New Witnesses for God (Volume 3 of 3)Roberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry)
Religion
New Witnesses for God (Volume 3 of 3)
Roberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry)
Book of Mormon; Smith, Joseph, Jr., 1805-1844
Mormon Bible was taken from "The Manuscript Found," there were many
evidences to us that it was, and that Hurlburt and others at the
time thought so. A convincing proof to us of this belief was that
my uncle, William H. Sabine, had undoubtedly read the manuscript
which was in his house, and his faith that its production would
show to the world that the Mormon Bible had been taken from it, or
was the same with slight alterations. I have frequently answered
questions which have been asked me by different persons regarding
"The Manuscript Found," but until now have never made a statement
at length for publication.
(Signed) M. S. McKENSTRY.
Sworn and subscribed to before me this 3rd day of April, A. D.
1880, at the city of Washington, D. C. CHARLES WALTER, Notary
Public.
The items to be noted in this affidavit are: First: That Mrs. McKenstry
was in her sixth year (i. e., five years old) in 1812, the year that
the Spaulding family left Conneaut, Ohio, for Pennsylvania. Four years
later, in 1816, her father died, so that she was in her tenth year
when that event took place, hence all her recollections concerning the
matter were those of a child between the ages of five and nine years.
When it is remembered how the half recollections of childhood blend
in with, and are modified by--or half made up--of things that one
hears about such days, no very great importance can be attached to the
statements she makes from personal knowledge of what "Manuscript Found"
contained.
Second: When about eleven years of age, when living at her uncle's in
Onondaga Valley, New York, (to which place she had removed with her
mother) she finds in an old trunk the writings of her father, and among
them a manucript about an inch thick, closely written, and entitled
"Manuscript Found." She did not read it, but had it in her hands many
times, and saw the names she claims to have heard at Conneaut.
Third: The visit of Hurlburt many years later, 1834, to herself and
mother then residing at Monson, Massachusetts, who presented a letter
from her uncle, W. H. Sabine, in which he requested Mrs. Davison
(formerly wife of Spaulding, it will be remembered) to loan the
manuscript of Spaulding's to Hurlburt for the purpose of "uprooting
Mormonism."
Fourth: That Mrs. Davison gave an order to Hurlburt on Mr. Jerome Clark
of Hartwicks, New York, with whom she had left the trunk containing the
manuscript.
Fifth: That Hurlburt obtained "Manuscript Found" upon this order, and
that Mrs. Davison could never afterwards obtain any information from
him concerning it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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