JOSEPH BRINGS HOME THE BREAST-PLATE--MARTIN HARRIS AND HIS WIFE
INTRODUCED--THE TRANSLATION COMMENCES--MRS. HARRIS BEGINS TO OPPOSE THE
WORK.
After bringing home the plates, Joseph commenced working with his
father and brothers on the farm, in order to be as near as possible to
the treasure which was confided to his care.
Soon after this, he came in from work, one afternoon, and after
remaining a short time, he put on his great coat, and left the house. I
was engaged at the time, in an upper room, in preparing some oil-cloths
for painting. When he returned, he requested me to come down stairs. I
told him that I could not leave my work just then, yet, upon his urgent
request, I finally concluded to go down and see what he wanted, upon
which he handed me the breast-plate spoken of in his history.
It was wrapped in a thin muslin handkerchief, so thin that I could feel
its proportions without any difficulty.
It was concave on one side, and convex on the other, and extended from
the neck downwards, as far as the center of the stomach of a man of
extraordinary size. It had four straps of the same material, for the
purpose of fastening it to the breast, two of which ran back to go over
the shoulders, and the other two were designed to fasten to the hips.
They were just the width of two of my fingers, (for I measured them,)
and they had holes in the end of them, to be convenient in fastening.
After I had examined it, Joseph placed it in the chest with the Urim
and Thummim.
Shortly after this circumstance, Joseph came to the house in great
haste, and inquired, if there had been a company of men about. I told
him, not a single individual had come to the house since he left. He
then said, that a mob would be there that night, if they did not come
before that time, to search for the Record, and that it must be removed
immediately.
Soon afterwards, a man by the name of Braman came in from the village
of Livonia, a man in whom we reposed much confidence, and who was well
worthy of the same. Joseph told him his apprehensions of a mob being
there that night, and that they must prepare themselves to drive them
away; but that the first thing to be attended to, was to secure the
Record and breast-plate.
In view of this, it was determined that a portion of the hearth should
be taken up, and that the Record and breast-plate should be buried
under the same, and then the hearth be relaid, to prevent suspicion.
This was done as speedily as possible, but the hearth was scarcely
relaid when a large company of men well-armed came rushing up to
the house. Joseph threw open the doors, and taking a hint from the
stratagem of his grandfather Mack, hallooed as if he had a legion at
hand, in the meanwhile, giving the word of command with great emphasis;
while all the male portion of the family, from the father down to
little Carlos, ran out of the house with such fury upon the mob, that
it struck them with terror and dismay, and they fled before the little
Spartan band into the woods, where they dispersed themselves to their
several homes.
In a short time Joseph received another intimation of the approach of
a mob, also of the necessity of removing the Record and breast-plate
from the place wherein they were secreted, consequently he took them
out of the box in which they were placed, and wrapping them in clothes,
carried them across the road to a cooper's shop, and laid them in a
quantity of flax which was stowed in the shop loft. After which he
nailed up the box again, then tore up the floor of the shop, and put it
under the same.
As soon as night came, the mob came also, and commenced ransacking the
place. They rummaged round the house, and all over the premises, but
did not come into the house. After making satisfactory search, they
went away.
The next morning we found the floor of the cooper's shop torn up, and
the box which was laid under it shivered in pieces.
In a few days afterwards, we learned the cause of this last move--why
their curiosity led them in the direction of the cooper's shop. A
young woman by the name of Chase, sister to Willard Chase, found a
green glass, through which she could see many very wonderful things,
and among her great discoveries she said that she saw the precise
place where "Joe Smith kept his gold Bible hid," and, obedient to
her directions, the mob gathered their forces and laid siege to the
cooper's shop.
Notwithstanding their disappointment in not finding the plates in the
shop, their confidence was not in the least shaken in Miss Chase, for
they still went from place to place by her direction, determined to get
if possible, the much desired object of their search.
Not long after the circumstance of the mob's going into the cooper's
shop, and splitting in pieces the box, Joseph began to make
arrangements to accomplish the translation of the Record. The first
step that he was instructed to take in regard to this work, was to make
a _facsimile_ of some of the characters, which were called reformed
Egyptian, and to send them to some of the most learned men of this
generation, and ask them for the translation thereof.
The reader will here observe, that on a preceding page of this volume,
I spoke of a confidential friend to whom my husband merely mentioned
the existence of the plates, some two or three years prior to their
coming forth. This was no other than Martin Harris, one of the
witnesses to the book subsequent to its being translated.
With the view of commencing the work of translation, and carrying it
forward as speedily as circumstances would permit, Joseph came to me
one afternoon and requested me to go to this Mr. Harris, and inform
him that he had got the plates, and that he desired to see Mr. Harris
concerning the matter. This, indeed, was an errand which I much
disliked, as Mr. Harris's wife was a very peculiar woman, one that was
naturally of a very jealous disposition; besides this, she was rather
dull of hearing, and when anything was said that she did not hear
distinctly, she suspected that it was some secret, which was designedly
kept from her. So I told Joseph that I would rather not go, unless I
could have the privilege of speaking to her first upon the subject. To
this he consented, and I went according to his request.
On arriving at Mr. Harris's, I cautiously detailed the particulars
with regard to Joseph's finding the plates, so far as wisdom dictated
and necessity demanded, in order to satisfy Mrs. Harris's curiosity.
However, she did not wait for me to get through with my story, before
she commenced urging upon me a considerable amount of money, that she
had at her command. Her husband always allowed her to keep a private
purse, in order to satisfy her singular disposition, and it was this
private money that she wished me to receive. She also had a sister
living with her who desired me to receive an amount of money, I think
some seventy-five dollars, to assist in getting the Record translated.
I told her that I came on no such business, that I did not want her
money, and that Joseph would attend to his own affairs; but, that I
would like to talk to Mr. Harris a moment, and then return home, as my
family would soon be expecting me. Yet, notwithstanding all this, she
was determined to assist in the business, for she said she knew that we
should want money, and she could spare two hundred dollars as well as
not.
After detaining me a few minutes, she went with me to her husband, and
I told him that I wished to speak to him. He replied, that he was not
going to stop his work, for he was just laying the last brick in his
hearth.
"You see," said he, "this is the last work I have to do on the house,
and it is the last work I shall do about the house, or on the farm,
in one year. And when this is done, I am going to hire a hand to work
a year for me, as I shall travel that length of time before I shall
settle myself at home again."
After completing the work in which he was engaged, he left the house,
but was absent only a short time. On returning, he came to me and said,
"Now I am a free man--my hands are altogether untied--I can come and go
and do as I please."
I related, in short, the errand on which I had come. He said, that
he would see Joseph in the course of a few days. At this his wife
exclaimed, "Yes, and I am coming to see him, too, and I will be there
on Tuesday afternoon, and will stop over night."
Accordingly, when Tuesday afternoon arrived, Mrs. Harris made her
appearance, and as soon as she was well seated, she began to importune
my son relative to the truth of what he had said concerning the Record,
declaring that if he really had any plates, she would see them, and
that she was determined to help him publish them.
He told her she was mistaken--that she could not see them, for he was
not permitted to exhibit them to any one, except those whom the Lord
should appoint to testify of them. "And, in relation to assistance," he
observed, "I always prefer dealing with men, rather than their wives."
This highly displeased Mrs. Harris, for she considered herself
altogether superior to her husband, and she continued her
importunities. She would say, "Now, Joseph, are you not telling me a
lie? Can you look full in my eye, and say before God, that you have in
reality found a Record, as you pretend?"
To this, Joseph replied, rather indifferently, "Why, yes, Mrs. Harris,
I would as soon look you in the face, and say so as not, if that will
be any gratification to you."
Then, said she, "Joseph, I will tell you what I will do, if I can get a
witness that you speak the truth, I will believe all you say about the
matter, and I shall want to do something about the translation--I mean
to help you any way."
This closed the evening's conversation. The next morning, soon after
she arose, she related a very remarkable dream which she said she
had had during the night. It ran about as follows: She said that a
personage appeared to her, who told her, that as she had disputed the
servant of the Lord, and said his word was not to be believed, and had
also asked him many improper questions, she had done that which was not
right in the sight of God. After which he said to her, "Behold, here
are the plates, look upon them, and believe."
After giving us an account of her dream, she described the Record very
minutely, then told us that she had made up her mind in relation to
the course which she intended to pursue; namely, that she had in her
possession twenty-eight dollars which she received from her mother
just before she died, while she was on her death bed, and that Joseph
should accept of it. If he would, he might give his note, but he should
certainly take it upon some terms.
The last proposal Joseph accepted, in order to get rid of further
importunity upon the subject.
Soon afterwards, Alva Hale, Joseph's brother-in-law, came to our
house, from Pennsylvania, for the purpose of moving Joseph to his
father-in-law's, as word had been sent to them, that Joseph desired
to move there as soon as he could settle up his business. During the
short interval of Alva's stay with us, he and Joseph were one day in
Palmyra, at a public-house, transacting some business. As they were
thus engaged, Mr. Harris came in: he stepped immediately up to my son,
and taking him by the hand, said, "How do you do, Mr. Smith." After
which, he took a bag of silver from his pocket, and said again, "Here,
Mr. Smith, is fifty dollars; I give this to you to do the Lord's work
with; no, I give it to the Lord for his own work."
"No," said Joseph, "We will give you a note, Mr. Hale, I presume, will
sign it with me."
"Yes," said Alva, "I will sign it."
Mr. Harris, however, insisted that he would give the money to the Lord,
and called those present to witness the fact that he gave it freely,
and did not demand any compensation, that it was for the purpose of
helping Mr. Smith to do the Lord's work. And as I have been informed,
many were present on that occasion, who witnessed the same circumstance.
Joseph, in a short time, arranged his affairs, and was ready for the
journey. The Record and breast-plate, for security, he nailed up in a
box and then put them into a strong cask; and after filling the cask
with beans, headed it up again.
When it became generally known that Joseph was about moving to
Pennsylvania, a mob of fifty men collected themselves together, and
they went to Dr. McIntyre, and requested him to take the command of the
company, stating, that they were resolved on following "Joe Smith," and
taking his "gold Bible" from him. The doctor's ideas and feelings did
not altogether harmonize with theirs, and he told them they were a pack
of devilish fools, and to go home and mind their own business; that, if
Joseph Smith had any business of that sort to attend to, he was capable
of doing it, and that it would be better for them to busy themselves
about that which more concerned them.
After this, a quarrel arose among them respecting who should be
captain, and it ran so high that it broke up the expedition.
* * * * * * * * *
When Joseph had had a sufficient time to accomplish the journey,
and transcribe some of the Egyptian characters, it was agreed that
Martin Harris should follow him--and that he (Martin) should take the
characters to the East, and, on his way, he was to call on all the
professed linguists, in order to give them an opportunity to display
their talents in giving a translation of the characters.
When Mrs. Harris heard of what her husband had in contemplation, she
resolved to accompany him; but he, concluding that it would be better
to go without her, left quite suddenly without her knowledge, in
company with my son Hyrum.
Mrs. Harris soon missed her husband, and came to me for that purpose
of ascertaining if I knew where he was. I told her what he had said
concerning his leaving, suppressing, however, his remarks pertaining to
herself.
On hearing this, she became highly exasperated, and charged me with
planning the whole affair. I protested against it, asserting that I had
nothing to do with the plan, nor the execution of it. Furthermore, that
the business of a house, which was the natural cares of a woman, was
all that I attempted to dictate, or interfere with, unless it was by my
husband's or son's request.
Mrs. Harris then observed that she had property, and knew how to take
care of it, which she would convince me of.
"Now, stop" said I, "do you not know that we have never asked you for
money or property? and that if we had been disposed to take advantage
of your liberality, could we not have obtained at least, two hundred
and seventy dollars of your cash?" She answered in the affirmative,
notwithstanding she went home in a great rage, determined to have
satisfaction for the treatment which she had received.
In a short time Mr. Harris returned, and his wife's anger kindled
afresh at his presence, insomuch that she prepared a separate bed and
room for him, which room she refused to enter.
A young man by the name of Dikes, had been paying some attention to
Miss Lucy, Martin Harris's oldest daughter. To this young man Mr.
Harris was quite attached, and his daughter Lucy was by no means
opposed to him; but Mrs. Harris, of course, was decidedly upon the
negative. However, just at this crisis, a scheme entered her brain
which materially changed her deportment to Mr. Dikes. She told
him, if he would manage to get the Egyptian characters from Mr.
Harris's possession, and procure a room in Palmyra for the purpose of
transcribing them, and then bring her the transcript, that she would
consent to his marriage with her daughter Lucy.
To this, Mr. Dikes cheerfully consented, and suffice it to say he
succeeded to her satisfaction, and thus received the promised reward.
When Mr. Harris began to make preparations to start for Pennsylvania
the second time, with the view of writing for Joseph, his wife told him
that she had fully decreed in her heart to accompany him. Mr. Harris,
having no particular objections, informed her that she might do so;
that she might go and stay one or two weeks, and then he would bring
her home again, after which he would return, and resume his writing for
Joseph. To this she cheerfully agreed. But Mr. Harris little suspected
what he had to encounter by this move. The first time he exhibited the
characters before named, she took out of her pocket an exact copy of
the same; and told those present, that "Joe Smith" was not the only
one who was in possession of this great curiosity, that she had the
same characters, and, they were quite as genuine as those shown by Mr.
Harris. This course she continued to pursue, until they arrived at
Joseph's.
As soon as she arrived there, she informed him that her object in
coming, was to see the plates, and that she would never leave until
she had accomplished it. Accordingly, without delay, she commenced
ransacking every nook and corner about the house--chests, trunks,
cupboards, etc.; consequently, Joseph was under the necessity of
removing both the breast-plate and the Record from the house, and
secreting them elsewhere. Not finding them in the house, she concluded
that Joseph had buried them, and the next day she commenced searching
out of doors, which she continued to do until about two o'clock p. m.
She then came in rather ill-natured; after warming herself a little,
she asked Joseph's wife if there were snakes in that country in the
winter. She replied in the negative. Mrs. Harris then said, "I have
been walking round in the woods to look at the situation of your place,
and as I turned round to come home, a tremendous black snake stuck up
his head before me, and commenced hissing at me."
The woman was so perplexed and disappointed in all her undertakings,
that she left the house and took lodgings during her stay in
Pennsylvania with a near neighbor, to whom she stated that the day
previous she had been hunting for the plates, and that, after a tedious
search, she at length came to a spot where she judged, from the
appearance of things, they must be buried; but upon stooping down to
scrape away the snow and leaves, in order to ascertain the fact, she
encountered a horrible black snake which gave her a terrible fright,
and she ran with all possible speed to the house.
While this woman remained in the neighborhood, she did all that lay in
her power to injure Joseph in the estimation of his neighbors--telling
them that he was a grand impostor, and, that by his specious
pretentions, he had seduced her husband into the belief that he (Joseph
Smith) was some great one, merely through a design upon her husband's
property.
When she returned home, being about two weeks after her arrival in
Harmony, the place where Joseph resided, she endeavored to dissuade
her husband from taking any further part in the publication of the
Record; however, Mr. Harris paid no attention to her, but returned and
continued writing.
Immediately after Martin Harris left home for Pennsylvania, his
wife went from place to place, and from house to house, telling
her grievances, and declaring that Joseph Smith was practicing a
deception upon the people, which was about to strip her of all that
she possessed, and that she was compelled to deposit a few things away
from home in order to secure them. So she carried away her furniture,
linen, and bedding; also other moveable articles, until she nearly
stripped the premises of everything that could conduce either to
comfort or convenience, depositing them with those of her friends and
acquaintances, in whom she reposed sufficient confidence to assure her
of their future safety.