It is our purpose to prove that the Book of Mormon originated with Solomon Spaulding, was revamped by Sydney Rigdon, and given to the world by the Impostor Joe Smith. We shall give first a sketch of Spaulding, and his work until he came in contact with Rigdon. Then a sketch of Rigdon and of his work, until he confederated with Impostor Joe, to give his stolen fabrication to the world, by means of his stolen peepstone. . . .

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GENTLEMEN MODERATORS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: A stock argument of Mormons in proof of the inspiration of Imposter Joe, and that the Book of Mormon is true and a revelation, is stated, "The Book of Mormon based on the idea that the aborigines of 18 America were Israelites. Such an idea was not thought of or advocated, until years after the Book of Mormon appeared. Some years after its appearance, scientific research demonstrated the truth of the basic idea of the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith was an unlearned man. He could have obtained such an idea by revelation, and in that way alone." Young men who were as great readers as Joseph Smith was, have originated as startling ideas without inspiration. But we will now utterly explode this impudent falsehood. I have here two books. One is "The Wonders of Nature and Providence, " written by Josiah Priest, and copyrighted by him June 2d. 1824, in the office of R. R. Lansing, Clerk of the District of Northern New York, and printed in Rochester in 1824. The other is the "Book of Mormon," copyrighted by Joseph Smith in the office of the same R. R. Lansing. Clerk of the same district, June 10th 1829 printed in Palmyra, twenty miles from Rochester, in 1830.

On the 297th page of "The Wonders of Nature and Providence," begins an article by Mr. Priest , the author, in which he argues at great length, that the Indians are descendants of the Israelites. Not only so, but he quotes from Clavigero a Catholic Missionary, who advocated the same idea in the seventeenth century. . . . Priest quotes in all from over forty writers, of whom over twenty were Americans, who advocated the idea that the aborigines of America were Israelites. Most of these lived and wrote before Smith was born. He proves that it was the almost universal opinion of the ministers of New England and the Middle States. That it had been, from the time of Elliott until Priest's own day. Not only is this true, but Priest, in his argument, quotes nearly all of the passages of scripture quoted by Mormons to prove the theory. It was from Priest's book that Rigdon and the Pratts stole their arguments. We show then that a book copyrighted in the same office as the Book of Mormon, published within twenty miles of Smith, circulated all over New York, Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio, years before the Book of Mormon appeared, advocated the idea upon which it is based, and urged the same arguments in favor of the theory that Mormons use[.] That ends all claim that Joe Smith must have obtained the idea by revelation It shows that not only did Rigdon steal the book, and Joe steal the peep stone to translate it, but Mormons stole their arguments to sustain it from Priest.