In light of all of the details we know from his own correspondence and the records left by those who knew him intimately, I frankly don’t see how a credible case can be made that Joseph was anything less than totally sincere in his actions.

The second stream of evidence is the nature of the teachings he produced, which offer a coherent view of Christianity as a religion that was held among the earlier pre-Christian patriarchs and prophets and a strong message of love and self-sacrifice, the best exemplar of which was Joseph himself. Beauty and grandeur come out of those writings, which surely reflect the character of the man who produced them.

The presidential campaign of 2008 demonstrates how strong the motive is for people to attack someone who is perceived as being “too good to be true”. Unwillingness to accept Joseph Smith as genuine stems from that same cynicism and the suspicion that someone with an attractive message and character is surely deceiving us. It is a skepticism that is aimed at all Mormons generally, and which feeds off any story about a Mormon with feet of clay. It accounts for the popularity of accounts like “Under the Banner of Heaven” and “Mormonism Unveiled.”

Only those who are willing to suspend their cynicism can be bothered to look over the evidence that believers in the ancient origins of the Book of Mormon have gathered, that shows it has uncanny knowledge about mundane things like sacred records on metal plates, Hebrew literary forms, Egyptian personal names, olive culture, the nature of supervolcanoes, and the geography of Arabia that neither Smith, nor Rigdon, nor Spaulding could have known–all things which Smith and his fellow advocates of the book ever seemed to have noticed, and which their adversaries noted, if at all, as points of absurd deviation from the conventional wisdom of 1830. The cynics seldom seem to reach the point of noticing these things, let alone explaining how they got into the book.

I had not heard of the so-called “testimony” of George Wilbur prior to now, and so I thought I would investigate it further. The testimony apparently comes to us secondhand (via a C.E. Henry), and about 60 years after the event in question. My research uncovered several fatal flaws–Rigdon was 100+ miles away from where Wilber claimed he was, and Joseph Smith was nearly 480 miles away. See for yourself:

1. For Wilber’s testimony, see here: http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/OH/miscoh05.htm#031486

2. Compare it against the Rigdon Timeline (used by Vanick et. al. in their “Spalding Enigma”) and Smith timeline here: http://www.scn.org/~bp760/rtimeline.htm

For a critical analysis of other Spalding witnesses, please see here: http://www.scn.org/~bp760/visit.htm

And here: http://www.scn.org/~bp760/conneaut.htm

And here: http://www.scn.org/~bp760/conneautb.htm#7

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

As I suggest in my satirical essay, I don’t think Rigdon and Spaulding being in the same vicinity in Pittsburgh is meaningful. There are all sorts of coincidences in history. Just because that opportunity existed, we are still required to imagine motives for Rigdon to choose Joseph Smith to publish his purloined text, we must theorize secret meetings between them, and we must imagine at least two additional co-conspirators in Cowdery and Pratt. Why not just imagine a secret trip of Joseph Smith to Pittsburgh, cutting the irrelevant Ridgon out of the loop and eliminating the need for Pratt? It’s just as possible (and equally unlikely) as imagining secret trips of Rigdon to Palmyra or Joseph to Bainbridge, Ohio.

I’m not suggesting that Hurlbut created the Spaulding theory. He was apparently hunting it down, having heard rumors. However, the Conneaut testimony all occurs after the witnesses have been exposed to the Book of Mormon. Do you have any writings from any of the witnesses mentioning the names “Nephi” and “Lehi” that can be dated before the publication of the Book of Mormon?

PS: Let’s not paste in long texts. I’m happy to engage in personal dialogue and I’m sure you’re quite capable of summarizing your points and evidence.

The Ohio Observer, Hudson, Portage Co., OH
Masthead of VIII:15 (12 June 1834) issue reads Ralph S Walker, proprietor;
Bradstreet & Walker, editors; James Hull, printer.

This issue contains an article called “Mormonism No.4″ credited to “From the
Junior Editor.” The article (image attached) contains an extremely important
early, and independent, confirmation of the Conneaut witnesses, written by
the paper’s junior editor who personally visited Conneaut and spoke with at
least two, and probably more, of Spalding’s former neighbors. The junior
editor of the Ohio Observer at the time was James Barr Walker, whose bio is
given below.

This article is especially important due to the fact that it was written
after Hurlbut’s trial in April of 1834, and before the publication of Howe’s
book in November of that year. This material provides a strong refutation of
Matthew Roper’s (and FARMS’) contention that the Conneaut witnesses had been
coached by Hurlbut, and that he had inaccurately reported their testimony.

A trasncription of the article is as follows:

FROM THE JUNIOR EDITOR.
MORMONISM.
NO. 4. [conclusion]

I have gone somewhat into detail in relation to Mormonite miracles and
gifts, for without these Mormonism is nothing. It is only by such peculiar
manifestations that they suppose God is distinguishing the “Latter Day
Saints” from ‘ the heathen that perish.’ I shall in this number make some
allusion to the Mormon Book. The internal evidences of this production have
been ably considered, I am informed, by Alexander Campbell, and have not
long since been noticed in The Ohio Observer. I shall not perhaps allude to
them, at length. The “Book of Mormon” — not called Bible by them — a
copy-right of which is granted to Joseph Smith, Jr. as Author and
proprietor, and which, in the language of the title page, is “an account
written by the hand of Mormon upon plates taken from the plates of Nephi,”
is said by them to have been found by Smith inscribed on golden plates, the
place of the deposite being revealed to him by an angel. It is written in
scripture language and contains copious extracts from the prophets and other
sacred writings. It gives an account of the journeyings and voyage of a
remnant of the Israelites to this Continent, and of their settlement, wars
and political transactions for a long period afterwards. The Gospel is also
found in it, written, as they say, in a ‘plainer and more intelligible style
than by the Evangelists.’ It must be conceded, I think, the the scope and
plan of the work and of the system built upon it, exhibit some evident marks
of design and forethought, at the same time that there are many and clear
manifestations of human contrivance.

It may not be uninteresting to state a few things in relation to Smith, and
glance at some of the circumstances which led him on to this imposture. All
authentic accounts agree in these particulars: — that Smith was an
ignorant, superstitious and dishonest member of society while at home. He
has no reluctance in confessing his former ignorance — and says that he has
been miraculously assisted in being able to read, having never learned at
school. In this, however, he is contradicted by the sworn testimony of his
former instructor. That he is still superstitious, is shown by his keeping a
horse-shoe nailed to the lintel of his door, until quite recently at least
– and by other conduct equally absurd. He was in the habit of telling
people’s fortunes, digging for money, and telling persons where treasures
were hid. He is accused of such disgraceful acts as robbing his neighbors’
hen-roosts, and other petty acts of theft. But the testimony in regard to
such points will be found in the publication alluded to in my first number.
One incident I will mention, which serves both to show the superstition of
his family, and how much he had to encourage him in the bold measures which
he has since adopted. When 15 or 16 years old, he returned one day from the
field with some shining sand, done up in his working frock. He told the
family as he passed through the room, that he had found the golden Bible;
referring to a story then in circulation, that such a Bible had been found
in Canada. The family, then at supper, were anxious to see it; but he told
them that he had a commandment forbidding it — and that no one could see
the golden Bible and live; and immediately locked up the sand in his chest.
After supper he brought it out, for the purpose of showing how he had
‘fooled’ them. But all ran out of the house in great fright, fearing the
consequences of seeing the Bible. The next day or two he called on a
mechanic, told him how he had deceived his kinsmen, and requested him to
make a box for the sand — adding, that ‘he meant to see what d____d fools
he could make of the folks,’ The plan got out, and nothing was done. But it
seems that from this time he was satisfied what kind of materials he had to
work upon in the community arround him; and not long after he indeed, as he
said, found the bible, or the golden plates. His pretence passed off well —
and after raising expectations, he must of course bring something to pass.

To gain time for inventing some scheme, he pretended that he was prevented
from getting hold of the plates by Divine interposirion. In this time
accomplices were found, who would help him on his project. The offspring of
their secret consultations, was the Book of Mormon.

A short digression will here be necessary for tracing out more particularly
the true origin of this book. — Some years ago there was a clergyman by the
name of Solomon Spaulding, in the township of Salem in the North-Eastern
part of this State, who wrote much, for his own diversion, about the origin
of the Aborigines of this country — he believed them to be the Ten Tribes
– adopting fictitious names, and giving his writings the shape of a
history. A short time previous to his death, being in straitened
circumstances, he determined to have his manuscripts published, and took
them to Pittsburgh for that purpose, where he died. The manuscripts fell
into the hands of his relatives, it is supposed, some of whom live near
Palmyra, Smith’s former residence. Though this cannot now be obtained, there
are several persons in Salem, now Conneaut, who have seen it, and recollect
distinctly the character of the fiction. They were intimate with Mr.
Spalding, and used frequently to converse familiarly about his story, and to
read it, or hear it read to them. One man with whom I conversed, said he
recollected the names of the characters and places, and that in general they
remained the same in the Book of Mormon, as in the manuscript of Spaulding.
He feels not the least hesitation in testifying to this, and to the identity
of the works so far as relates to the narrative, or historical part. Indeed
the resemblance is so striking, that it was detected the first evening the
Mormonites preached in that place, merely from the passages read in the Book
during service. There is all the certainty on the subject, in the minds of
those who have seen the manuscript, that could be felt in any case, unless
the two books could be laid side by side and compared. One man especially,
by the name of Miller, who worked for Mr. Spalding several weeks, perhaps
months, states that the manuscript lay on a shelf in the room where he
slept, and that he spent many of his leisure hours in reading it, so long as
he worked at the house.

These particulars will be stated at length, and in the form of written
testimony over responsible names, in the work to which I have already
referred [i.e. Howe's forthcoming book], which it is not doubted will
contain a full exposure of this gross imposture.
————————————-

BIOGRAPHY OF James Barr Walker

WALKER, James Barr, clergyman, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 29 July,
1805; died in Wheaten, Illinois, 6 March, 1887. His father died when the son
was a child, and he and his widowed mother resided near Pittsburg, where
James worked in a factory, was errand-boy in a country store, and then
labored four years in a printing-office. At the age of twenty he walked to
New York, where he became clerk in the office of Mordecai M. Noah, and he
was afterward a teacher in New Durham, New Jersey He then studied law in
Ravenna, Ohio, was graduated at Western Reserve college in 1831, and then
edited successively the “Ohio Observer” at Hudson, the ” Watchman of the
Valley” at Cincinnati, and the “Watchman of the Prairies” at Chicago (now
the “Advance “)–all religious newspapers. He also engaged in the
publication and sale of books, but abandoned it for the ministry, and in
1841 was licensed to preach by the presbytery of Chicago. He then resided in
Mansfield, Ohio, where he established a private asylum for orphans, and he
was for some time acting pastor of a church in Sandusky. He was lecturer on
the harmony between science and revealed religion at Oberlin college and
Chicago theological seminary. Western Reserve college gave him the degree of
D.D. Dr. Walker was the author of “The Philosophy of the Plan of Salvation,”
published anonymously under the editorship of Professor Calvin E. Stowe
(Boston, 1855), which went through several editions in England, and has been
translated into five foreign languages, including Hindustanee; “God revealed
in Nature and in Christ,” in opposition to theories of development (1855);
“Philosophy of Scepticism and Ultraism” (1857) ; “Philosophy of the Divine
Operation in the Redemption of Man” (London, 1862); “Poems” (1862) ; “Living
Questions of the Age” (Chicago, 1869); and “Doctrine of the Holy Spirit”
(1870).

Among J.B. Walker’s other works is: Walker, James Barr, Experiences of
Pioneer Life in the Early Settlements and Cities of the West, (Chicago:
Sumner & Co, 1881). Subj: History of the Ohio River Valley. I examined this
volume at Heinz History Center on 07-0502. P.50 mentions Walker was
apprenticed to Eichbaum & Johnston in Pittsburgh from aprox. 1820-26.
Unfortunately, the only mention of Mormonism is pp.99-105, and this is
mostly anout Eliza Snow, whom Walker had known and with whom he had
exchanged poetry prior to her having become a Mormon. I copied pp.99-105,
but not p.50.

Apparently the Ralph S. Walker named as editor on the newspaper’s masthead,
was James Barr Walker’s cousin. The Bradstreet involved was Stephen Ingram
Bradstreet (1794-1837), who was a close associate of Cleveland printer Ziba
Willes. Willes (or Willis, 1795-1830) was E.D. Howe’s partner in the
founding of the Cleaveland Herald in 1819. When Howe went to Painesville to
start the Telegraph in 1821, he sold his interest in the Herald to Willes,
who continued to edit it until 1826 when he “withdrew,” either due to
illness or to his anti-Masonic sympathies, and turned the paper over to
Jewett Paine (or Prime). Paine, in turn, was succeeded, in 1828, by John R.
St. John who remained until 1832. Bradstreet’s close friend, John W. Willey,
was the first mayor of Cleveland. Willey’s sister, Fanny, was married to
Luther Willes (1789-1833), brother of Ziba Willes and also a printer and
partner in the same establishment. It was probably through the Willey-Willes
connection that Bradstreet and the Walkers came to know Eber Howe.

Hurlbut was neither a historian nor a biographer; he was a guy who collected affidavits, looking specifically for negative witnesses. However, even in his case, we should be careful to note that his interviews in Palmyra (as opposed to Conneat), are extremely valuable for our understanding of Joseph Smith’s early life. Like everything, they need to be read for what they are. (In the same way that we have to read George A. Smith’s remarks about Thomas B. Marsh in their context).

The “con-man,” like any archetype, is just an archetype. As far as I recall, Brodie does not invoke that archetype. Her account may not be sympathetic to a traditional LDS understanding of Joseph, but it remains a generally sympathetic account of him as a person, which gives her explanation of how a person (who had been a treasurer seeker) evolved into a religious leader — without falling back on reductionist tropes such as “it was all just a con.”

As I read American literature, I am regularly surprised by the common appearance of a staple of American type: the con-man.

The con-man is charismatic, handsome, intelligent, lazy, clever, crafty, and a treasure-hunter. He is also a stereotype. His adventures when taken together add up to both the American dream and the fear it generates. He suggests that the dream is a con, a big one. It promises riches for every gold-rusher. It also promises that a sucker is born every minute.

The con-man is someone to be feared and someone to be admired. He is Flem Snopes and Tom Sawyer.

This narrative is as old as America itself. Trading beads for land with the Indians. Making treaties never to be kept.

I submit that the anti-Mormon exploitation of the narrative of the con-man, exhibited with great facility by Hurlbut and Brodie in describing Joseph Smith, is what drives much doubt about the prophet and the Book of Mormon. It’s as American as apple pie.

Just a thought . . .

I believe it was a pious fraud with the most righteous of intentions.

Oh, well that’s much better.