The Myth of the "Manuscript Found," or the Absurdities of the "Spaulding Story": Eleventh Book of the Faith-promoting Series. Designed for the Instruction and Encouragement of Young Latter-day Saints. — John Shaqi
The Myth of the "Manuscript Found," or the Absurdities of the "Spaulding Story": Eleventh Book of the Faith-promoting Series. Designed for the Instruction and Encouragement of Young Latter-day Saints.
History
The Myth of the "Manuscript Found," or the Absurdities of the "Spaulding Story": Eleventh Book of the Faith-promoting Series. Designed for the Instruction and Encouragement of Young Latter-day Saints.
Book of Mormon
On his way back to Pennsylvania he stopped in Ohio. There he attempted
to seduce a young lady, but his design was frustrated. For this crime
he was expelled from the Church. Finding he would be tolerated by the
Saints no longer, he determined to be revenged by injuring them to the
utmost extent of his power. He went to Springfield, Pennsylvania, and
commenced to preach against "Mormonism." Here he was received with open
arms by those who were vainly endeavoring to stay the progress of God's
work in that region, and churches, chapels and meeting houses were
crowded to hear him.
He was now dubbed the Rev. Mr. Hurlburt, and was petted and patronized
by priest and people; but for all that he did very little in staying
the progress of the truth. As an anti-"Mormon" lecturer he was a
failure.
During his stay in Pennsylvania, Hurlburt formed many acquaintances,
and mingled with all sorts of people. While in a small settlement
called Jackson, he became familiar with a family of the same name,
(possibly the persons who had given the name to the settlement). Some
of this family had been acquainted with the now widely-known Mr.
Solomon Spaulding, and from them Hurlburt learned that that gentleman
had once written a romance called the "Manuscript Found," which
professed to recount the history of the ancient inhabitants of this
continent.
Hurlburt had now given himself up to the work of opposing "Mormonism."
He quickly perceived that this romance could be used as a weapon to
carry on the warfare. If he could obtain possession of it and find any
points in common between it and the Book of Mormon he could exaggerate
those seeming resemblances and falsify other statements. If he found
no agreement between the two he could contrive to have the "Manuscript
Found" accidentally (?) destroyed and then claim that its contents were
almost identical with the record of Mormon. He found it necessary to
pursue the latter course.
In carrying out his design he repaired to Kirtland, and there made an
appointment to deliver a lecture, calling upon all who were opposed to
"Mormonism" to attend. They did so in force. At this lecture Hurlburt
told his audience that in his travels in the State of Pennsylvania,
lecturing against "Mormonism," he had learned that one Mr. Spaulding
had written a romance, and the probability was that it had by some
means fallen into the hands of Sidney Rigdon, and that he had
transformed it into the Book of Mormon. Hurlburt further stated that he
intended to write a book, and call it "Mormonism Unveiled," in which he
would reveal the whole secret.
His anti-"Mormon" hearers were delighted. One mobocrat, a Campbellite,
advanced the sum of $300 towards the prosecution of the work. Others
contributed for the same purpose, and Hurlburt, being thus provided
with funds, at once proceeded to hunt up the manuscript.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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