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
The interest created by Mrs. Dickenson's article in Scribner's, lead to
her making a more ambitious effort, and in 1885 she published a book
of some 275 pages under the title, "New Light on Mormonism," (which by
the way, is a sad misnomer, since it is but a rehash of all the stale,
Anti-Mormon stories in existence) which failed of making any great stir
in the world, just as all Anti-Mormon books up to date, by the way,
have failed.
The last phase in the development of the Spaulding theory is a
denouement; namely, the discovery and publication of Spaulding's
"Manucript Found," which determines forever the fact that it was not
the source whence the Book of Mormon was derived.
In 1839 or 1840, a Mr. L. L. Rice purchased the "Painesville
Telegraph," a newspaper, of Mr. E. D. Howe, the publisher of "Mormonism
Unveiled." The transfer of the printing department, types, press, etc.,
was accompanied with a large collection of books and manuscripts, and
undoubtedly the Spaulding manuscript, which Hurlburt had delivered to
Howe, was with the rest. Some years afterwards, Mr. Rice closed up his
business affairs in Painesville and finally made his home in Honolulu,
Sandwich Islands, taking with him his books, papers, etc. In 1884 Mr.
James H. Fairchild, President of Oberlin College, Ohio, visited Mr.
Rice, and suggested that the latter look through his numerous papers
for the purpose of finding among them anti-slavery documents (slavery
being a subject in which Mr. Rice had been much interested when living
in Ohio) that might be of value. Mr. Rice accepted the suggestions and,
in his search discovered a package marked in pencil on the outside
"Manuscript Story, Conneaut Creek;" and on the last page of the
manuscript the following inscription:
The Writings of Solomon Spaulding Proved by Aaron Wright, Oliver
Smith, John Miller and Others, the Testimonies of the Above
Gentlemen are Now in My Possession.
D. P. HURLBURT.
This document proved to be the long lost romance of Solomon Spaulding.
President Fairchild gave the following account of the document and its
discovery in the January number, 1885, of the "Bibliotheca Sacra,"
published at Oberlin, Ohio:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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