the will of God that you should look upon the plates, in com- pany with Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer." In a few minutes after this, Joseph, Martin, Oliver and David, repaired to a grove, a short distance from the house, where they commenced calling upon the Lord, and continued in earnest sup- plication, until he permitted an angel to come down from his pres- ence, and declare to them, that all which Joseph had testified of

concerning the plates was true. When they returned to the house it was between three and four o'clock p.m. Mrs. Whitmer, Mr. Smith and myselt, were sit- ting in a bedroom at the time. On coming in, Joseph threw him- self down beside me, and exclaimed, "Father, mother, you do not know how happy I am: the Lord has now caused the plates to be shown to three more besides myself. They have seen an angel, who has testified to them, and they will have to bear witness to the truth of what I have said, for now they know for themselves, that I do not go about to deceive the people, and I feel as if I was re- lieved of a burden which was almost too heavy for me to bear, and it rejoices my soul, that I am not any longer to be entirely alone in the world." Upon this, Martin Harris came in: he seemed almost overcome with joy, and testified boldly to what he had both seen and heard. And so did David and Oliver, adding, that no tongue could express the joy of their hearts, and the greatness of the things which they had both seen and heard. Their written testimony, which is contained in the Book of Mormon, is as follows: THE TESTIMONY OF THREE WITNESSES. Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come, that we, through the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, have seen the plates which contain this Record, which is a Record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Laman- ites, their brethren, and also of the people of Jared, who came from the tower, of which hath been spoken; and we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God, for his voice hath declared it

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unto us; wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true. And we also testify that we have seen the engravings which are upon the plates; and they have been shown unto us by the power of God, and not of man. And we declare, with words of soberness, that an angel of God came down from heaven, and he brought and laid before our eyes, that we be- held and saw the plates, and the engravings thereon; and we know that it isby the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, that we beheld and bear record that these things are true; and it is marvelous in our eyes, nevertheless, the voice of the Lord commanded us that we should bear record of it; wherefore, to be obedient unto the command- "mt-nts of God, we bear testimony of these things. And we know that if we are faithful in Christ, we shall rid our garments of the blood of all

men, and be found spotless before the judgment-seat of Christ, and shall dwell with him eternally in the heavens. And the honor be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, which is one God. Amen. Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, Martin Harris.

The following day, we returned, a cheerful, happy company. In a few days, we were followed by Joseph, Oliver and the Whit- mers, who came to make us a visit, and make some arrangements about getting the book printed. Soon after they came, all the male part of the company, with my husband, Samuel and Hyrum, retired to a place where the family were in the habit of offering up their secret devotions to God. They went to this place, because it had been revealed to Joseph that the plates would be carried thither by one of the ancient Nephites. Here it was, that those eight witnesses, whose names are recorded in the Book of Mormon, looked upon them and handled them. Of which they bear record in the following words:

THE TESTIMONY OF EIGHT WITNESSES. Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come, that Joseph Smith, Jr., the translator of this work, has shown unto us the plates of which hath leen spoken, which have the appearance of gold; and as many of the leaves as the said Smith has translated, we did handle with our hands; and we also saw the en- gravings thereon, all of which has the appearance of ancient work, and of curious workmanship. And this we bear record, with words of sober- ness, that the said Smith has shown unto us, for we have seen and hefted,

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and know of a surety, that the said Smith has got the plates of which we have spoken. And we give our names unto the world, to witness unto the world that which we have seen; and we lie not, God bearing witness of it. Christian Whitmer, Hiram Page, Jacob Whitmer, Joseph Smith, Sen., Peter Whitmer, Jun., Hyrum Smith, John Whitmer, Samuel H. Smith.

After these witnesses returned to the house, the angel again made his appearance to Joseph, at which time Joseph delivered up the plates into the angel's hands. That evening, we held a meeting, in which all the witnesses bore testimony to the facts, as stated above; and all of our family, even to Don Carlos, who was but fourteen years of age, testified of the truth of the Latter-day Dispensation — that it was then ushered in. In a few days, the whole company from Waterloo, went to Palmyra to make arrange- ments for getting the book printed; and they succeeded in making a contract with one E. B. Grandin, but did not draw the writings at that time. The next day, the company from Waterloo returned home, excepting Joseph, and Peter Whitmer, Joseph remaining to draw writings in regard to the printing of the manuscript, which was to be done on the day following. When Joseph was about starting for Palmyra, where the writings were to be executed. Dr. M'Intyre came in and informed us, that forty men were collected in the capacity of a mob, with the view of waylaying Joseph on his way thither; that they requested him (Dr. M'Intyre) as they had done once before, to take command of the company, and, that upon his refusing to do so, one Mr. Huzzy, a hatter of Palmyra, proffered his services, and was chosen as their leader. On hearing this, I besought Joseph not to go; but he smiled at my fears, saying, "Never mind, mother, just put your trust in God, and nothing will hurt me today." In a short time he set out for Palmyra. On his way thither, lay a heavy strip of timber, about half a mile in width, and, beyond it, on the right side of the road, lay a field belonging to David Jacaway. When he came to this field, he found the mob seated on the string of fence running along the road. Coming to Mr. Huzzy first, he took oflf his hat, and good-naturedly saying, "Good morning, Mr. Huzzy," passed on to

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the next, whom he saluted in like manner, and the next, and so on till he came to the last. This struck them with confusion, and while they were ponder- ing in amazement, he passed on, leaving them perched upon the fence, like so many roosting chickens, and arrived at Palmyra without being molested. Here he met Mr. Grandin, and writings were drawn up between them to this effect: That half of the price for printing was to be paid by Martin Harris, and the residue by my two sons, Joseph and Hyrum. These writings were afterwards signed by all the parties concerned. When Joseph returned from Palmyra he said, "Well, mother, the Lord has been on my side today, the devil has not overpowered me in any of my proceedings. Did I not tell you that I should be delivered from the hands of all my enemies! They thought they were going to perform great feats; they have done wonders to prevent me from getting the book printed; they mustered them- selves together, and got upon the fence, made me a low bow, and went home, and I'll warrant you they wish they had stayed there in the first place. Mother, there is a God in heaven, and I know it." Soon after this, Joseph secured the copyright; and before he returned to Pennsylvania, where he had left his wife, he received a commandment, whith was in substance as follows: First, that Oliver Cowdery should transcribe the whole manu-

script. Second, that he should take but one copy at a time to the office, so that if one copy should get destroyed, there would still be a copy remaining. Third, that in going to and from the office, he should always have a guard to attend him, for the purpose of protecting the manuscript. Fourth, that a guard should be kept constantly on the watch, both night and day, about the house, to protect the manuscript from malicious persons, who would infest the house for the purpose of destroying the manuscript. All these things were strictly attended to, as the Lord commanded Joseph. After giving these instructions, Joseph returned to Pennsylvania.

CHAPTER XXXn. THE PRINTING IS BEGUN —A MEETING OF THE CITIZENS HELD IN REF- FiiRENCE TO THE BOOK.

Oliver Cowdery commenced the work immediately after Joseph

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left, and the printing went on very well for a season, but the clouds of persecution again began to gather. The rabble, and a party of restless religionists, began to counsel together, as to the most efficient means of putting a stop to our proceedings. About the first council of this kind was held in a room ad- joining that in which Oliver and a young man by the name of Rob- inson were printing. Mr. Robinson being curious to know what they were doing in the next room, applied his ear to a hole in the partition wall, and by this means overheard several persons ex- pressing their fears in reference to the Book of Mormon. One said, "it was destined to break down everything before it, if not

put a stop to," and, "that it was likely to injure the prospects of their ministers," and then inquired, whether they should endure it. "No, no," was the unanimous reply. It was then asked "How shall we prevent the printing of this book?" Upon which it was re- solved by the meeting, that three of their company should be ap- pointed to go to the house of Mr. Smith, on the following Tuesday or Wednesday, while the men were gone to their work, and re- quest Mrs. Smith to read the manuscript to them; that, after she had done reading it, two of the company should endeavor to divert her attention from it to some other object, while the third, seiz- ing the opportunity, should snatch it from the drawer, or where- ever it should be kept, and commit it immediately to the flames. "Again," said the speaker, "suppose we fail in this, and the book be printed in defiance of all that we can do to the contrary, what means shall we then adopt? Shall we buy their books and allow our families to read them?" They all responded, "No." They then entered into a solemn covenant, never to purchase even a single copy of the work, or permit one member of their families to buy or read one, that they might thus avert the awful calamity which threatened them, Oliver Cowdery came home that evening, and, after relating the whole affair with much solemnity, he said, "Mother, what shall I do with the manuscript? where shall I put it to keep it. away from them?" "Oliver," said I, "I do not think the matter so serious after all, for there is a watch kept constantly about the house, and I

need not take out the manuscript to read it to them unless I

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choose, and for its present safety I can have it deposited in a chest, under the head of my bed, in such a way that it never will be disturbed." I then placed it in a chest, which was so high that when placed under the bed, the whole weight of the bedstead rested upon the lid. Having made this arrangement, we felt quite at rest, and that night, the family retired to rest at the usual

hour, all save Peter Whitmer, who spent the night on guard. But as for myself, soon after I went to bed I fell into a train of reflec- tions which occupied my mind, and which caused sleep to forsake my eyelids till the day dawned, for, when I meditated upon the days of toil, and nights of anxiety, through which we had all passed for years previous,in order to obtain the treasure that then lay be- neath my head; when I thought upon the hours of fearful appre- hensions which we had all suffered on the same account, and that the object was at last accomplished, I could truly say that my soul did magnify the Lord, and my spirit rejoiced in God my Savior. I

felt that the heavens were moved in our behalf, and that the angels who had power to put down the mighty from their seats, and to exalt those who were of low degree, were watching over us; that those would be filled who hungered and thirsted after righteousness, when the rich would be sent empty away; that God had helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his promised mer- cy, and in bringing forth a Record, by which is made known the

seed of Abraham, our father. Therefore, we could safely put our trust in him, as he was able to help in every time of need. On the fourth day subsequent to the afore-mentioned council, soon after my husband left the house to go to his work, those three delegates appointed by the council, came to accomplish the work assigned to them. Soon after they entered, one of them be- gan thus: "Mrs. Smith, we hear that you have a gold bible; we have come to see if you will be so kind as to show it to us?" "No, gentlemen," said I, "we have no gold bible, but we have a translation of some gold plates, which have been brought forth for the purpose of making known to the world the plainness of the gospel, and also to give a history of the people which formerly in- habited this continent." I then proceeded to relate the substance of what is contained in the Book of Mormon, dwelling particularly

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upon the principles of religion therein contained. I endeavored to show them the similarity between these principles, and the sim- plicity of the gospel taught by Jesus Christ in the New Testament. "Notwithstanding all this," said 1, "the different denominations are very much opposed to us. The Universalists are alarmed lest their religion should suffer loss, the Presbyterians tremble for their salaries, the Methodists also come, and they rage, for they worship a God without body or parts, and they know that our faith comes in contact with this principle." After hearing me through, the gentlemen said, "Can we see the manuscript, then?" "No, sir," replied I, "you cannot see it. I have told you what it contains, and that must suffice." He made no reply to this, but said, "Mrs. Smith, you and the most of your children have belonged to our church for some length of time, and we respect you very highly. You say a good deal about the Book of Mormon, which your son has found, and you believe much of what he tells you, yet we cannot bear the thoughts of losing you, and they do wish — I wish, that if you do believe those things,

you would not say anything more upon the subject I do wish you — would not." "Deacon Beckwith," said I, "if you should stick my flesh full

of faggots, and even burn me at the stake, I would declare, as long as God should give me breath, that Joseph has got that Re- cord, and that I know it to be true." At this, he observed to his companions, "You see it is of no use to say anything more to her, for we cannot change her mind." Then, turning to me, he said, "Mrs. Smith, I see that it is not pos- sible to persuade you out of your belief, therefore I deem it un- necessary to say anything more upon the subject." "No, sir," said I, "it is not worth your while." He then bade me farewell, and went out to see Hyrum, when the following conversation took place between them: Deacon Beckwith: "Mr. Smith, do you not think that you may be deceived about that Record, which your brother pretends to have found?" Hyrum: "No, sir, I do not." Deacon Beckwith: "Well, now, Mr. Smith, if you find that

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you are deceived, and that he has not got the Record, will you confess the fact to me?" Hyrum: "Will you. Deacon Beckwith, take one of the books, when they are printed, and read it, asking God to give you an evi- dence that you may know whether it is true?" Deacon Beckwith: "I think it beneath me to take so much trouble, however, if you will promise that you will confess to me that Joseph never had the plates, I will ask for a witness whether the book is true." Hyrum: "I will tell you what I will do, Mr. Beckwith, if you do get a testimony from God, that the book is not true, I will confess to you that it is not true." Upon this they parted, and the Deacon next went to Samuel, who quoted to him, Isaiah, Ivi: 9-11: All ye beasts of the field, come to devour; yea, all ye beasts in the forest. His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber; yea, they are greedy dogs, which can never have enough, and they are shep- herds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.

Here Samuel ended the quotation, and the three gentlemen left without ceremony.

CHAPTER XXXHI. ESQUIRE cole's DOGBERRY PAPER—SECOND MEETING OF THE CITIZENS.

The work of printing still continued with little or no interrup- tion, until one Sunday afternoon, when Hyrum became very uneasy

as to the security of the work left at the printing office, and re- quested Oliver to accompany him thither, to see if all was right. Oliver hesitated for a moment, as to the propriety of going on Sunday, but finally consented, and they set off together. On arriving at the prmting establishment, they found it occu- pied by an individual by the name of Cole, an ex-justice of the peace, who was busily employed in printing a newspaper. Hyrum was much surprised at finding him there, and remarked, "How is it, Mr. Cole, that you are so hard at work on Sunday?"

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Mr Cole replied, that he could not have the press, in the day time during the week, and was obliged to do his printing at night, and on Sundays. Upon reading the prospectus of his paper, they found that he had agreed with his subscribers to publish one form of "Joe Smith's Gold Bible" each week, and thereby furnish them with the principle portion of the book in such a way that they would not be obliged to pay the Smiths for it. His paper was entitled, Dog- berry Paper on Winter Hill. In this, he had thrown together a parcel of the most vulgar,disgusting prose, and the meanest, and most low-lived doggerel, in juxtaposition with a portion of the Book of Mormon, which he had pilfered. At this perversion of common sense and moral feeling, Hyrum was shocked, as well as indignant at the dishonest course which Mr. Cole had taken, in order to possess himself of the work. "Mr. Cole," said he, "what right have you to print the Book of Mormon in this manner? Do you not know that we have se- cured the copyright?" "It is none of your business," answered Cole, "I have hired the press, and will print what I please, so help yourself." "Mr. Cole," rejoined Hyrum, "that manuscript is sacred, and I forbid your printing any more of it." "Smith," exclaimed Cole, in a tone of anger, "I don't care a d —n for you: that d—d gold bible is going into my paper, in spite of all you can do." Hyrum endeavored to dissuade him from his purpose, but find- ing him inexorable, left him to issue his paper, as he had hitherto done; for when they found him at work, he had already issued six or eight numbers, and had managed to keep them out of our sight. On returning from the office, they asked my husband what course was best for them to pursue, relative to Mr. Cole. He told them that he considered it a matter with which Joseph ought to be made acquainted. Accordingly, he set out himself for Penn- sylvania, and returned with Joseph the ensuing Sunday. The weather was so extremely cold, that they came near perishing be- fore they arrived at home, nevertheless, as soon as Joseph made himself partially comfortable, he went to the printing office, where

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he found Cole employed, as on the Sunday previous. "How do you do, Mr. Cole," said Joseph, "you seem hard at work." "How do you do, Mr. Smith," answered Cole, dryly. Joseph examined his Dogberry Paper, and then said firmly, "Mr. Cole, that book, [the Book of Mormon] and the right of publish- ing it, belongs to me, and I forbid you meddling with it any further.'' At this Mr. Cole threw off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and came towards Joseph, smacking his fists together with vengeance, and roaring out, "Do you want to fight, sir? do you want to fight ? I will publish just what I please. Now,if you want to fight, just come on." Joseph could not help smiling at his grotesque appearance, for his behavior was too ridiculous to excite indignation. "Now^ Mr. Cole," said he, "you had better keep your coat on — it is cold,

and I am not going to fight you, nevertheless, I assure you, sir, that you have got to stop printing my book, for I know my rights, and shall maintain them." "Sir," bawled out the wrathy gentleman, "if you think you are

the best man, just pull off your coat and try it." "Mr. Cole," said Joseph, in a low, significant tone, "there is

law, and you will find that out, if you do not understand it, but I shall not fight you, sir." At this, the ex-justice began to cool off a little, and finally

concluded to submit to an arbitration, which decided that he should stop his proceedings forthwith, so that he made us no further trouble. Joseph, after disposing of this affair, returned to Pennsylvania, but not long to remain there, for when the inhabitants of the sur- rounding country perceived that the work still progressed, they became uneasy, and again called a large meeting. At this time, they gathered their forces together, far and near, and organizing themselves into a committee of the whole, they resolved, as before, never to purchase one of our books, when they should be printed. They then appointed a committee to wait upon E. B. Grandin, and inform him of the resolutions which they had passed, and also to explain to him the evil consequences which would result to him therefrom. The men who were appointed to do this errand, ful- filled their mission to the letter, and urged upon Mr. Grandin the necessity of his putting a stop to the printing, as the Smiths had lost all their property, and consequently would be unable to pay

HISTORY OF THE PROPHET JOSEPH. 497

Wm for his work, except by the sale of the books. And this they would never be able to do, for the people would not purchase them. This information caused Mr. Grandin to stop printing, and we were again compelled to send for Joseph. These trips, back and forth,

exhausted nearly all our means, yet they seemed unavoidable. When Joseph came, he went immediately with Martin Harris to Grandin, and succeeded in removing his fears, so that he went on with the work, until the books were printed, which was in the spring of eighteen hundred and thirty.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

THE CHURCH ORGANIZED.

About the first of April of the same year in which the Book of Mormon was published, Joseph came again from Pennsylvania, preached to us several times. My husband and Martin Harris were baptized. When Mr. Smith came out of the water, Joseph stood upon the shore, and taking his father by the hand, he ex- claimed, with tears of joy, "Praise to my God! that I have lived to see my own father baptized into the true Church of Jesus Christ!" On April 6, 1830, the Church was organized. Shortly after this, my sons were all ordained to the ministry, even Don Carlos, who was but fourteen years of age. Samuel was directed to take a number of the Books of Mormon, and go on a mission to Livonia, to preach, and make sale of the books, if possible. Whilst he was making preparations to go on this mis- sion, Miss Almira Mack arrived in Manchester from Pontiac. This young woman was a daughter of my brother, Stephen Mack, whose history I have already given. She received the Gospel as soon as she heard it, and was baptized immediately, and has ever since re- mained a faithful member of the Church. On the thirtieth of June, Samuel started on the mission to which he had been set apart by Joseph, and in traveling twenty- five miles, which was his first day's journey, he stopped at a num-

ber of places in order to sell his books, but was turned out of doors as soon as he declared his principles. When evening came on, he was faint and almost discouraged, but coming to an inn,

498 IMPROVEMENT ERA.

which was surrounded with every appearance of plenty, he called to see if the landlord would buy one of his books. On going in, Samuel enquired of him, if he did not wish to purchase a history of the origin of the Indians. "I do not know," replied the host; ''how did you get hold of it?" "It was translated," rejoined Samuel, "by my brother, from some gold plates that he found buried in the earth." "You d — dliar!" cried the landlord, "get out of my house you sha'n't stay one minute with your books." Samuel was sick at heart, for this was the fifth time he had been turned out of doors that day. He left the house, and traveled a short distance, and washed his feet in a small brook, as a testi- mony against the man. He then proceeded five miles further on his journey, and seeing an apple tree a short distance from the road, he concluded to pass the night under it; and here he lay all night upon the cold, damp ground. In the morning, he arose from his comfortless bed, and observing a small cottage at no great dis- tance, he drew near, hoping to get a little refreshment. The only inmate was a widow, who seemed very poor. He asked her for food, relating the story of his former treatment. She prepared him some victuals, and, after eating, he explained to her the his- tory of the Book of Mormon. She listened attentively, and believed all that he told her, but, in consequence of her poverty, she was unable to purchase one of the books. He presented her with one, and proceeded to Bloomington, which was eight miles further. Here he stopped at the house of John P. Greene, who was a Methodist preacher, and was at that time about starting on a preaching mis- sion. He, like the others, did not wish to make a purchase of what he considered at that time to be a nonsensical fable, however, he said that he would take a subscription paper, and, if he found anyone on his route who was disposed to purchase, he would take his name, and in two weeks, Samuel might call again, and he would let him know what the prospect was of selling. After making this arrangement, Samuel left one of his books with him, and re- turned home. At the time appointed, Samuel started again for the Rev. John P. Greene's, in order to learn the success which this gentleman had met with in finding sale for the Book of Mormon.