papers; but lo! when it came to be examined by the conspirators, it was a very disappointing document. [38] Howe himself describes it as follows: [Footnote 35: See "Mrs. Davidson's statement,", first published in the _Boston Recorder,_ May, 1839; also Smucker's "History of the Mormons," p. 41 _et seq._ It is claimed that "woman preacher," was merely a "typographical error," of which more in a later note, and should read "Mormon preacher."] [Footnote 36: These are the affidavits collected by Hurlburt and delivered to Howe for his book "Mormonism Unveiled," chapter xvii; see also "Origin of the Spaulding Story," by B. Winchester, (1840) p. 10.] [Footnote 37: Statement of Mrs. McKinstry, daughter of Solomon Spaulding, _Scribner's Magazine,_ August, 1880.] [Footnote 38: "New Light on Mormonism,"--statement of Hurlburt, pp. 245, 260.] "This is a romance, purporting to have been translated from the Latin, found in 24 rolls of parchment in a cave, on the banks of Conneaut Creek, but written in modern style, and giving a fabulous account of a ship's being driven upon the American coast, while proceeding from Rome to Britain, a short time previous to the Christian era, this country then being inhabited by Indians." [39] [Footnote 39: Howe's "Mormonism Unveiled," p. 288.] This description completely identifies this manuscript delivered by Hurlburt to Howe with the one afterwards found in the papers of Mr. L. L. Rice, and now at Oberlin College. "This old manuscript," says Mr. Howe, "has been shown to several of the foregoing witnesses, who recognize it as Spaulding's." The witnesses here alluded to are the old neighbors of Spaulding who testify as to the existence of Spaulding's "Manuscript Found," and of its similarity to the Book of Mormon; and they are eight of Mr. Schroeder's twelve witnesses on whom he relies to prove the same allegement. Right here we reach the crucial point in the Spaulding theory of the origin of the Book of Mormon; and now let us present it in one view.