Also,
Here is a part of my upcoming blog article (Part III) on this, which will appear in a few days, this is the rough draft without the footnote numbers..
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Martin Harris died in Utah in 1875 leaving David Whitmer the last of the three witnesses, consequently he was interviewed far more often at this time than any other in his life. In addition to giving interviews, David would sometimes display what he called “the original manuscript” of the Book of Mormon. David would also sometimes display for visitors what he called “the original characters presented to Professor Anthony of New York by Martin Harris, but there are no accounts of him displaying the characters before 1878. Whitmer kept these documents at his house in Richmond, and had the same attitude about them that Emma Smith had about the New Translation Manuscripts, that they were sacred and those who possessed them would be protected with them.
This was affirmed in the mind of David Whitmer and others when in the summer of 1877 a tornado ravaged the city of Richmond. [..] In the summer of 1878 Joseph F. Smith and Orson Pratt were sent on a mission to the east “in the interest of the history of the Church.” [..] Joseph Fielding Smith, Life of Joseph F. Smith (Salt Lake City: Deseret BookCompany, 1938), pages 236-7.
In the fall of that year they visited Richmond and Joseph F. Smith wrote in his diary of the cyclone’s devastation:
After breakfast Brother Pratt and I took a walk several blocks around the ruined district of the town. We were satisfied that the reports of the cyclone were not at all exaggerated if sufficiently drawn. Although rapid improvements have been made, the whole breadth of the town visited by the tempest presents a wrecked, desolate and ruined aspect. The debris of wrecked houses, fences, sidewalks and trees bitterly strewing the face of the ground. Scarcely a tree was standing in the wake of the tornado, much less a house, shed or fence. The very bark stripped from the trunks and stumps of many of the trees which were left standing. Many houses have been rebuilt on the sites of those blown down, and the work of clearing up debris, rebuilding houses, fences, board sidewalks, etc., still goes on. [..] Joseph Fielding Smith, The Life of Joseph F. Smith, Deseret Book Company, 1838, pages 240-241. It appears that David Whitmer was injured when the tornado struck Richmond. Sarah Whitmer (the daughter of John Whitmer) wrote to P. W. Poulson that, “I visited Richmond directly after the storm and it was a sad looking-sight to behold. Uncle David has about recovered from his injuries and is out once more on the street." (Deseret News, August 14, 1878). Smith reported that “a large mechanic’s shop” behind the Whitmer property “with all its contents was literally demolished by the cyclone. I saw the remains of a carriage just finished for Whitmer and Co.'s livery service, but not delivered when the cyclone passed over. It was absolutely smashed, twisted and riven to atoms. Such a wreck I could not have conceived, even the tires were twisted into inconceivable shapes and not a spoke, felloe, or scarcely a bolt left in its place. Some of the spokes being taken clean out of the hubs, where they had just been compressed by powerful machinery with a pressure of 20 tons. One man from this shop was blown a great distance right through a house.” (Smith, op. cited, page 247).
Later that year an account of their visit appeared in the Millennial Star where it was reported that David Whitmer told them that,
While camping around here in a tent, all my effects exposed to the weather, everything in the trunk where the MSS. [manuscripts] were kept became mouldy, etc., but they were preserved, not even being discolored (we supposed his camping in a tent, etc., had reference to his circumstances after the cyclone, in June last). As he and others affirm, the room in which the MSS. were kept was the only part of the house which was not demolished, and even the ceiling of that room was but little impaired. “Do you think,” said Philander Page, a son of Hiram Page, one of the Eight Witnesses, “that the Almighty cannot take care of his own?” “Report of Elders Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith, Millennial Star 40 (9 Dec 1878):771-74.
In a second meeting the next day with Whitmer, Joseph F. Smith recorded in his diary that,
After the usual ceremony of introduction, David Whitmer brought out and showed us the manuscript of the Book of Mormon, mostly in the handwriting of Oliver Cowdery, some of the writings was thought to be in the handwriting of John and Christian Whitmer, but only comparatively a few pages. [..] Smith, page 245.
In an article that appeared in the Deseret News, Joseph F. Smith reported,
We found that the names of the eleven witnesses were, however, subscribed in the handwriting of Oliver Cowdery. When the question was asked Mr. Whitmer if he and the other witnesses did or did not sign the testimonies themselves, Mr. W. replied, "each signed his own name." "Then where are the original signatures?" D. W. -- I don't know, I suppose Oliver copied them, but this I know is an exact copy. Some one suggested that he, being the last one left of the 11 witnesses, ought to certify to this copy. Lawyer D. Whitmer (Jacob's son) suggested that he had better reflect about it first and be very cautious.
J. F. S. suggested that perhaps there were two copies of the manuscripts, but Mr. Whitmer replied that, according to the best of his knowledge, there never was but the one copy. Herein, of course, he is evidently uninformed. (No. 43. Salt Lake City, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 1878. Vol. XXVII. Online here,
http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/UT ... htm#112778Smith also wrote in his entry for that day that,
Brother Pratt felt closely after the subject of procuring the Ms., but we found that this was impossible to all human appearances. The whole Whitmer family are deeply impressed with the sacredness of this relic, and are actually so imbued with the idea and faith that it is under the immediate protection of the Almighty, that not only the Ms. itself is safe from all possible contingencies, but that it is a souvenir of protection to the place, or house, in which it might be kept, to the possessor. I do not therefore believe they could be induced to part with it for love or money, nor fear or favor. [..] ibid, pages 246-7.
What is interesting about this visit of Smith and Pratt is that there is no mention of the Book of Mormon characters. Where was the document that John Whitmer showed to E.C. Brand in 1845? An answer may lie in two interviews given by P. Wilhelm Poulson, who Dan Vogel describes as “an eccentric Mormon with serious involvement with psychic and spiritualistic phenomena.” [..] Book of Mormon Witnesses Revisited, A Response to Richard L. Anderson, Stephen C. Harper, Daniel C. Peterson, Richard L. Bushman, and Alan Goff, online
http://signaturebooks.com/2012/03/book- ... revisited/ accessed, July 20, 2013.
Poulson claimed that he interviewed John Whitmer in April of 1877, a little more than a year before his death on July 11, 1878. In this interview it is reported by Poulson that,
John Whitmer was in possession of copies from the plates with the translation below and showed that to me and also of other valuable records. I shall correspond with Sarah Whitmer, and hope she will be willing, with the permission of David Whitmer, to restore those documents to the Church. [..] The Deseret News, August 14, 1878.
http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/UT ... htm#081478(Note)Dan Vogel writes:
Unfortunately, John Whitmer was dead when Poulson’s account was published and could not challenge the accuracy of the reported interview. However, Poulson’s subsequent publication of his interview with David Whitmer was challenged by the interviewee as containing invented conversation. In a letter to S. T. Mouch, 18 November 1882, David Whitmer complained about Poulson’s account of the interview: “As to what you Say about the correspondence published by P Wilhelm Poulson M D Aug[ust] 20th 1878. I surely did not make the Statement which you Say he reports me to have made, for it is not according to the facts. And I have always in the fear of God, tried to give a true statement to the best of my recollection in regard to all matters which I have attempted to Explain. And I do not now remember of talking to Mr Poulson on the subject referred to.” Unfortunately, we do not know what portion of the interview Whitmer referred to since we do not have Mouch’s letter of inquiry. That there was an inaccuracy suggests that Poulson probably did not keep careful notes during his interviews. At the end of the present account, Poulson states that his conversation “was mostly written down word for word half an hour after the interview.” “Mostly” suggests that in some instances it may have gone beyond his notes and drew from memory about four months later. (Book of Mormon Witnesses Revisited, op. cited above).
If this part of Poulson’s account can be trusted, John Whitmer may have had the “Caractor” document in his possession until his death in 1878. Poulson also interviewed David Whitmer in April of 1877, and asked him about the engravings on the gold plates. According to Poulson, Whitmer replied that,
They were characters. We copied some, and if you visit my brother John, one of the eight witnesses, who wrote for Joseph, John can show you some of the old manuscript which he borrowed from me. I must have it returned to me again, as it belongs to the Church, in connection with other records. [..] Deseret Evening News, August 16, 1878.
http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/UT ... htm#081678If this part of the interview is accurate [..] See note #. then David did not have a copy of the characters in his possession at this time and referred Poulson to his brother John if he wanted to see them. David also states that “we copied some of them”, which doesn’t agree with what Whitmer always said about the “Caractor” document – that it was the original document that Martin Harris took to Charles Anthon in 1828. Could Poulson have heard this ("we copied some") from John Whitmer since he interviewed both of the brothers during the same month in 1877? It is hard to know for sure until further information comes to light.
So, if David had a copy of the characters in 1878 why aren't they mentioned by Joseph F. Smith and Orson Pratt? It is hard to imagine that they were simply left out of the account written by Smith, so they must not have been shown to the Utah Mormons. Joseph F. Smith may give us a reason why in his diary account. After leaving David Whitmer in Richmond, Smith and Pratt took the short journey to Far West where they visited with Jacob Whitmer, the son of John Whitmer, who Smith reported was "insolently gruff and abrupt." [..] After asking if he could show them around Far West (to which Jacob refused), the conversation turned to the matter of John Whitmer's papers:
O[rson] P[ratt]. -- Your father was once the historian of the Church, and I am the present historian; we are anxious to preserve all the items of history we can, we would therefore like to see the MS. your father kept, and if possible, to make satisfactory arrangements with you, to purchase the same, provided there is anything in the MS. which we have not already published. I suppose you are aware that the history of the Church has already been published.
J[acob] W. -- We've got no history here, all father's papers have gone to Richmond long ago.
O. P. -- We had a very pleasant interview with your uncle David, at Richmond. We arrived there last Friday, and remained two days, he showed us the MS. of the Book of Mormon, but said nothing about having any other papers.
J. W. -- We have got no papers here.
Convinced that there was no use of making any further efforts where the spirit of bigotry and opposition was so intense, we turned away… [..]Deseret News, December 4, 1878.
In 1881 the Richmond Conservator reported that,
There is no doubt that Mr. Whitmer, who was one of the Three Witnesses of the authenticity of the gold plates, from which he asserts that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon (a fac simile of the characters he now has in his possession with the original records), is firmly convinced of its divine origin, and while he makes no effort to obtrude his views or beliefs, he simply wants the world to know that so far as he is concerned there is no "variableness or shadow of turning." Richmond Conservator, March 25, 1881.
At this time Whitmer also claimed that the copy of the Book of Mormon characters in his possession was the original document taken by Martin Harris to Charles Anthon. Jesse R. Badham wrote,
He, Whitmore [Whitmer], has in his possession the original manuscript—and the original characters presented to Professor Anthony [Anthon] of New York by Martin Harris both of which I saw and handled. Also heard a blessing read pronounced for him by Joseph the Prophet which he holds very sacred. (Jesse R. Badham's Account of an Interview with David Whitmer, March 1881 Source: Diary of Jesse R. Badham, Whitmer Papers, RLDS Archives.)
Whitmer also had published in 1881 a “Proclamation” in which he stated that,
I have in my possession the original manuscript of the Book of Mormon, in the handwriting of Oliver Cowdery and others, also the original paper containing some of the characters transcribed from one of the golden plates, which paper Martin Harris took to Professor Anthon, of New York, for him to read "the words of a book that is sealed:" but the learned professor, although a great linguist could not read the language of the Nephites. [..]Richmond, (Mo.) Conservator, March 24, 1881
In 1884 James H. Hart included a description of the document that David Whitmer had in his possession:
I was shown the reformed Egyptian hieroglyphics, that were copied from the plates by the Prophet Joseph, and taken by Martin Harris to Profesors Anthon and Mitchell, of New York City, in Febuary, 1828. They are written on unruled paper, about three and a half inches by seven, and fill up seven lines, making about thirty-five inches of writing. They remind me very much of some Egyptian hieroglyphics I have seen in the British Museum, London, and in other collections. [..] James H. Hart, Deseret News, March 25, 1884.
http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/UT ... htm#032584Note: Hart also gave an account to the Bear Lake Democrat a few days later which reads,
I was shown, moreover, the Egyptian characters copied by the Prophet Joseph Smith and taken by Martin Harris to Profs. Anthon and Mitchell of this city, in February 1828. They are written on unruled paper, about three and a half inches deep, by seven inches wide. The writing is in seven lines, making about 34 inches; and reminds me very much of some hieroglyphics I have seen in the British Museum, London, and other collections. James H. Hart, BEAR LAKE DEMOCRAT, March 28, 1884.
During that same year, George Q. Cannon paid a visit to David Whitmer at his home in Richmond, who showed him the Book of Mormon manuscript he had in his possession. But Cannon seemed far more interested in
a paper with this, which, if anything, was still more interesting than the manuscript. It was the characters drawn by Joseph [Smith, Jr.] himself from the plates for Martin Harris to take to show the learned professors, so wonderfully predicted in the 29th chapter of Isaiah. There were seven lines of these characters, the first four being about twice as large in size as the last three. In English Joseph had written over the lines the word "characters." He had spelled this word, "caractors." Though these characters had evidently been written for a long time, they were as clear and distinct as though just penned. Here was the very paper which Isaiah saw in vision about 2,600 years before, and which he called "the words of a book." George Q. Cannon Interview, Juvenile Instructor 19 (1884):107
In 1886 Whitmer was still affirming that he had a copy of the characters taken by Martin Harris, but in this interview added some new details:
At this particular state of the recital, an inspection of a copy of the hieroglyphics made from the first of the gold plates by Joseph Smith and preserved with the same solicitude that is thrown around the original manuscript, becomes of curious interest. The accompanying cut is a perfect fac-simile of the little sheet which took Joseph Smith a whole week to copy, so particular was he that the characters should be perfectly reproduced, and that the "reformed Egyptian" language should be shown up in all its native simplicity, for, it must not be forgotten, there was a singular significance in errand which this scrap of paper was destined to perform. “David Whitmer Talks,” The Salt Lake Daily Tribune, Salt Lake City, Utah, Sunday, October 17, 1886, see also Omaha Herald, October 10, 1886.
The year before he died, Whitmer published a rambling, 75 page pamphlet which he titled An Address To All Believers In Christ, that condemned the Utah branch of the Mormon Church, called Joseph Smith a fallen prophet, and admonished all men to believe in the Book of Mormon. Endeavoring to correct those that claimed he had denied his testimony; Whitmer also reprinted his “Proclamation” from 1881 which stated that,
I have in my possession the original manuscript of the Book of Mormon, in the handwriting of Oliver Cowdery and others, also the original paper containing some of the characters transcribed from one of the golden plates… [..] An Address To All Believers In Christ, page 11.
Thus David Whitmer would affirm until his death that he had possession of the original Book of Mormon Manuscript and the copy of the characters that Martin Harris took to New York City in 1828.
After David Whitmer’s death, these items were passed to his son, David J. Whitmer, along with John Whitmer’s Church History and OTMan 3. This collection of documents were eventually given into the care of George Schweich, a nephew of David J. Whitmer, who subsequently sold them to the RLDS Church for $2450 in 1903. [..]
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Whitmer was shown proof that his manuscript was not the Original, yet made a published PUBLIC statement later attesting that it was. It was a whopper of a lie. He then, knowing that his Book of Mormon Characters were not the originals either (he knew that there was a bottom to the facsimilie that he showed for years that dated it to 1831) he still testified that it was the original paper that Harris took to Anthon.
