Show special special corre correspondence 60 ence to chicago tribune Dec ded 15 DAVID lik liE HE DESCRIBES TIIE THE translation OF THE GOLDEN TABLETS AT WHICH HE ASSISTED david whitmer one of the founders of the mormon church and a resident of this quaint and interesting village for almost a half cen ten century tury lies at the point of death at the family homestead are gathered the children grandchildren and great grandchildren of the dying patriarch and beside his deathbed death bed is the devoted woman who linked her life and fortune with his bis more than thin forty years ago when your co correspondent called at the house today and was summoned into the bedchamber where father whitmer was calmly awaiting the final summons a smile lighted up the old mans countenance as he half rose and feebly p pressed ress ed the visitors hand and andt athenas if overcome by the effort his bis head bead sunk back on the pillows when told of the visitors mission and that he had journeyed from chicago to prepare an historical sketch of one who had bad played so important a part in translating the mormon bible and prose proselyte lytt sil sll g lor for the mormon charen churca the reque request lor for information met wie WIN with a cheerful response fearing rearing however that the task woula would be too great the family deputed a member of the household to relate the history in the presence of father wh whitmer it the narration being closely followed by him and subjected to frequent and wille while yet an infant his father who served his country through the revolutionary lutio nary war removed with his family to western new york and settled on a farm in ontario county near watkins glen the father who was a hardworking hard bard working god fearing man was a strict presbyterian and brought drought his children up with rigid sectarian discipline 1 besides a laughter daughter who mar tied ried 0 oliver liver cowdery the village schoolmaster there were four sons Jacob john david and Christ christian lan ian who helped helped their father till his farm until they had arrived atthe at the age ot of manhood during the early part of june 1839 1829 oliver cowdery incident incidentally aily ally learned thata that a young man named joseph smith had lound found a valuable golden treasure in the northern part of the county and imparted the information informative to david they decided to investigate the rumor and cowdery tra traveled travale vele to the home of smith for that purpose on the road he found the community teeming with excitement over the alleged treasure and heard several persons threatened to kill the linder under unless he divided his wealth wita them when asked how they knew such a treasure had bad been found several a asserted that they had bad seen the receptacle from which it was taken by smith cowdery assured them that there was more to the vague rumors than be he had at first believed pushed on to the home of smith who was living on his fathers firm near manchester at first he lound smith to be uncommunicative I 1 but was finally permitted to view the treasure and was ivas greatly impressed bythe sight in fact his wonderment was so great that he at once wrote to david to come without delay david did so and was equally mystified I 1 the treasure consisted of a number of golden plates pl rites about eight inches long and seven inches wide about as thick as ordinary sheeting and bound together in the form of a volume by three gold rings A large portion of the volume was securely sealed scaled but on the loose pages were engraved hieroglyphics expressive of some language at that time unknown to any of the persons mentioned together with the golden tablets were a pair of spectacles set in silver bows mr whitmer then described smith smiths S story of the vision in which the location of the plates was revealed with the history of the Nep hites labor and smiths finding of the tablets wita which every one Is familiar translating TRANSLATE G THE PLATES whitmer whitmen and cowdery w were e re greatly impressed by the recital of th this ls strange story and were conducted to the hill hiti where they personally viewed ithe the receptacle in which moroni at the beginning of the fifth century had concealed the history of his bis is fathers smith also aiso sald said that he had been commanded to at once begin the translation of the work in the pres presence ence euce of three witnesses in accordance with this command smith cowdery and whitmer proceeded to the batters lat home accompanied by smiths wife and bearing with them the precious plates and spectacles the house of senior sentor whitmer was a primitive and poorly designed structure but it was deemed the most secure for carrying out the sacred trust on account ot of the threats that had bad been made against smith by his mercenary neighbors in order to give privacy to the proceeding a blanket which served as a portiere port lere was stretched across the family living room to shelter the translators and the plates from the eyes of any who might call at the house while the work was in progress this mr whitmer whitmen sa says s was the only use made of the bla bia blanket je t and it was not for the purpose of concealing the plates or the translator from the tile eyes of the amanuensis r in fact smith was at no time hidden from his collaborators and the translation was performed in the presence of not only the persons dersons mentioned but of the entire whitmer vh atmer household and several bf smiths relatives besides the work of translating the tablets consumed about eight months smith acting as the seer and aud oliver cowdery smiths wife and christian whitmer brother of david performing the duties of amanuenses in chobe handwriting the original inai inal manuscript now is each time before resuming the work gaii gail all 1111 present would kneel in prayer and invoke the divine blessing on the proceeding ce after prayer smith would sit on one side of a table and the amanuenses in turn as they chev 1 became tired on the other those p present resent and not actively engaged in the work seated themselves around the room and then the work began after affixing the magical spectacles to his eyes smith would take the plates and translate the characters one at a time the graven characters would appear in succession to the seer and directly under the character when viewed through the glasses would be the translation la in english sometimes the charac character tei tel would be a single word and frequently an entire sentence in translating the characters smith who was illiterate and but little versed ia in biblical lore was compelled to spell the words out not knowing the correct pronunciation and mr whitmer recalls the fact that at that time smith did not even know that jerusalem was a walled cit city school cowdery however being a schoolteacher rendered invaluable aid in P pronouncing hard words and giving them their proper definition MORE MOKE miraculous MIKA mirk CULOUS developments A miracle is related by mr whitmer as occurring while the translation was in progress it seems that smith who was puffed up with his great importance as a confidential secretary to the lord displeased the master by entering into some carnal confab in relation to the work for this offense he was punished by having the celestial visitant who first commissioned him to inaugurate the work suddenly appear and carry off the plates and spectacles in this connection it might also be mentioned that martin harris one of the witnesses to the translation a farmer in the same county and a man of simple mind and taste was sent by smith with a copy of the characters to professor anthon a professor of languages in ja columbia college and author of several well known works who pronounced the lau lan language guage inscribed on the plate 1 ate reformed egyptian aro ago about ut this time harris inspired by curiosity and elation took sixteen of the wolden golden tablets home to show his wife who is alleged to hasu havu stolen them from a bureau drawer and peddled them among her friends for this offense harris was severely reprimanded prim by the lord through smith but the angel afterwards atte byards recovered the plates and restored ored them smiths offense of tattling the tile secrets of the work among his neighbors was less readily condoned and anti for tor a long time the work was suspended bus buA the angel being in possession of the plates anu and and spectacles finally Fiu flu silly ally when smith repented of his rah rash conduct coa duet he was forgiven lor tor given tim plates however were not returned bul bui instead smith was given by the angel a arim urlin and of another pati pali pa ern it being shaped in oval or kidney form this seers stone he was instructed to place in his hat and on covering his face with the hat the character ami and translation would appear on the stone this worked just as satisfactory as the old method but at no time thereafter was the backsliding back sliding joseph juseph in lit trusted with the precious plates however holeve r trie the entire portion of the golden volume which we augel angel said might be translated was reduced by the nimble amanuenses to tp readable manuscript the other installment was withheld until the lord could discover what effect the first had on the gentiles that helas he was not pleased with the result is manifested bv the fact that the sealed has hus not yet been delivered to the world THE ANGEL IN THE PASTURE after the translation was completed smith informed cowdery whitmer and harris that the lord had instructed lu him that the time was ut at hand when they should testify to all nations nati uAti uns ons tongues and people concerning this work these four apostles of tiie tile lord as they were designated accordingly assembled iu in a pasture cleare dot underbrush at a polut point equal ly distant between two public hixa higa highways ways about the noonday dour they thuy were vere seated on a ioe log waiting wailing tur for the promised manifestations havian hiving previously knelt in prayer all at the heavens seemed to open anti and there appeared a dazzling ol 01 light beside which the light of tile the sug sun suu appealed appeal ed dim through this cleft in tile tiie theska sky which seemed to lead away up to the pearly gates te s beyond appeared an angel disguised a as s a man bearing the semblance of a table the angel descended to the earth landing neally neatly nearl neail yat at their feet on this table were the plates of gold old oid from which they bail just trans rated hated fated the book of mordou and the plates of brass on which wem were im inscribed the commandments written by moseh moses and which had been taken drw irm t ro iu jerusalem by nephi COO years yar before bufore clorist and afterwards transported to america the four apostles were then commanded to go forth among dea nea inett and preach reach religion as set down in the book hook took of mormon Mor mori after this wonderful manifestation martin harris mortgaged his fanu fur 1500 in order to obtain funcia for lor printing the book of mormon Mornion and ali hit four set about founding a i was called the church of christ as commanded in the uie book of nion the rho four apostles began 9 and were so successful in lit securing lt converts inverts on verts to the new religion gien glen that a I 1 church was april 0 ism isoo rhe the book of mormon was also given to the world that year concerning the converts mr air er says that among the first adherents to ein eln embrace bract brace the new faith were many of the most mont intellectual and refined men and women in that lo 10 calit yand the ranks were not recruited from rom the ignorant and sensuous classes like the mormons cormons of utah the year following the organization of the church fhe ibe the disciples moved to ohio where they had bad been most successful in and a temple was erected at kirtland it was at this place that sidney rigdon and brigham yount young joined the etl eti church and it was here that the first dissensions occurred concerning sidney who was said to have stolen the manuscript of the book of mori Mort mormon non nou which it was alleged had been beed written by a presbyterian preacher named solomon spaulding and originally intended as a romance asserts that nothing could have been more improbable as neither smith himself himsel finor tinor inor inon the ot other her disciples knew Rigdon until they moved to ohio UK HE lill 1111 T tue TUB nr CORDS the original manuscript from which the book of mormon was printed Is still anair in mr Whit mers mera posses possession slon sion and most mont of it is in the handwriting of his brother christian and his brother in i law oliver cowdery mr whitmer also has an exhaustive history of the church which was wag compiled by bib bis brother and an accurate copy of several plates arout which the book ot of mormon was translated these records be he has preserved against all temptations and in the face of death Severa several lyeal years s ago a delegation of mor mons came to richmond from salt lake and made every overture to mr air whitmer in a vain attempt to gain pain possession of the rt cords but ue he stood aloof and declined every offer A prominent in nent business moan roan of the place pio pro ce at that time engaged in banking ra informed for ed your correspondent that he knows of his own knowledge that the mormon church would have willingly paid mr air Wili whitmer tiner flolow for the documents and that the deleza delegation tion returned u arned home thoroughly convinced convince d atiat that mr air whitmer was proof against all financial nil nii ancial temptation su so far as concerned his records it was while the church was flourishing at kirtland that the name was changed from church of christ to lat ter day saints mr air whitmer who always adhered to the teachings of mormon left kirtland and journeyed into the wilds ot of missouri in company with one other elder preaching the truth as he believed it to be and ex exhorting men and women to christ many new converts were secured and he assisted in establishing the settlement of jackson county missouri it was here that the ohio ohl 0 mormons cormons found refuge when driven away anav from kirtland after smith and rigdon had been tarred and feathered for a while the church flourished in Jackson County with headquarters headquarter it independence but when the e occurred between the mormons cormons ald bid hid bad Missour missourians ians the former were driven from the county into caldwell county where whore they founded a settlement and named it far west david whitmer stripped of his hid earthly possessions was warned to flee for tor his life and accompanied ly by his bis family his brothers ana and their families and andOl iyer lyer cow dery lie he journeyed to ray county where he settled ac at richmond in 1838 at that time he had bad nothing left but a single horse and wagon and his precious records it was then that the daniles were organized and it is said that their formation was for tor the purpose of killing the Whit mers and cowdery they having been commanded and openly refused to obey the so go called leaders right or wrong the whit mers and cowdery then renounced tile the church as conducted but during the years yearn they have lived in ray county they have continued to teach the precepts according to the original orl orf ginal church tue TUB lorus lords ANOINTED david whitmer engaged in teaming at his new home and iu in the campaign when the militia was ordered derett or to drive the mormons cormons from the state at the point of the bayonet he bruve one of the military wagons to far west duriez the melee gat vat that followed he was handed a musket by the goldic ery and ordered tu to shoot joseph smith but threw the musket d vr declaring he I 1 would not harm the loi lot lis uis anointed |