Lu B. Cake repeats the Spaulding theory.
Lu B. Cake, Peepstone Joe and the Peck Manuscript (New York City: L. B. Cake, 1899), 49–66
Now I turn to the great "Gentile" world. With you I have no case on hand. With you I would just as soon assume the burden of proof, and show to a certainty where Joe got his Book of Mormon.
The Spalding Manuscript.
In A. D. 1761, Solomon Spalding was born in Ashford, Conn., graduated a Dartmouth College, was ordained, preached ; then tried merchandising. He had a life-long book ambition, and from 1810 to 1 81 2, inclusive, he wrote a romance to prove that the American Indians were the lost Tribes of Israel. He called it "Manuscript Found," and it gave the journey of the Israelites from Jerusalem to America under the command of Nephi and Lehi, just as the Book of Mormon does. The historical matter of the Spalding manuscript and that of the Book of Mormon were identical ; so say many persons who heard Solomon Spalding read his manuscript, and they afterwards read the Book of Mormon. Indeed, the plagiarism was so flagrant that, when the Book of Mormon was published, those who heard the historical names repeated, recalled the Spalding manuscript at once, if they had ever heard the Spalding names. These persons got the Book of Mormon, read it, declared it was stolen from the Spalding manuscript, and many made affidavits to convince the deluded people. Spalding died in 1816 at Amity, Pa. From 1818 to 1832 his widow lived at Hartwick, Otsego Co., N. Y., and Widow Spalding averred that she kept her husband's manuscript there in a trunk in 1820. When the Book of Mormon came out, they looked for the manuscript but it had been stolen. Joe Smith's history shows that he was digging at Mr. Stowell's, near Hartwick, in 1825, employed by Stowell. The trunk containing the Spalding manuscript was in a barn at the widow's home. The Book of Mormon appeared — the Spalding manuscript had disappeared ! Now, knowing the character of Joe Smith, as proven in the foregoing pages, do you believe that God and Joe Smith got together to produce the Book of Mormon, or that Joe Smith and that trunk got together? In one case Joe is alone and says he found plates; in the other the trunk is alone and the manuscript says Joe found it — says this emphatically in the pages of the Book of Mormon. Joe was alone when he claimed to find plates, alone on every other occasion when solitude was a necessity; out of sheer force of habit Joe took no one with him when he found the Spalding manuscript. Hence no eye witness can be produced in either case ; but the circumstantial evidence is all against Joe in both cases. Remember that Joe had a pretended revelation in 1823, claiming to find gold plates. The world has long wondered why Joe covered up the plates and left them four years! I asked that question myself, foregoing pages. I accounted for it by saying that Joe found no plates, had only a drunken dream. I hit it. Joe had no plates, no way to finish his deception. In 1825 he found that lone trunk in the barn and carried off all the contents. Widow Spalding says the trunk was full, and all went except an unfinished story. Joe waited a little to see if the things were missed, sorted his plunder, discovered the Spalding manuscript and yelled "Eureka!" "He was scarcely able to read and write; how could he produce the historical learning of the Book of Mormon," Mormonism asks. You now see that he had the manuscript of a graduate of Dartmouth College/ Bat the Mormon admission that he could "scarcely read and write" is important, for it shows what occupied the time from 1825, when he found the manuscript, to 1827, when he began translation. Not "Reformed Egyptian," but English was enough for ignorant Joe, and it took him two years, or nearly so, to decipher the names he never heard before, familiarize himself with the ancient history of which he knew nothing, and formulate his plan. Besides, he got married and spent some of the two years in honeymoon. The lapse of time is just about right; two years from the trunk-inthe-barn-stealing to the trunk-in-the-garret-translating! "Young man — trunk — garret, behind curtain — translating," says the Author letter in this book. With this manuscript Joe is equipped to go on with his fraud. The very thing he could not do alone, hence would trust no one to do, for fear of exposure, Joe finds already done. If Joe had not found what enabled him to go ahead according to his policy of being alone in the act where an accomplice could betray him, he would have waited not only four years, but forever.
So effectually did this dilemma block his game that Joe gave up, and intended to treat what he had pretended God came to tell him, as a joke. For Peter Ingersoll, Joe's friend, says this in an affidavit: "Smith told me the whole affair was a hoax; that he had no such book and did not believe there was such a book in existence; 'But/ said he, 'as I have got the damned fools fixed, I shall carry out the fun. '" (Observe that Joe was not equal to reformed English, let alone Reformed Egyptian.) Joe's classification of his first disciples is a little stronger than I should express it, but he knew them better.
But with the Spalding manuscript hope revives.. Now read what Willard Chase testifies :
"Smith came to me, wanting me to make him a chest to put his Gold Bible in, and promised me a share in the book to do so. He told me he was commanded to keep it two years without letting it come to the eyes of anyone but himself."
Aha! Stole it 1825; "commanded to keep it two years'" that makes 1827!
Here is the connecting link between Joe in Widow Spalding's trunk and Joe pretending to take home the gold plates in 1827. We have just been figuring out why he waited the two years from 1825 to 1827. Bless you, he was commanded of God to wait two years! Spontaneous revelation till the steal blew over! The circumstances, viz.: lone trunk, Joe near, Joe's habit of taking things, disappearance of manuscript, Joe telling Ingersoll "no such book," telling Chase had book, sequence of these filling time right — all connect Joe with the manuscript; Joe's automatic moral coupling worked, completed the connection and he had the Spalding manuscript, which filled Joe's "long-felt want" — a writing he could claim as a translation of ancient plates. Then Spalding's friends recalled his manuscript soon as they heard names in Book of Mormon; they read the book, and made the following affidavits:
John Spalding, brother of Solomon Spalding, testified:
"Solomon Spalding was born in Ashford, Conn., in 1761, and in early life contracted a taste for literary pursuits. After he left school he entered Plainville Academy, where he made great proficiency in study, and excelled most of his classmates. He soon after entered Dartmouth College, with the intention of qualifying himself for the ministry, where he obtained the degree of A.M., and was afterward regularly ordained. After preaching three or four years he gave it up, removed to Cherry Valley, New York, and commenced the mercantile business with his brother, Josiah. I made him a visit in about three years after, and found that he had failed, and was considerably involved in debt. He then told me he had been writing a book, which he intended to have printed, the avails of which he thought would enable him to pay all his debts. The book was entitled the 'Manuscript Found,' of which he read to me many passages. It was a historical romance of the first settlers of America — endeavoring to show that the American Indians are the descendants of the Jews, or the lost tribes. It gave a detailed account of their journey from Jerusalem, by land and sea, till they arrived in America, under the command of Nephi and Lehi. They afterward had quarrels and contentions and separated into two distinct nations, one of which he denominated Nephites and the other Lamanites. Cruel and bloody wars ensued, in which great multitudes were slain. They buried their dead in large heaps, which caused the mounds, so common in this country. Their arts, sciences and civilizations, were brought into view in order to account for all the curious antiquities found in various parts of North and South America.
"I have recently read the Book of Mormon, and, to my great surprise, I found nearly the same historical matter', names, etc., as they were in my brother’s writings. I well remember that he wrote in the old style, and commenced about every sentence with, 'And it came to pass,' or, 'Now, it came to pass,' the same as in the Book of Mormon, and according to the best of my recollection and belief, it is the same as my brother wrote, with the exception of the religious matter. By what means it has fallen into the hands of Joseph Smith, Jun., I am unable to determine.
"John Spalding."
"Same as my brother's except the religious matter," says this witness, and the religious matter Joe put in to make a fake Bible, hide plagiarism, and fool people.
Martha Spalding, wife of the John Spalding who made foregoing affidavit, and sister-in-law to Samuel, made this:
"I was personally acquainted with Solomon Spalding, about twenty years ago. I was at his house a short time before he left Conneaut; he was then writing a historical novel, founded upon the first settlers of America. He represented them as an enlightened and warlike people. He had for many years contended that the aborigines of America were the descendants of some of the lost tribes of Israel, and this idea he carried out in the book in question. The lapse of time which has intervened prevents me recollecting but few of the leading incidents of his writing, but the names of Lehi and Nephi are yet fresh in my memory, as being the principal heroes of his tale. They were officers of the company which first came of! from Jerusalem. He gave a particular account of their journey by sea and land, till they arrived in America, after which disputes arose between the chiefs, which caused them to separate into different bands, one of which was called Lamanites, and the other Nephites. Between these were recounted tremendous battles, which frequently covered the ground with slain, and their "being buried in large heaps was the cause of the numerous mounds in this country. Some of the people he represented as being very large.
"I have read the Book of Mormon, which has brought fresh to my recollection the writings of Solomon Spalding; and I have no manner of doubt that the historical part of it is the same that I read and heard read more than twenty years ago. The old obsolete style and phrases 'And it came to pass,' etc., are the same.
[Signed] "Martha Spalding."
This woman read both books, and declares the historical part identical. Why Joe filled in the religious matter, etc., has been shown.
Henry Lake, a partner of Solomon Spalding, spent hours hearing the manuscript read; was familiar with it. His evidence is conclusive:
"Conneaut, Ashtabula Co., O., Sept., 1833. "I left the State of New York, late in the year 1810, and arrived at this place about the first of January following. Soon after my arrival I formed a partnership with Solomon Spalding, for the purpose of rebuilding a large forge, which he had commenced a year or two before. He very frequently read to me from a manuscript which he was writing, which he entitled the 'Manuscript Found, ' and which he represented as being found in this town. I spent many hours in hearing him read said writings, and became well acquainted with their contents. * * * This book represented the American Indians as the descendants of the lost tribes — gave an account of their leaving Jerusalem, their contentions and wars, which were many and great. "One time when he was reading to me the tragic account of Laban, I pointed out to him what I considered an inconsistency, which he promised to correct; but by referring to the Book of Mormon, I find to my surprise that it stands there just as he read it to me then. Some months ago I borrowed the Golden Bible, put it in my pocket, carried it home, and thought no more of it. About a week after my wife found the book in my coat pocket, as it hung up, and commenced reading it aloud, as I lay upon the bed. She had not read twenty minutes till I was astonished to find the same passages in it that Spalding had read to me more than twenty years before from his ‘Manuscript Found.' Since that I have more fully examined the said Golden Bible, and have no hesitation in saying that the historical part of it is principally, if not wholly, taken from the 'Manuscript Found.’ I well recollect telling Mr. Spalding that the so frequent use of the words 'And it came to pass,' 'Now it came to pass,' rendered it ridiculous. Spalding left here is 1812. I never heard any more from him or his writings till I saw them in the Book of Mormon.
"Henry Lake."
"Springfield, Pa., September, 1833. "* * * I boarded and lodged in the family of said Spalding, for several months. I was soon introduced to the manuscripts of Spalding, and perused them as often as I had leisure. That which more particularly drew my attention, was one which he called 'Manuscript Found.* * * * I have recently examined the Book of Mormon, and find in it the writings of Solomon Spalding from beginning to end, but mixed up with Scripture and other religious matter. Many of the passages in the Book of Mormon are verbatim from Spalding. * * *
"John N. Miller."
"CONNEAUT, AugUSt, 1833.
" * * * The historical part of the Book of Mormon I know to be the same as I read and heard read from the writings of Spalding, more than twenty years ago. * * *
"Aaron Wright."
"CONNEAUT, August, 1833.
" * * * He frequently showed me his writings, which I read. I have lately read the Book of Mormon, and I believe it to be the same as Spalding wrote, except the religious part.
"Nahum Howard."
"Artemas Cunningham, of Perry, Geauga Co., states as follows: * * * Before showing me his manuscripts, he went into a verbal relation of their outlines, saying it was a fabulous or romantic history of the first settlement of this country, and as it purported to be a record found buried in the earth, or in a cave, he had adopted the ancient or Scripture style of writing. * * * The Mormon Bible I have partially examined, and am fully of the opinion that Solomon Spalding had written its outlines before he left Conneaut."
Observe how well the Spalding manuscript fitted Joe's case: “Buried in the earth" — "Ancient, or Scripture style of writing!" Spalding was a retired preacher, so naturally wrote Scripture style, made a plot for a religio-historical story out of habit of thought; his story pretended to be from ancient records buried in the earth which compelled ancient style, it was to prove that Indians of America were descendants of lost tribes of Israel, hence consisted of Hebrew history, scriptures, and imagined additions, just what Joe wanted! No wonder witness swears, "whole passages verbatim"!
Many others made like affidavits, but these end all doubt.
Now Joe started a fraud about plates; could go no further for he had no plates; was too ignorant to forge a translation of ancient plates; would trust no one to forge it; hence at the end of his rope. Then the Spalding manuscript and Joe are proximate; the manuscript a romance of ancient history Joe could palm off as translation of ancient plates; he can perfect his fraud with it; can't go further without it; Joe and manuscript disappear; Book of Mormon appears; Spalding's brother and others identify lost manuscript in the Book of Mormon; the religious and other matter added by Joe are so plainly and awkwardly Joe's, so conclusively prove the plagiarism, that this adds the corroboration which convinces and convicts; I have shown where Joe did get the Book of Mormon.
Now we see why Joe did not reproduce the 118 pages Harris stole. First, to hide plagiarism Joe mixed in things he made by imitating Bible incidents, etc., and he could not mix it in the same way and with the same words, and he saw Harris would catch him. Second, the 118 were only a mixture of Spalding and Smith, not revelation, not worth preserving. Third, eleven men swear Joe was lazy — too lazy to reproduce 118 pages with giant goggles and filter them through a blanket to Harris who was waiting to catch him and ruin his imposture. Fourth, to remove all evidence of his theft, and to prevent being caught in faking from the manuscript, Joe was burning the manuscript as fast as he used it (Joe says he gave it to the angel); so it was utterly impossible for him to reproduce the 118 pages! There are others, but these reasons are enough — as the Judge said to the boy: A boy told the Judge he could give seventeen reasons why his father failed to appear in court; first, his father was dead — The Judge told him to omit the other sixteen.
You see that Joe was fast in Harris' trap, but fooled Harris with a spontaneous revelation. It don't fool Gentiles. We brush off the dust of time; bring out the tracings of the finger of Divine Retribution, and lo ! a picture of the imposter fast in the trap!
Corroboration Found in the Book of Mormon.
To make the Book of Mormon, Joe had to convert the historical romance of Spalding into a Bible — add some religious matter. Hence you find a variation of Daniel reading the writing on the wall,
Book of Mormon, page 235
Some Apocalypse and Church of Rome, pages 23, 28
Variation of Paul's conversion, . . . page 201
Variation of Peter's escape from prison, pages 232, 251
Variation lying of Ananias (didn't scare Joe), page 241
Variation fiery furnace page 401
Variation Elijah's rain and drought, . . page 417
Variation Daniel in lion's den, . . pages 489, 495
Then Shakespeare is translated from plates buried 1,200 years before the poet was born: "The cold and silent grave, whence no traveller returns.'" And this sounds unlike the ancients: "from nature up to nature's God." But Joe thought they sounded well and worked them in rather out of date.
These are only samples of many, but these enough to prove a literary cobbler like Joe Smith pegging away to hide plagiarism of Spalding by plagarizing something everybody knew.
Now Joe pretended to find a list of articles in that hill, enough to start a Museum of Antiquities; yet only what he could carry and outrun two robbers were worth getting. When he sacked Widow Spalding's trunk he left only a fragment of a story; but when he loots a hill full of gold antiquities of priceless value, he leaves enough to start forty more polygamous religions! Perhaps that is the cause of intemperance. People are getting drunk like Joe did, in order to find the gold that Joe left in the hill. Seriously, why did Joe leave all that gold in the hill? He didn't — there were no plates, nothing but a hill which he could not carry away! The absolute proof is, that if Joe had left the rest of the find in the hill, he would have gotten it afterwards to silence the cry of "fraud!" Scores of affidavits were made saying that he was an imposter, and everybody said he lied about the plates. Why did not Joe open his Museum of Antiquities in the hill at twenty-five cents admission, as his mother suggested, make a fortune, and gag the mouths of a world that was calling him a liar? Instead, he gets up the miserable sham of three witnesses! then eight witnesses! papers of such rot as would not make decent gun wadding! Yet a few pioneers swallowed it!
Joe not only finds modern poetry on his ancient plates, but also translates contradictory Scripture. To instance: in the reign of Josiah, King of Judah, "the book of the Law was lost," not a copy to be had. Now, Joe translates it from these plates. These plates were Laban's, who had them in Jerusalem at the very time the book of the law was lost! Lost, and yet engraven on plates where all Jerusalem could see it! Joe, the prophet, did not know Bible history. Joe overreached himself. But he is blasphemous enough to claim that God guided him in translation! He calls such stuff "inspiration"! If so, it is the kind that put Joe to bed September 21, 1823, and out of the same bottle.
Page eleven of the Book of Mormon, Lehi prophesies: "These plates shall go forth to all nations, never grow dim, nor perish." Mormonism holds to literal interpretation. Yet these plates never went to but Joe and eleven witnesses, even admitting that lie of three witnesses and eight witnesses! And the plates got "dim" so quickly Joe could not reproduce 118 pages Martin Harris stole! and perished so utterly that Mormonism could never produce one to prove its case.
Again Joe's book says: "We found upon the land of promise [Central America] that there were beasts in the forests, of every kind; the cow, and ox, and the ass, and the horse." Truth says: “The first horses brought to America were imported by Columbus on his second voyage, 1493" — (Report of Supt. Census of U. S. A., 1852). All authorities agree that the cow, ox, ass and horse were not in Central America when Joe's pretended plates says they were there. It is Joe's ignorance of natural history. It is remarkable that Joe was so ignorant in that branch of animalology his associations made him familiar with that he did not know George Washington introduced the ass to America.
Page 3 of Joe's book makes Lehi leave Jerusalem because, “God directed him in a dream.” Page 411, Lehi : "driven out by the people.” Flat contradiction of inspiration!
Joe did not know that the Hebrews were anciently, are now, divided into Israelites and Jews — divided before these plates; so, on page 109, Nephi tells his brethren, "We are descendants of the Jews"; but on page 235 Amalek says, "Nephi and his brethren were of the tribe of Manasseh"; hence, Israelites. The tribe of Manasseh were not Jews, for Jews are of the tribe of Judah. So Nephi, and Amalek, telescope each other, or Joe has had more bottled inspiration.
Pages 517 to 526 of Joe's book gives Jared's voyage; a load equal to what was in Noah's ark, yet crossing the ocean in eight canoes, "the length of a tree.” This ark story was not caused by forty days' and forty nights' water, but "40-rod whiskey."
Page 65 : the Nephites build a temple in America "like unto Solomon's." Only eighteen came over ; the Nephites, eight persons, only three women, go off into the wilderness, separate from the other ten — family fuss. Yet within thirty years they build a temple like Solomon's! It took Solomon with 153,000 men seven years to build the temple. Allow triplet increase for the three women, and it would have taken the Nephites 100 years to build a temple like Solomon's, with the force they could census in thirty years. Joe jams 100 years into thirty years — I don't mean Joe jams, but jim-jams.
Page 234 of Joe's book gives the coming of the Holy Ghost then, three centuries before Christ came — Jesus, who said, "If I go not away the Comforter will not come." What an ignorant inspired prophet is Joe! But he makes wholesale contradictions of the New Testament. He takes the New Testament in his hand, then pretends to translate from the plates the events of our Gospels of Matthew, Mark. Luke and John, etc., and calls them translations of the plates, to show the plates were divinely written; but his ignorance betrays him in the worst plagiarism the world ever saw — it is a medley of contradictions.
From page 2 to page 428, are nearly 300 direct quotations from the New Testament, claimed to be found on ancient plates made centuries before. And "King James English!" when the plates were ''Reformed Egyptian," Joe says, and a "confounded" language the book says. Whole chapters of both the Old and the New Testament are literally copied with brazen affrontery.
No wonder Joe anticipates the exposure of his translation and whines in his book, "Condemn me not because of my imperfections, neither my father because of his imperfections, neither them who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections [verily, we do, Joseph!] that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been."
Here is a pretended divine prophet so conscious of his ignorance, incompentency, blundering and contradiction that he makes a plea of guilty and tries to dodge the penalty with a whine! A plea of “confession and avoidance."
Finally, Joe claims his plates were written in Reformed Egyptian when the authors were Hebrews. Imagine a Hebrew putting the Word of God in any language save that he believes God gave him in Eden! Joe's own book, page 530, contradicts him. Then the plates are gold, and the Hebrews wrote only on papyrus and parchment, and their Scriptures were all in rolls. These are only a few of the many things that can be pointed out in the Book of Mormon to condemn it as a self-evident fraud and convict Joe, the maker of it, of the worst case of literary jim-jams known in all history. Then, to call this mouthing of "Reformed Egyptian," King James vocabulary, modern poetry, and modern prose, prickling with contradictions like a barbwire fence; to call this mummery inspiration and charge it to Him who says, "as far as the East is from the West, so far are my ways from men's ways" — oh! it is blasphemy so unutterable, no wonder the author was shot exclaiming, "If there is any God!"