| Show ONE OF THE THREE WITNESSES I 1 INCIDENTS ibs THE lipe LIFE rtin s hk hahlos I 4 SALT LE LAKE CITY november 30 1881 editor deveret deseret news having been interrogated recently regarding martin harris the time of his arrival in this city and other incidents of his li e and as m at the present time newspaper reporters are interesting themselves regarding david whitmer the only surviving witness of the book of mormon now living at richmond ray co mo haying re resided there as long as martin harris did at kirtland ohio which midch has been pince since ince years ago and 39 years previous to his hla remo lemo removal valto vaito to Utah for these reasons reason sl r feel prompted to offer a few facts relating to llis bis removal from ohio to utah his various testimonies and incidents of personal observation of his bis life for the past 48 years while I 1 was ilva livi living ng in michigan then a territory in 1833 near the torri of pontiac oakland co mar tin came there and in a meeting where I 1 was present bore test mouy of the appearance of an n angel exhibit iA g the golden plates and commanding him to bear K testimony of these things to all people whenever opportunity was afforded ann aff bided him to do BO so and I 1 can say thethis that his testimony bad had great effect in that vicinity martin had a sister living in our neighborhood about uns una time oliver cowder cowden of the other othen thred witnesses eases bases also in company with joseph smith the prophet bore the same testimony and further joseph the prophet promised those who with honert honest hearts obeyed the gospel should receive the holy ghost ghosts and signs would follow them As a proof of their testimony te 8 tini ony several f that branch of the church enjoyed various gifts one elijah eiljah fordham Ford hama hara who recen recently nuy fly died in this territory sp gitein bee tee in ion lon tongues gues and as trav travelers mers Aers were passing they heard him speaking and said to a boy outside the house bouee where they were that he was sp speaking aking 14 h french bearing testimony to he gospel he having no knowledge of that language guage martin often bore boro his big testimony te sti mony while in that hood ilithe in the year 1869 1809 1 I was appointed d i to a mission to the united states having visited several oftie east fast ern states I 1 called at kirtland Kirt Jand ohio to see bee the first temple that was built by our people in this generation era tion while there I 1 again met martin harrl harri soon after coming out of the temple he took from under his arm a copy of the book nook ok of mormon the first edition I 1 believe belleve and bore a faithful testimony just the same Fiame as that I 1 heard him bear 36 sears years previous he said that it wa was S his bis duty to continue to lift up his voice as he had bad been commanded to do in defence of the book that he held in his hand and offered to prove from the bible that just such sueh a book was to come forth out of the ground and that too in a day when there W were ere ero no prophets on the I 1 earth and that he was dally daily bearing testimony to many who visited the temple 0 after patiently hearing him I 1 felt a degree of compassion for him and in turn bore my testimony to him as I 1 had received it through obedience to the gospel and that the work wius was still onward and the words worda of isaiah second chapter were being fulfilled ful fui tilled that the houe houfe of the lord was in the tops of the mountains and that under the leadership of president brigham young all nations were gathering to zion to leam of gods ways und to walk in his paths and that the worst wish that we had was for him to also prepare himself aud go up and be a partaker of the blessings of the house of the lord my testimony impressed him A mr air bond who held the keys of the temple and who had been present at the dedication and then a faith ful latter day saint sain t said to me hj hi felt as ds though he would have benen benan been far better onn off if ho he had kept with wirl the latter day saints and that if I 1 would preach in the temple he would open the doors to me I 1 promised to do so at lit some future time after my arrival in utah in 1870 iwae inspired to write to martin harrig harris and soon boon received a reply that the spirit of god for the first time prompted him to go to utah several letters w were ere afterward 4 exchanged president brigham young having read the letter through president G A smith requested q bested me to get up a subscription and emigrate martin to utah he subscribing twenty five dollars for that purpose haying hoving raised tile the subscription to about on the of july 1870 1 the railroad cars for ohio and on the I 1 loth of august filled my y appointment preaching twice in the kirtland Kirt rint lanI iani temple finding martin harris elated with hla hia pros prospective journey A very singular incident occurred at this time while martin was TI visiting his friends bidding them farewell his lils pathway crossed a large pasture in which he became bewildered dizzy faint and staggering through the blackberry black bery vine tine that are eo so abundant in that vicinity his clothes torn bloody and faint he lay jay down under a tree to die after a time he revived called on the lord and finally at 12 midnight found his friend and in his fearful condition wa 0 cared feared for and soon regained his strength he related this incident as a of the adversary to hinder him from going to salt lake city although in his hia year he possessed remarkable vigor and health having recently worked in the garden and dug potatoes by the day for some of his hia neighbors aft after aften e and calling tok t the sacred spot from N here the plates were taken upon which the characters of the book of mormon were engrave en nj found there an aged gentleman 74 years old who knew martin harris and said that he was known in atiat neighborhood as an honest farmer having owned a good farm three miles from fro i that place he farther well reme remembered the time when the Mor cormons mormons used to g gather gathen a ther at mormon hill aa as he termed d it where it was said the plates came carrie from frond on the of august Augu stMartin was with me in chicago and at the american hotel bore testimony co to a large number of people of the visitation orthe angel etc the following is from the iowa state Regis register kr de moines aug 1870 elder stevenson of salt lake together with withIN martin harris one of th three witnesses of the mormon bible called at our sanctum yesterday mr harris is now in his year hale and hii hearty arty with many interesting things to relate in reference to the finding of the tablets tha testament nent we shall have occasion to mention some of these thesa in another issue while in des moines th the 0 capitol of iowa iown bro harris had opportune ty of bearing acs testimony to man manyard yand at a special meeting held in a branch bralich of our church bro james M bail Bill billhimer higer president bro harris bore a testimony as to viewing the plates the angels visit and and visiting professor anthony with characters from the plates who after giving him a certificate etc ato the correctness of the characters asked him to fetch the plates for him to see martin said that they were sealed and that an angel had forbidden them to be exhibited mr hir anthony then called for the certificate tore it uund cupl and consigned it t to the wast waste e basket saying angels did not visit in our days etc eta on the following day I 1 baptized a sister r to president ballinger in the des moines river the branch here contributed a new suit of clothes to Bro Br Hairls for which he felt feit to bless them on the of august we landed in ogden and the ogden junction said martin harria harrig arrived with ifil 11 der edward stevenson whose rame fame is known almost throughout through oat the world as one of the witness s of tile the book of mormon they left kirtland on the loth of aukust august august bist salt acke lake herald said martin harrs harrys one of the three witnesses of the book of af mormon ormon arrived in sap sav lake City last ast night accompanied by elder edward stevenson two T wo members of the des moines T branch of the church accompanied compa ruled nied them to our city the DESERET NEWS of august 1870 in over one colum coluin 1 notices the arrival of martin hsrris harris H errig last eve evening ning aIng who year he is remarkably vigorous 3 for one of his years his memory being very goo goodard good dand and his sight though his eyes appear to have failed being so accuse that he can see to pick a pin off the ground he has never faila to bear testimony to the divine authenticity of the book of mormon he says it is not a matter of belief on his part but of knowledge he with the other two witnesses declared and their testimony has accompanied every copy of the book that an angel of god came down from heaven and he and laid before our eyes that we beheld andraw the plates and the engravings thereon this declaration he has not varied from in 41 years I 1 we ne are glud glad to see martin harris more in the midst of the saints the salt late lake herald kerald Herc dd september ad said baid we had bad a call yesterday morning from elder Edw edward axil aril Ste Steven stevenson venson sou son who introduced maril marbin martin ln harris one of the three witnesses to the book of or mormon mr harris is now snow 88 years of age and is remarkably lively and nud ene energetic for fon his years he holds to the testimony he has borne for foy over forty years that an angel appeared before him and the other witnesses and showed them the plates upon which the characters of or the book of mormon were inscribed after living many years sears separated from the body of the church lie he has come to spend the evening of pre among the believers in V t at apok ook to which he is BO so arc prominent eminent a witness mr harris who has hag a number of relatives in the territory came cam efrom from the east under the care of elder edward stevenson I 1 monday EVENING NEWS september ath 1870 contains the following I 1 SABBATH MEETINGS the con gre gation in the morning was addressed by elder E edward dward stevenson martin harris and president ilent george A smith in the after afternoon noon poon the time was occupied by E elder ider lder john taylor the house was crowded to overflowing martin if harris harnis arnis arris an that occurred during the time that he wrote that portion of the rans lation of or the book ot of I 1 Mormon which lie was favored to write direct t from the emuth int uth of the prophet joseph smith ho ire said that the prophet possessed a seer stone by which he was enabled to translate as well as from the tho 4 1 rim and Thum mim and for convenience he then used the seer stone atone martin explained the translating as follows by aid of the seer seey stone atone sentences would appear and were arje r ad bythe bythe prophet and written by martin and when finished he would say eay written ip and if correctly written that sentence would disappear and another appear in its place but if not written correctly it remained until correct that the translation was just as it was graven en on the plates precisely in the language then used martin said after continued translation they would become weary and would go down to the niver river and ex by throwing stories atones out on tue niver river etc while ao so doing on one occasion martin found a stone very much resembling the one used for translating and on resuming their labor of translation martin put in hi place tho atone stone that he be had frundl he said baid that the prophet remained silent unusually and intently gazing in darkness no traces of the usual sentences appearing much surprised joseph exclaimed i Mart uart martini iril wb abati at 1 4 the matter all ali is as dark as egypt 11 martines Mar tines lines coup countenance ten ance anco betrayed him and the prophet asked martin why he had done BO so martin sald said to stop the mouths of fools who had told him liim that the prophet Fro ero iro phet had learned those sentences and was mery I 1 repeating ep eating them etc martin sa said paid id further that the seer stone dilfer differed ed in appearance entirely from the arim and Thum mini that wag was obtained with the plates which were two clear stones set in two rims very much resembled spectacles only they were larger jarger martin said sald saig there were not many pages translated while w hile hiie be he wrote after which oliver cowdery and others did the writing brother harris was taught the necessity of being re baptized he said that was new doctrine to him revelations and 2nd chapter was explained pla ined tiia t those who had lost their first love and had fallen into evils and snares were called on to repent and do their first works and that rebaptism was wa 9 a part of the gospel he claimed that he ahad had not been cut off from the church but said if that was wits required of him it would be manifested to him by the spirit soon boon aft after aften r his arrival in he applied for baptism saying that me tho spirit had made known to him that it wa was his bs duty to renew his covenant before the lord as vvan also principle that chat was new to him baptism for the dead as taught and practised practiced by the ancient saints and especially taught by paul the tha apostle in the chapter of let corinthians eise edse else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead if the dead rise not at all why are they then baptized for tiie the dead after consideration he came camo and said it had been made known to him that baptism for the dead was a correct principle trin orin ciple for he had seen been his father in vision at the foot of a ladder and he was above and had to go down and help him up in a short time the baptismal font was waa prepare dand by his request I 1 baptized himy bim him and president geo A smith and of the twelve apostles john taylor wilford woodruff joseph F smith and I 1 orson pratt confirmed him by the laying on of hands orson pratt being mouth As soon as he was con fir tir ferme mel mei iho he returned into the font fontana and was baptized for several of his dena dead friends fathers grandfathers ac then tilen his sister alio also w was Is for the female relatives and they ere confirmed for and in behalf or of those i whom they were baptized zea ii for by the same brethren jos F F smith being mouth it was a time of ie le for all that were present bro mar martin tin visited many of the ward r continuing to bear hla hia testimony mo n Y both of what he had hail beheld with his liis own eyes and verily knew to be true he re publicly said that many yearb years ago in ohio a number of persons persona combined sought to get martin to drink wine for the purpose of crossing himin him in his mony at tile the conclusion they asked him if he really believed the testimony that he had signed in the ealr emir of mormon to be true he re believe labut it lt but much to their surprise he said baid he kaew it to be true soon after receiving his blessings bieg bles giries inthe in the hauae of the lord bord he be went to smithfield cache V valley alley and lived sod BOD mortal ilfe life just juat benore before he breathed hia hla last lie he sat edt up in his bed tied holding the bookoff book of mormon Mor monin in his hand and bore his last testimony to these who were present EDWARD STEVENSON |
