On the 5th of June, George A. Smith hauled the first load of stone, and Hyrum Smith and Reynolds Cahoon, two of the building committee, commenced to dig the trench for the foundation, which they later finished with their own hands. Others also volunteered, and by these means the work progressed. The Case of "Doctor" Hurlbut On the 3rd of June a charge was preferred against Philastus Hurlbut, who was accused of unchristian conduct while on a mission to the east. On investigation his elder's licence was taken from him. On the 21st he appealed his case and on making confession of his improper conduct and a seeming show of repentance, he was reinstated. Two days later, however, his sincerity was called in question, and on the testimony of witnesses who had heard him say that he had not repented and had deceived "Joseph Smith's God," he was excommunicated from the Church. He later manifested a bitter spirit and in April, 1834, was bound by the court to keep the peace, "with good and sufficient security in the sum of two hundred dollars," for threats against the life of Joseph Smith.[1] Notes 1. Any reference to "Dr." Hurlbut might be considered insignificant but for one thing which developed after his apostasy and excommunication, which may be mentioned briefly here. He was not a doctor, but was so called because he was the seventh son. He had been a Methodist, but had been expelled from that body for immoral conduct, before he joined the Church. While engaged in missionary work in Pennsylvania he heard of a manuscript that had been written by one Solomon Spaulding, which dealt with the subject of the American Indian. Hurlbut had an evil thought. If he could make it appear that the Book of Mormon was taken, or plagiarized, from the Spaulding Manuscript, it would prove to be an irreparable injury to "Mormonism." Others became interested in the scheme and a book was produced by E. D. Howe, entitled _Mormonism Unveiled_. Of course the Spaulding story was lost so that no comparison was possible. For many years the publication of E. D. Howe was made to do mighty service against the Book of Mormon. As time went on, however, the manuscript of Mr. Spaulding was found, and, is now in the archives of Oberlin College, in Ohio. A comparison with the Book of Mormon proved that the two productions were no more alike than the Bible is like the story of Gulliver's Travels. Since that day the Hurlbut-Howe theory of the origin of the Book of Mormon has been dead. For a thorough account of this question the reader is referred to _The Myth of the Manuscript Found_, by Elder George Reynolds; and _New Witness for God_, vol. 3, page 354, by Elder B. H. Roberts. Chapter 19 Expulsion from Jackson County 1833 The Prophet's Warning