A LETTER WRITTEN BY PROFESSOR ANTHON.
The circumstances that led to this letter--Martin
Harris--His visit to New York--Interview with Dr.
Mitchell--Professor Anthon.
A few months subsequent to the publishing of the foregoing letter, the
author saw in the columns of the _Church Record_ a letter from Professor
Anthon which singularly corroborated the statement that Martin Harris made
to him in relation to his having had an interview with that gentleman, when
on his first mission to New York in quest of some interpreter who should be
able to decipher the mysterious characters of the golden Bible. The cause
which drew forth the letter from the learned professor is thus stated. The
Rev. Dr. Coit, Rector of Trinity Church, New Rochelle, West Chester county,
N. Y., hearing that the Mormons in that place--for there is scarcely a town
or village where some of them are not found, "were claiming the patronage
of Professor Anthon's name, in behalf of their notions, took the liberty to
state the fact to him, and ask in what possible way they had contrived to
associate him with themselves." In reply to this inquiry, Professor Anthon
wrote the letter above referred to--which we here insert:
_New York, April 3d, 1841._
REV. AND DEAR SIR:
I have often heard that the Mormons claimed me for an auxiliary, but, as no
one, until the present time, has ever requested from me a statement in
writing, I have not deemed it worth while to say any thing publicly on the
subject. What I do know of the sect relates to some of their early
movements; and as the facts may amuse you, while they will furnish a
satisfactory answer to the charge of my being a Mormon proselyte, I proceed
to lay them before you in detail.
Many years ago, the precise date I do not now recollect, a plain looking
countryman called upon me with a letter from Dr. Samuel L. Mitchell
requesting me to examine, and give my opinion upon, a certain paper, marked
with various characters which the Doctor confessed he could not decypher,
and which the bearer of the note was very anxious to have explained. A very
brief examination of the paper convinced me that it was a mere hoax, and a
very clumsy one too. The characters were arranged in columns, like the
Chinese mode of writing, and presented the most singular medley that I ever
beheld. Greek, Hebrew, and all sorts of letters, more or less distorted,
either through unskilfulness, or from actual design, were intermingled with
sundry delineations of half moons, stars, and other natural objects, and
the whole ended in a rude representation of the Mexican zodiac. The
conclusion was irresistible, that some cunning fellow had prepared the
paper in question, for the purpose of imposing upon the countryman who
brought it, and I told the man so without any hesitation. He then proceeded
to give me a history of the whole affair, which convinced me that he had
fallen into the hands of some sharper, while it left me in great
astonishment at his own simplicity.
The countryman told me that a _gold book_ had been recently dug up in the
western or northern part (I forget which), of our state, and he described
this book as consisting of many _gold plates_, like leaves, secured by a
gold wire passing through the edge of each, just as the leaves of a book
are sewed together, and presented in this way the appearance of a volume.
Each plate, according to him, was inscribed with unknown characters, and
the paper which he handed me, a transcript of one of these pages. On my
asking him by whom the copy was made, he gravely stated, that along with
the golden book there had been dug up a very large _pair of spectacles_! so
large in fact that if a man were to hold them in front of his face, his two
eyes would merely look through one of the glasses, and the remaining part
of the spectacles would project a considerable distance sideways! These
spectacles possessed, it seems a very valuable property, of enabling any
one who looked through them, (or rather through one of the lenses,) not
only to decypher the characters on the plates, but also to comprehend their
exact meaning, and be able to translate them!! My informant assured me that
this curious property of the spectacles had been actually tested, and found
to be true. A young man, it seems, had been placed in the garret of a
farm-house, with a curtain before him, and having fastened the spectacles
to his head, had read several pages in the golden book, and communicated
their contents in writing to certain persons stationed on the outside of
the curtain. He had also copied off one page of the book in the original
character, which he had in like manner handed over to those who were
separated from him by the curtain, and this copy was the paper which the
countryman had brought with him. As the golden book was said to contain
very great truths, and most important revelations of a religious nature, a
strong desire had been expressed by several persons in the countryman's
neighbourhood, to have the whole work translated and published. A
proposition had accordingly been made to my informant, to sell his farm,
and apply the proceeds to the printing of the golden book, and the golden
plates were to be left with him as security until he should be reimbursed
by the sale of the work. To convince him more clearly that there was no
risk whatever in the matter, and that the work was actually what it claimed
to be, he was told to take the paper, which purported to be a copy of one
of the pages of the book, to the city of New York, and submit it to the
learned in that quarter, who would soon dispel all his doubts, and satisfy
him as to the perfect safety of the investment. As Dr. Mitchell was our
"Magnus Apollo" in those days, the man called first upon him; but the
Doctor, evidently suspecting some trick, declined giving any opinion about
the matter, and sent the countryman down to the college, to see, in all
probability, what the "learned pundits" in that place would make of the
affair. On my telling the bearer of the paper that an attempt had been made
to impose on him, and defraud him of his property, he requested me to give
him my opinion in writing about the paper which he had shown to me. I did
so without any hesitation, partly for the man's sake, and partly to let the
individual "behind the curtain" see that his trick was discovered. The
import of what I wrote was, as far as I can now recollect, simply this,
that the marks in the paper appeared to be merely an imitation of various
alphabetical characters, and had, in my opinion, no meaning at all
connected with them. The countryman then took his leave, with many thanks,
and with the express declaration that he would in no shape part with his
farm or embark in the speculation of printing the golden book.
The matter rested here for a considerable time, until one day, when I had
ceased entirely to think of the countryman and his paper, this same
individual, to my great surprise, paid me a second visit. He now brought
with him a duodecimo volume, which he said was a translation into English
of the "Golden Bible." He also stated, that notwithstanding his original
determination not to sell his farm, he had been induced eventually to do
so, and apply the money to the publication of the book, and had received
the golden plates as a security for repayment. He begged my acceptance of
the volume, assuring me that it would be found extremely interesting, and
that it was already "making a great noise" in the upper part of the state.
Suspecting now that some serious trick was on foot, and that my plain
looking visitor might be in fact a very cunning fellow I declined his
present, and merely contented myself with a slight examination of the
volume while he stood by. The more I declined receiving it however, the
more urgent the man became in offering the book, until at last I told him
plainly, that if he left the volume, as he said he intended to do, I should
most assuredly throw it after him as he departed. I then asked him how he
could be so foolish as to sell his farm and engage in this affair; and
requested him to tell me if the plates were really of gold. In answer to
this latter inquiry, he said that he had never seen the plates themselves,
which were carefully locked up in a trunk, but that he had the trunk in his
possession. I advised him by all means to open the trunk and examine the
contents, and if the plates proved to be of gold, which I did not believe
at all, to sell them immediately. His reply was, that if he opened the
trunk the "_curse of heaven would descend upon him and his children_."
"However," added he, "I will agree to open it, provided you will take the
'curse of Heaven' upon yourself for having advised me to the step." I told
him I was perfectly willing to do so, and begged he would hasten home and
examine the trunk, for he would find he had been cheated. He promised to do
as I recommended, and left me, taking his book with him. I have never seen
him since.
Such is a plain statement of all that I know respecting the Mormons. My
impression now is, that the plain looking countryman was none other than
the prophet Smith himself, who assumed an appearance of great simplicity in
order to entrap me, if possible, into some recommendation of his book. That
the prophet aided me by his inspiration, in interpreting the volume, is
only one of the many amusing falsehoods which the Mormonites utter relative
to my participation in their doctrines. Of these doctrines I know nothing
whatever, nor have I ever heard a single discourse from any one of their
preachers, although I have often felt a strong curiosity to become an
auditor, since my friends tell me that they frequently name me in their
sermons, and even go so far as to say that I am alluded to in the
prophecies of Scripture!
If what I have here written shall prove of any service in opening the eyes
of some of their deluded followers to the real designs of those who profess
to be the apostles of Mormonism, it will afford me a satisfaction,
equalled, I have no doubt only by that which you yourself will feel on this
subject.
I remain very respectfully and truly, your friend,
CHAS. ANTHON.
_Rev. Dr. Coit_, New Rochelle, N. Y.
It will be seen that in the main this tallies exceedingly well with what
Harris told the author, in relation to the fact of his interview with
Professor Anthon. He kept back in his account of the interview all allusion
to the discouragements which the Professor threw upon his enterprise. There
can be no doubt but that the person who waited upon Professor Anthon in the
manner above stated, was Martin Harris.