| Show john T i W vr mg i 0 mam 1 n 6 vies the na nape e rigdon as all who wa are ali vi 1 A off will w i r remember e bemb is one of af tile the most prominent in early church history john eckliff Wyc kliff ri rigdon 0 don who died friday night was the second son of sidney bidney rigdon who from the time of the organization of the first presidency odthe church un til the carthage jail june fune 27 1844 was first counselor to president joseph smith sinith john W was baptised baptized sed in the city of new york sept 8 1904 and immediately came to utah where here he be has since resided a faithful member of the church prior to his coming to utah he had been following the legal profession and sine since his arrival in utah has dovold much of his time to the lecture platform and was generally recognized ea as an able writer and speaker the testimony of john W rigdon concerning concer his fathers relationship lation ship to the book of mormon was of peculiar interest pros pres seymour B young of the first council of seventies if knew new the deceased well and three weeks ago interviewed him as to his knowledge regarding the V truth or falsity f of a statement made by some parties as to al lebed help given by his father sidney iti ta don on in assisting the prophet in writing tile the bouk book of mormon and as to his knowledge of the spaulding story in connection therewith preg Pres young said of th the interview john W rigdon testified to me very earenst ly as to this matter as follows I 1 asked my fathel sidney il It igdon when on his death bea be the following question wore you acquainted with the solomon M manuscript and a nd was this manuscript it in any anyway way connected W with ith the book of mornion mormon and were you in any way connected with the translation of the book of mormon or were you connect connected ea with the prophet joseph smith dur anol he translation of that bonk S sidney idney ri rigdon M drici replied 1 I levei knew 10 anything im about the book of mormon Nl ormon nor of its translation until I 1 received a bound volume 41 of bf the book fram the hands ol oj parley P pratt up to this time I 1 had never before heard of the book of mormon ormon nor had I 1 ever seen the prophet t joseph smith john W rigdon has left in D writing the following testimony regarding his interview with liis his father sidney ri rigdon 0 don concerning the book of mormon I 1 took occasion one day be ing ing alone with my father in hit hir room to askham ask him some quest aug 4 t ions concerning the book of mormon I 1 said to him tl you houi saud of life have nearly run baad bendit mid it was due tobis to his family to to 11 lall all that he knew about the book of mormon and that thai he should not godown so down in bis grave w with Ith that 0 ny V his breast he looked at me a moment and g got ot up lip f from rom the lounge upon which be was reclining and sa said ld to me my aly son I 1 will swear before god that what I 1 have told you about the abe book of mormon is true and that I 1 did not write it or have anything to do with its production that abat joseph smith te testified stifled to me that an angel ap peard to him and told him where to go and fiend tho the plates upon which the book of mormon was en engraved raved they were hidden in a near palmyra new york and I 1 belikove he be did find them as he said and I 1 believe that joseph smith was a prophet and this world will find it out some day |
