In a rather curious manner a portion of this original manuscript came into the possession of Joseph F. Smith, President of the Church, and nephew of the Prophet Joseph. The Nauvoo House, begun in the Prophet, was never completed. Mr. Lewis C. Bidamon, who married Emma Smith, widow of the Prophet, came into possession of the unfinished Nauvoo House, and tore down the walls and took up the extensive foundations of the house in order to sell the building stone in them. In the course of tearing out the foundations the southeast corner stone was taken out and the treasures it contained discovered and taken in charge by Mr. Bidamon. Some years later, namely, in the Summer of 1884, Mrs. Sarah M. Kimball visited Nauvoo, and among other landmarks went to the site of the Nauvoo House, the walls and foundation of which were not yet all taken away. She called upon Mr. Bidamon, then living in a temporary four-roomed building erected on the southwest corner of the foundation laid for the Nauvoo House. And now Mrs. Kimball's story, as related in her letter to Elder George Reynolds, dated 19th July, 1884: I asked why the heavy and extensive foundations around him were being torn up; he [Mr. Bidamon] replied that he had bought the premises, and the rock was torn up to sell, as he was poor and otherwise would not have been able to build. I said, I am interested in this foundation, because I remember there were treasures deposited under the chief corner stone. He said, yes, I took up the stone box and sold it to Mr. -- (I do not remember the name.) It had been so long exposed to the wet and weather that its contents were nearly ruined, I gave the coin to Joe [Joseph] [8] and told him he could have the pile of paper. He said it was the manuscript of the Book of Mormon; but it was so much injured that he did not care for it. While we were talking, Mr. Bidamon's wife brought a large pasteboard box and placed it on my lap. It contained a stack of faded and fast decaying paper, the bottom layers for several inches were uniform in size, they seemed to me larger than common fools' cap, the paper was coarse in texture and had the appearance of having lain a long time in water, as the ink seemed almost entirely soaked into the paper. When I handled it, it would fall to pieces. I could only read a few words here and there, just enough to learn that it was the language of the Book of Mormon. Above this were some sheets of finer texture folded and sewed together, this was better preserved and more easily read. I held it up, and said: "Mr. B., how much for this relic?" He said: "Nothing from you, you are welcome to anything you like from the box." I appreciated the kindness, took the leaves that were folded and sewed together, also took two fragments of the _Times and Seasons_, published by Don Carlos Smith. [9] I send with this a