Joseph Smith Brings the Plates Home - Dan Vogel

Joseph Smith claimed that he translated the Book of Mormon from anciently engraved gold plates which he took from a stone box on the side of a hill near his father's farm in Manchester New York claiming that he was forbidden by God to show them to anyone Smith kept these plates carefully wrapped in a cloth or concealed in a wooden box believers accept this as God's way of requiring faith whereas skeptics suspect Joseph Smith constructed a set of plates that couldn't pass visual inspection this is the story of Joseph Smith's bringing the plates home in September 1827 [Music] [Music] justice Smith's later claimed to have made four annual visits to the Manchester Hill on the same day each year from 1823 to 1827 created continuty where originally there had been none following his failure to bring his deceased brother Alvin in 1824 Joseph apparently made no other attempts to get the plates until September 1827 Lucy Smith's account of her son's final visit to the hill makes it clear that neither the Smiths nor their closest friends regarded the 22nd of September as significant even though Joseph had previously warned them that the time had arrived to obtain the plates Lucie explained that her family's lack of anticipation was due to Joseph's withholding information from them that sometime in 1827 the heavenly messenger had instructed him to go to the hill on the next 22nd of September but that Joseph did not make this known to us she said if Joseph had been making annual visits to the hill every 22nd of September his family would have anticipated his next visit Lucy spoke only of her son's first failure not mentioning the 1824 failure she feared only the possibility of a second disappointment it was probably his public humiliation in South Bainbridge where he was tried in March 1826 for pretending to see buried treasures which induced Joseph Smith to revive the story of the gold plates he was encouraged to do so by his father who according to William deep purple said under oath both he and his son were mortified that this wonderful power which God had some miraculously given him should be used only in the search a filthy lucre or its equivalent in earthly treasures that his constant prayer to his Heavenly Father was to manifest his will concerning this marvelous power and that he trusted that the Sun of righteousness would someday illumine the heart of the boy and enable him to see his will concerning him shortly after the marriage of his brother Hyrum to Jerusha bharden on the 2nd of November 1826 Joseph left Manchester for South Bainbridge hoping to find work with Josiah Stowell he evidently wanted to be nearer Emma although he planned to wait for his 21st birthday before asking her to marry him Joseph was that stoles briefly before moving to Colesville to work for Joseph Knights senior who remembered that mr. Stoll could not pay him money for his work very well and he came to me perhaps in November 1826 and worked for me until about the time he was married during this time Isaac Hale remembered that Joseph made several visits at my house and at length asked my consent to his marrying my daughter Emma Hale refused not only because Joseph was a stranger without a proven reputation but also because he had no means to support his daughter other than money digging a business Hale said that he could not approve Emma later told her oldest son Joseph the third that both of her parents were bitterly opposed to her marrying Joseph not long after father Hales rebuff Joseph returned to the house while he was gone and inhales words carried off my daughter into the state of New York where they were married without my approbation or consent within days Stoll transported the newlyweds to Manchester where they boarded with joseph´s parents in the frame house Joseph worked on his father's farm and hired out as a labourer on other farms during the ensuing year by the fall of 1827 the Smith men had resumed their treasure seeking activities in company with other like-minded neighbors while little is known about these activities both Martin Harris and Lorenzo Saunders Friends of the Smith family said that Joseph jr. directed a treasure digging company until he received custody of the gold plates Joseph Capron who lived on the farm immediately south of the Smiths reported that in 1827 Joseph put a stone in his hat and located a chest of gold watches northwest of my house this chest could not be uncovered by the company of money diggers which included Samuel Lawrence due to its being carried away by the evil spirit guarding it these treasure hunts may have been financially supported by neighbor Abraham fish with whom the Smiths had other financial dealings in a letter dated January 1832 six leading citizens of Canandaigua some of whom were familiar with Martin Harris reported having heard that Joseph shmoney digging company was for a time supported by a mr. fish and that when the gentlemen turned them off Joseph claimed to have found a box containing some gold plates the turning point for Joseph evidently came in August 1827 when he Emma and neighbor Peter Ingersoll visited harmony to retrieve some of Emma's furniture clothes and other belongings according to the accounts of Ingersoll and Isaac Hale an emotional confrontation occurred between Smith and his father-in-law during which Smith promised to give up money diggin and stone gazing Ingersoll remembered that Hale was gushing a flood of tears when he scolded Joseph you have stolen my daughter he said and married her I had much rather follow her to the grave you spend your time and digging for money pretend to see in a stone and thus try to deceive people Joseph wept to Ingersoll said and acknowledged that he could not see in the stone now nor never could and that his former pretensions in that respect were all false he then promised to give up his old habits of digging for money and looking into stones Isaac Hale said Joseph told him he had given up what he called glass looking and that he expected to work hard for a living and was willing to do so Ingersoll remembered that Hale responded by saying that if Joseph would move to Pennsylvania and work for a living he would assist him in getting into business Joseph and Emma accepted the offer arrangements were made for Alva Hale to go to Manchester the following winter to help them move Joseph was no doubt sincere in promising to quit the money digging business but the break would not be easy he told anger saw this on their return trip to Manchester that he intended to keep the promise which he had made to his father-in-law but said he it will be hard for me for they will all oppose and they will want me to look in the stone for them to dig money josephs prediction proved true for Ingersoll remembered that they urged him day after day to resume his old practice of looking in the stone he seemed much perplexed as to the course he should pursue although he was feeling the pole from both family and friends Joseph knew he had to change one day probably early in September 1827 Joseph was sent to Manchester village on business when he returned home about three hours later than expected he was met by an anxious father and mother who wanted to know why he was so tardy as later recounted by mother Smith Joseph collapsed into a chair and said I have had the Severus chastisement that I have ever had in my life indignant Joseph senior responded chastisement indeed I would like to know who has been taking you to task and what their pretext was smiling Joseph replied father it was the angel of the Lord I have been negligent the time has now come when the record should be brought forth and that I must be up and doing that I must set myself about the things which God has commanded me to do but father give yourself no uneasiness as to this reprimand for I know what course I am to pursue and all will be well beyond this general statement according to Lucie Joseph gave no specific date for getting the gold plates perhaps it was while passing the Robinson Hill on his way to Manchester that Joseph began to think more seriously about procuring the plates and beginning a new career in this way he could keep his promise to Emma's family and fulfill his father's expectation about his gift he would renounce but not deny his former activity as a treasure seer and redefine his calling as a purely religious one Joseph the magician would become Joseph the translator of the golden plates on the 20th of September Josiah Stowell and Joseph Knight stopped in Manchester to visit the Smiths on their way home from conducting business in Rochester according to Martin Harris this visit included digging for money in any case Lucie was up late at night when Joseph came to ask her for a chest that had a good luck she knew immediately the purpose of his request but she informed him that every lock had been broken during the move from Vermont fearing that this would prevent him from completing his duty she became distressed sensing her anxiety joseph said never mind I can do very well for the present without it be calm all is right Lucy had difficulty staying composed because as she explained I had not forgotten the first failure soon after Joseph and Emma left the property in Knights wagon when they arrived at the hill Joseph left Emma in the wagon while he disappeared into the moonless night the Sun was beginning to rise when Joseph descended the hill empty-handed and rejoined Emma in the wagon turning the horse around he headed for home Lucy had spent the entire night praying for Joseph's success and anxiously awaited his return when the minim boys assembled at the table for breakfast Joseph's senior inquired about his son Lucy covered for him stating she did not think she would call Joseph down just then but perhaps she said I would like to have him take breakfast with his wife no no Joseph senior insisted I must have Joseph come down here and eat with me Lucia responded well now mr. Smith do let him eat with his wife this morning he almost always takes breakfast with you at this Joseph's senior consented to eat without his son not long after this Joseph Knight came into the house with a troubled look why mr. Smith said he my horse is gone and I can't find him on the premises and I wished to start home in half an hour never mind the horse was he injected mr. Knight does not know all the nooks and corners of the pastures I will call William he will bring the horse immediately satisfied Knight went back out only to discover that his wagon was also missing and concluded that they had both been stolen Lucie assured Knight that William would be coming soon with his horse and wagon and suggested that he go out and talk with mr. Smith until her son arrived Knight was outside with Joseph senior when they were both astonished to see Joseph and Emma riding up to the house after Joseph unhonest the horse and turned him out into the pasture he and Emma walked into the house without saying a word Lucie could see that Joseph did not have the plates fearing that he had met with another failure she began to shake uncontrollably and left the room rather than hear the disappointing news Joseph caught her by the arm and said do not be uneasy mother all is right see here I have got a key he thrusts something heavy into her hands wrapped in a large silk handkerchief it felt like what Joseph described as two smooth stones connected with each other in the same way that old-fashioned spectacles are made Joseph took back the bag and left without saying anything more after breakfast Knight recalled Joseph called me into the other room and he set his foot on the bed and leaned his head on his hand and says well undisciplined it well said Knight I am sorry well Joseph I'm greatly disappointed it is ten times better than I expected night remembered that Joseph went on to tell the length and width and thickness of the plates they appeared to be gold he continued they are written in characters and I want them translated although night did not mention having seen or handled the spectacles he remembered that Smith seemed to think more of the glasses than he did of the plates they were more powerful than any stone the Manchester seers had ever found I can see anything with them Smith exclaimed they are marvellous subsequently Joseph would describe his spectacles as consisting of two stones and silver bows and as two transparent stones set in the rim of a bow a skeptic might suggest that Smith simply bent an iron rod into a figure eight into which he then wedged two stones under the cloth Lucy could not tell if the stones were of transparent glass or if they were smooth Creek stones nor did she know if the rims were of silver or iron yet Lucy's experience was singular because no one else ever claimed to have seen or felt the spectacles perhaps Joseph was testing and preparing Lucy for what was to come with the plates later that morning Joseph sought Lucy's advice about how to get his storage chests made she directed him to a cabinet maker who had been making furniture for sophronia and instructed Joseph to tell the carpenter that she would pay him in the usual manner that is half in produce and half in cash Joseph replied that he would follow her instructions but he did not know how they would pay for the work as there was not a shilling in the house the cabinet maker was probably Willard Chase who said Smith came to him about that time and requested me to make a chest informing that he designed to move back to Pennsylvania and expecting soon to get his gold book he wanted a chest to lock it up giving me to understand at the same time that if I would make the chest he would give me a share in the book Chase declined because he had other more pressing work but teared to lock the plates in his own chest if Smith would bring them to him Joseph refused stating that he was commanded to keep it two years without letting it come to the eye of anyone but himself chase said he would make the chest provided that Smith would bring the metallic book to convince me of its existence Joseph answered that he could not get the plates until he had a chest to lock them in a few days after their encounter chase said Joseph returned and insisted that he make a storage chest I told him plainly that I could not chase said upon which he told me that I could have no share in the book despite his later skepticism about the gold plates Chase would join with other treasure seekers in an effort to find where Smith had hidden them the discussion with chase tipped off the other treasure seekers who became angry with Smith for keeping the plates from them the money diggers Harris said claimed they had as much right to the plates as Joseph had as they were in company together they claimed that Joseph had been traitor and had appropriated to himself that which belonged to them recalling a visit to the area in 1828 David Whitmer stated I had several conversations with young men who said that Joseph Smith had certainly golden plates and that before he attained them he had promised to share with them but had not done so and they were very much incensed with him reinforcing their claim was the fact that sometime in 1825 or 1826 the money diggers had excavated the north eastern slope of the Robinson Hill to an earth a treasure that both Smith and Lawrence had said existed Lorenzo Saunders visited the hill within days after Smith said he removed the plates and said he found no disturbance of the earth except a large hole which had been dug by the money diggers about a year or two before while the excavation was undoubtedly related to the time Joseph had revealed the location of the gold plates to Lawrence the extent to which Joseph himself had participated in the digging is unknown later Smith told Lawrence and others that he had not shown them the right place to dig for the plates in 1835 Oliver Chaudhary said that the plates were buried on the west side of the hill not far from the top down its side about this time local treasure seekers hired lumen Walters to find the true location of Smith's plates according to Brigham Young who likely heard the details from his father-in-law Alva Beeman who was a friend of the Smiths and a fellow treasure seeker from Livonia New York walters was summoned to three times to the hill in manchester prior to Smith getting the plates people knew there was treasure there Young said in an 1873 interview Niemann was one of those who sent for Walters he came each time he said there was treasure there but that he could not get it though there was one that could the last time he came he pointed out Joseph Smith he was sitting quietly among a group of men in the tavern and said there was the young man that could find it and cursed and swore about him in a scientific manner awful on learning that Smith possessed the plates his former colleagues in the money digging business began immediately to plot how they would rob him of them the greed that motivated them to dig on the Robinson Hill was the same motivation that drew them to the Smith farm the first attempt on the rumored artifact came within days of receiving word that Joseph had obtained them shortly following his first conversation with chase a mr. Warner from Macedon approached Joseph to hire him on behalf of a widow named Wells also a Macedon to remove stones from the wall of a well at first it seemed that God was providing the money Joseph needed for the cabinetmaker but the true nature of the strangers request would soon become apparent Joseph had not been absent long when Joseph's senior learned that a group of ten or twelve men under the direction of Willard Chase had organised and that they had sent for a conjurer who lived sixty miles away Lucy did not name the but it was likely joseph´s old occult mentor lumen Walters the following morning Joseph senior went over the hill on the eastern border of his property to the home of Samuel Lawrence where he saw willard chase in the company of men gathering near the house pretending to be on an errand he went into the house sitting near an open door and holding a newspaper joseph's senior could hear the men talk outside in the yard they were devising many plans and schemes to find Joe Smith's gold bible as they termed it Lawrence's wife feeling uneasy about the exposures they were making went into the yard and called to her husband in a low voice Sam Sam you are cutting your own throat the conjurer animated despite his long and hurried journey bellowed out I'm not afraid of anybody we will have them plates in spite of Joe Smith and all the Devils in hell when Joseph's senior returned home he and Lucy went to Emma and asked if she knew if Joseph had removed the plates from the place of deposit or if he had left them where they were Emma did not know but said that if Joseph was meant to get the record no one could prevent it yes said Joseph singer he will obtain them if he is watchful and obedient but remember that for a small thing Esau lost his birthright and blessing it may be so with Joseph Emma then mounted a stray horse and rode off to warn Joseph who was still at work in Macedon when Emma arrived her husband had just come up out of the well he told her that he had seen her coming in his seer stone which he kept on his person after Emma related what his father had discovered Joseph assured her that the plates were momentarily safe nevertheless he decided it was best that he and Emma return immediately borrowing a horse from widow Wells he and his wife wrote off together he found his father pacing the ground outside the house anxious for the safety of the plates Joseph told him the plates were secretive in the woods about three miles away Martin Harris said Joseph had hid the plates in an old black oak tree top which was hollow and Lucy remembered that the plates were hidden in a cavity of an old decayed birch log Joseph said he had removed the plates from their ancient repository but that he was unable to bring them home until he means of securing them could be found there would be no time to construct a special box so he would have to borrow one from Hiram Joseph then directed his father to return to the Lawrence home to determine what the intentions of the money diggers were Knight who had decided to stay with the Smiths a few more days remember that Joseph sent his father up to Sam Lawrence's place near Knight to see if there were any signs of his going away that night he told his father to stay near dark and if he saw any signs of his going you tell him if I find him there in the woods I will thrash the stumps with him Joseph then left on foot when Joseph's senior saw that there was no movement by the Lawrence company he returned home where a small group of family and friends were anxiously awaiting Joseph juniors return it was well after dark when Joseph junior suddenly burst in out of breath and seemingly frightened tightly clutching something under his left arm that was securely wrapped up in his coat after catching his breath he told his mother that he was chased home by several men Lucy sent eleven-year-old Don Carlos to Hiram's cabin to tell him to immediately bring his chest soon Joseph's senior night and stole returned reporting that they had been unable to find Joseph pursuers Joseph jr. said father I have got the plates as his son carefully transferred the plates to a pillowcase Joseph's senior said what Joseph can we not see them no Joseph responded I was disobedient the first time but I intend to be faithful this time for I was forbidden to show them until they are translated but you can feel them stole claimed that he was the first person who was privileged to receive the plates out of Joseph's hands while Lucy Hyrum and Katherine later said they too handled the covered plates on various occasions William gave the most detailed descriptions of his experience he said that he once have did the plates as they lay on a table wrapped in an old frock or a jacket in which Joseph had brought them home that he had thumbed them through the cloth and ascertained that they were thin sheets of some kind of metal on another occasion william said he believed the plates weighed about sixty pounds and that he could tell they were plates of some kind and that they were fastened together by rings running through the back martin harris who said he hefted the plates many times estimated that they weighed 40 or 50 pounds in any case after Joseph locked the plates securely in the chest he began relating what had occurred prior to reaching home he said that after he had taken the plates from their hiding-place and wrapped them in his coat he decided it would be safer to walk home through the woods rather than on the roads he had not proceeded far before a man sprung up from behind a log and struck him with a gun knocking the man down with a single punch Joseph ran as fast as he could for about a half a mile when he was attacked by a second man trying to get the plates after similarly overpowering the man Joseph continued to run but before he reached the house a third man hit him with a gun in striking the last man Joseph said he injured his thumb by this time he was within sight of the house and threw himself at a fence corner to catch his breath and then sprang for the door he showed everyone his injured thumb and asked his father to reset it as he believed it was dislocated neighbor Benjamin Saunders recalled I saw his hand all swelled up and he said it was done by hitting the enemy Josef's prohibition against visual inspection of the plate seems contrived to the skeptic who might explain that the would-be prophet had constructed a set of plates that could be felt but not seen that Smith had some kind of metallic book under the cloth seems clear by the descriptions of witnesses who not only felt the Rings look adhere a metallic sound when the leaves were thumbed or ruffled through the cloth the construction of such a book would have been relatively easy both she ironed and tinplate that is sheet iron with a thin coating of tin to make it resistant to rusting we're in wide use in Joseph Smith day on the 7th of January 1824 the Wayne Sentinel advertised new establishment palmera tin wear and stovepipe Factory which included the business of manufacturing tin and sheet iron an extensive assortment of plane and Japan or painted tin where stovepipe from four to nine inch and sheet iron cut to any pattern Smith's own description had each plate six inches wide and eight inches long and not quite so thick as common tin found together in a volume as the leaves of a book with three rings running through the hole the volume was something near six inches in thickness a part of which was sealed a book made of tin plate and or sheet iron to the dimensions described by Smith would conceivably fall within the weight range described by William Smith and Martin Harris a block of solid iron measuring six by eight by six inches or 288 cubic inches would weigh eighty one point nine pounds if one allows for a 50% reduction due to the unevenness and air space between the plates as suggested by Mormon metallurgist and blacksmith Reid H Putnam the package would then weigh forty point nine pounds if Smith used salvaged tin or iron from various sources such as a basin bucket or stovepipe and had to hammer them flat then the plates would have been uneven and space between the plates increased punching three holes on one edge of the plates would have also increased unevenness of the plates similar to what Putnam suggested for ancient han rot plates it has also been estimated that there were between 120 and 200 plates based on a thickness of between 0.01 v and point zero two of an inch however fewer plates would have been required if various thicknesses of tin plate danchi iron were used perhaps arranged with the thicker ones at the bottom and thinner at the top which would allow the top plates to be ruffled like a book through the cloth during the several hours Joseph was separated from Emma the night they went to the hill and on other occasions he could have easily set up shop on the other side of the hill or in some corner of the forest using a pair of metal shears it would have been easy to cut a number of six by eight inch sheets a hole punch nail or some similar instrument could have been used to make three holes along one edge of each plate then it would have been a matter of passing three wires or rods through the holes and bending them into rings apparently this process took longer than Smith anticipated and the plates were left unfinished the first night perhaps hidden in a hollow log as he claimed this explains why he was unable to bring the plates home in the morning as Lucy assumed he would then some days later Smith returned to the woods and finished the plates while Joseph may have injured his thumb in any number of ways it is possible that he injured it while putting the finishing touches on his plates that is bending the rods into rings indeed bending a rod would have put enormous pressure on the thumb of one hand regardless of how this happened his harrowing tale helped unite his family and friends against the conspiring forces outside their small circle while also reinforcing the reality of the plates and the importance of Joseph's task Joseph's related to family and friends the Angels warning about the custodianship of the plates now you've got the record into your own hands and you are but a man therefore you will have to be watchful and faithful to your trust where you will be overpowered by wicked men for they will lay every plan and scheme that is possible to get them away from you and if you do not take heed continually they will succeed from what Joseph told his family about being attacked the Angels warning seemed to have been already proven true as news of the gold plates spread through the neighborhood the curious were drawn to the Smiths door for a glimpse Knight remembered now it soon got about that Joseph Smith had found the plates and people came to see them but he told them they could not for he must not show them but many insisted and offered money and property to see them no doubt most suspected their money was perfectly safe nevertheless it was the neighborhood sensation that was threatening to get out of control especially annoying were the money diggers who when they were refused a viewing turned aggressive Lucy remembered that one day Joseph rushed in and asked if a company of men had been there Lucy answered that no one had been to the house all day Joseph said he expected a mob that night as evening approached it was determined that the plates should be hidden under the hearth alva Beeman who had arrived from Livonia earlier that day and who had been permitted to fill the plates through the cloth helped take up the bricks and bury the plates under the house Lucy remembered that their hearth stones were barely replaced when a large group of armed men came rushing up Joseph had reason to fear these men if they found the box that could expose him before his family and friends desperate to protect the plates he decided to bluff his way out of the predicament he flung the door open and like a general commanded all his army to rush the crowd at once the minim boys in the Smith house charged out and startled a mob which dispersed in several directions Josef's bold act drew inspiration from a story in grandfather max chapbook in which Solomon escaped death by charging four Indians I saw no other way to save myself he wrote in 1811 only to deceive them by stratagem while the Smith family counted such intrusions as undesirable Joseph actually benefited from the persecution the more earnestly his enemies tried to get the gold plates the more convinced Joseph's family and friends became of their reality and of the divine purpose for which they were preserved soon after the appearance of the mob Beeman brought Samuel Lawrence to Joseph perhaps hoping for a reconciliation as night reported Lawrence and Beeman proposed to go shares with him and tried every way to bargain with him but could not angered by Joseph's son willingness to compromise Beeman whom Knight described as a great Rodman then took out his rods and held them up and they pointed down to the hearth their Beeman said it is under the hearth oblivious to the religious value of the plates Beeman may have been momentarily convinced by Lawrence's reasons for sharing the profit now that the location had been revealed Joseph had to remove the plates to another hiding place as Harris noted the wall of the house being partly down it was feared that certain ones who were trying to get possession of the plates would get under the house and dig them out therefore Joseph removed the plates and concealed them across the road under the floor of his father's Cooper's shop this time however only Joseph knew the spot upon entering the shop the next morning Joseph discovered that someone had taken up the floorboards and smashed the box that held the plates not to worry he explained the plates were safe a premonition had guided him to remove the plates from the box and hide them in the loft under some flax the Smiths surmised that the mob of treasure seekers had come during the night and searched the premises without entering the house then left unsatisfied a few days later Lucy said the Smiths learned from an unidentified source that the mob had been directed by Sally chase who claimed to have seen the plates in her seer stone it did not occur to Lucy that if Sally could correctly ascertain the location of the box she could have just as easily seen the plates in the loft in fact there is something incongruent about Joseph's explanation would man who went as far as to dig up the floor of the shop leave without searching elsewhere in the building Joseph was alone in the shop when he hid the box perhaps he was the one who damaged it the immediate effect of the intrusion was a greatly increased level of intensity the air filling with danger excitement and purpose as with the attack on the Smith home the episode helped bond his followers more securely to him and to define more clearly friend from foe if Beeman had any lingering doubts about Joseph Sneed to be independent from Lawrence and the other treasure seekers this event convinced him the treasure seekers had become a band of thieves and would have stolen the Lords treasure had Joseph's gift not proven superior to Sally chases stone destruction of Hiram's box may have been Joseph's way of procuring one that was more satisfactory about this time he revisited Willard chaise to again ask for a chest to be made for his plates but chase again refused this and other actions on Joseph's spark contributed to the charged atmosphere surrounding his family and this in turn made it impossible for him to begin translating the plates even this may have worked to his benefit since he had more time to prepare for the demands of a more or less impromptu dictation following the loss of Hiram's Box the plates were placed in an Ontario glass box which was nailed closed Beeman who had helped modify the box by sawing off the ends to make it the right length told Martin Harris that he heard the plates jink when placed inside such stories spread like wildfire through Palmyra and Manchester curiously Martin Harris although a friend of the family was among the last to hear it was not until his brother preserve made a trip into town in 1827 and heard people discussing the gold Bible that the story reached Martin but he dismissed the report thinking that the treasure-seekers had probably dug up an old brass kettle or something of the kind Harris was already familiar with the initial discovery of the plates from previous conversations but he apparently understood the story in a treasure seeking context now Joseph was telling him that an angel had appeared to him and told him it was God's work Joseph said the angel told him he must quit the company of the money diggers that there were wicked men among them he must have no more to do with them he must not lie nor swear nor steal Josef's decision to break with his past had now become the angels command Joseph told Harris that the angel instructed him to look in the spectacles and he would show him the man that would assist him that he did so and he saw myself Martin Harris standing before him that struck me with surprise Harris recalled I told him Harris continued that I wished him to be very careful about these things well Joseph emphasized I saw you standing before me as plainly as I do now Harris responded if it is the devil's work I will have nothing to do with it but if it is the Lord's work you can have all the money necessary to bring it before the world solemnly Joseph declared that God had called him to translate the plates and to publish it to the world then Harris who like his wife was of Quaker background said Joseph you know my doctrine that curse it is everyone that putteth his trust in man and make it flesh his arm and we know that the devil is to have great power in the latter days to deceive if possible the very elect and I don't know if you are one of the elect now you must not blame me for not taking your word if the Lord will show me that it is his work you can have all the money you want while at mr. Smith's eye hefted the plates Harris also later recalled and I knew from the heft that they were LED or gold and I knew that Joseph had not credit enough to buy so much lead Harris's argument that the plates were gold or lead is contradicted by his own guess that they weighed forty or fifty pounds at the dimensions Smith gave plates of gold or lead would have far exceeded Harris's estimate clearly Harris was not the careful clever investigator of Joseph Smith's claims he thought himself to be after returning home Harris retired to his bedroom to pray asking God for a witness concerning joseph´s plates Harris said my covenant 'add that if it was his work and he would show me so I would put forth my best ability to bring it before the world he then showed me that it was his work and that it was designed to bring in the fullness of his gospel to the Gentiles to fulfill his word that the first shall be last and the last shall be first he showed this to me by the still small voice spoken in the soul then I was satisfied that it was the Lord's work and I was under a covenant to bring it forth despite his conviction regarding the plates Harris proceeded cautiously always seeking more evidence for his growing faith meanwhile opposition to Joseph was reaching dangerous levels Harris remembered that the excitement in the village upon the subject had become such that some had threatened to mob Joseph and also to tar and feather him they said he should never leave until he had shown the plates Harris concluded that it was unsafe for Joseph to remain in Manchester and began urging his young friend to move to Pennsylvania Emma was also growing anxious Joseph Knight remembered that she was unwell perhaps from the stress and the early stages of pregnancy and wanted to go to her father's moreover the situation in Manchester had made any attempt to translate the plates risky clearly the time for Joseph to make his exit had arrived although justifiably he was apprehensive about his prospects and harmony it was therefore with mixed feelings that he wrote the Hales in the fall of 1827 informing them of his and Emma's intention to relocate there as previously arranged Josef's brother-in-law Alva Hale was sent to Manchester to help with the move when he arrived it was early winter before leaving Harris advised Joseph to pay his debts I paid for him Harris said and furnished him money for his journey according to Lucy Smith it was when Joseph and Elva were at a public house in Palmyra village and transacting business with the owner that Harris approached them handed Joseph a bag of silver and before several witnesses said here mr. Smith is $50 I give it to you to do the Lord's work with and then corrected himself by saying I give it to the Lord for his own work Joseph offered to give Harris a promissory note but Harris insisted that Joseph take the money without obligation calling on others present as his witnesses Harris's public declarations notified joseph´s enemies that he was planning to leave the area soon Lucy said that a mob of about 50 men gathered in the village outside the office of dr. Alexander McIntyre requesting the doctor's leadership the mob wanted to follow Joe Smith and take his gold Bible away from him McIntyre regarded their request as foolish and bid them to go home in miner own business the mob became divided on the issue of who should lead them and eventually disbanded to avoid being mobbed Harris advised Joseph to leave a day or two early he also suggested that Joseph and Alva take clubs with them for protection Harris said we put the box of plates into a barrel about one-third full of dry beans and headed it up after the wagon was loaded Joseph Emma and Alva slipped out of Manchester under the cover of a cold December night [Music] you [Music]

Channel: Dan Vogel

Views: 36,775

Rating: 4.4267101 out of 5

Keywords: Joseph Smith Jr. (Founding Figure), gold plates, Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith Biography, Dan Vogel

Id: mmX-H1GBivk

Length: 46min 42sec (2802 seconds)

Published: Thu Sep 19 2013