Show AN OPPORTUNE DISCOVERY THE hawaiian gazette of april contains an announcement of the death of mr L L rice whose name has figured prominently in connection with the notorious spaulding story it will be remembered that professor prof assor fairchild of oberlin college while on a visit to mr rice in the sandwich islands induced him to hunt among the old papers brought by the latter from ohio where he had bad been an editor for the purpose of finding something in regard ga to the slavery question and that the old manuscript found 71 which was written by solomon spaulding was discovered it was the identical manuscript which dr hurlbutt Hurl buit obtained from mrs davidson dings remarried married re widow on the supposition that it formed the basis of the book of mormon and that did not read as was expected kited and so passed out of mr howe owe WV was to have published it if it au suited cited mr rice and his partner succeeding mr howe in the printing business this with other papers fell into their hands and when mr rice moved to the sandwich islands it was taken there with other effects the manuscript isnow is now in oberlin college and an attested copy will soon be published from the office of the DESERET NEWS verbatim ver batum with all its errors and erasures era and it will be seen how much resemblance it has to the book of mormon the sudden death of mr rice no not long after the resuscitation of th the manuscript and his unimpeachable testimony concerning it makes its production appear quite providential we recognize tue hand ot of the lord in its opportune discovery for it eff effectually actu puts the quietus on the silly story that connects in the public mind the spaulding story with the sacred record translated by the gift and power ot of god bestowed on the great prophet of me attic nineteenth century the gazette gives the following account of the demise of arrice mr rice mr air L L rice bice father of mrs J M whitney died suddenly on the morning of the 14 the deceased deceased gentleman j has resided daughter since and his venerable figure was well known about our streets mr rice was born in otsego co N y in 1801 when a young man he became a printer and after following the business some time in new york city he removed to ohio in 1830 and remained their for nearly 50 years in ohio he was a prominent prom ment figure in the politics of the state occupying at various times the position of editor and also that of state printer he was an ardent advocate of total abstinence which cause he championed with both pen and tongue he was also before the war strongly opposed to slavery and published an antislavery anti slavery paper sympathy is felt for dr and mrs whitney in their bereavement |