This section, the lost 116 pages, is from the article “Joseph Smith on Trial — Rich Kelsey.”
Joseph Smith on Trial:
People vs. Joseph Smith:
Please follow me into the courtroom and take a seat in the jury box. The trial is about to begin.
The Charges:
Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, stands before the court for the offense of deceiving his followers. The plaintiff’s contention is that Joseph Smith is an imposter; damages caused by his pretensions are enormous. The Mormon prophet understood that people seeking spiritual answers generally have a trusting nature and he took advantage of them.
Prosecution:
If it pleases the court, at this time I would like to introduce a brief rundown of Smith’s interaction with his first principal scribe Martin Harris, and also his wife Lucy Harris.
Judge:
You may proceed.
Consider what the early days were like for Joseph Smith. Many[1] had heard the story he was telling of finding[2] golden plates with ancient writing upon them. The supposed translation of the language on the plates into English progressed through difficult times. In the beginning, Joseph’s scribes were his wife Emma and her brother Reuben Hale. Then, Martin Harris, a wealthy farmer took over.
The Trouble with Lucy Harris:
As Martin Harris was preparing to become Smith’s scribe for a season, his wife Lucy asked if she could come along. Martin agreed. Together they traveled from their farm in Manchester New York, to Harmony Pennsylvania, where Joseph and Emma Smith were living at Emma’s parent’s house.
However, while in Pennsylvania Lucy Harris,
“… did all that lay in her power to injure Joseph in the estimation of his neighbours— telling them that he was a grand impostor, and, that by his specious pretensions, he had seduced her husband into the belief that he [Joseph Smith] was some great one, merely through a design upon her husband’s property…” (Lucy Smith: Biographical Sketches, 1853 edition, Cory/Pratt, chapter 24)
Things did not work out well between Lucy and the Smiths; she ended up staying with a neighbor.[3] After about two weeks, Martin took her back home.
There, Lucy tried
“… to dissuade her husband from taking any further part in the publication of the Record; [Book of Mormon] however, Mr. Harris [Martin] paid no attention to her, but returned and continued writing.”[4]
While Lucy was back home in New York,
“… she went from place to place, and from house to house, telling her grievances, and declaring that Joseph Smith was practising (sic) a deception upon the people, which was about to strip her of all that she possessed …” (Lucy Smith: Biographical Sketches, 1853 edition, Cory/Pratt, chapter 24)
Rebuttal:
What an embarrassing history! The defendant was called a
“grand impostor”
by none other than his principal scribe’s wife. She also claimed that he was,
“practicing a deception upon the people.”
In other words, Lucy Harris was telling people that Joseph Smith was a con man.
A confidence man or con man is a person who swindles victims using a confidence game. What the con man is really selling is an illusion: a dream. The control the con man has over his victims is in the confidence his victims have in him, and/or the scheme he has them involved in.
Smith was an illusionist. He had a magic act in which, for a fee, he would gaze into his crystal ball (seer stone) and tell others what he saw. He used this act before to search for buried treasure. Now, he was using it to translate mysterious ancient script.
Martin Harris was a dreamer. He fell headlong for the tales the defendant told him. He was very excited about bringing forth the golden record, until doubt overcame him.
The Perfect Breeding Ground for Doubt:
Envision what it was like during the time Joseph Smith and Martin Harris were working on the translation:
“Although in the same room, a thick curtain or blanket was suspended between them, and Smith concealed behind the blanket …” (Account of Martin Harris given to the Rev. John A. Clark in 1828)[5]
After two months, Martin needed to take some time off. Before Martin headed home, Joseph’s Mother claimed that Martin asked her son to permit him to look upon the plates:
“Mr. Harris [Martin] remained with my son and wrote diligently until he had transcribed nearly 116 pages of the record. When it became necessary for him to return home — he began to request Joseph to permit him to look upon the plates for he desired a further witness …“ (Lucy Smith History: First Draft, Biographical Sketches, chapter 25, author paraphrase)[6]
The magical method of translation was the perfect breeding ground for doubt.[7] Martin had just written page after page of supposed divine prose, dictated straight from the,
“Prophet and Seer of the Lord.”[8]
One may have thought the role Martin Harris played in bringing forth the Book of Mormon would be a faith-building experience. Instead, it left Martin wondering:
“Was Joseph making a fool of him? Was he the classic dupe, to be cheated out of his money and farm when the fraud was complete? Martin wanted more evidence to set his own mind at ease and to quiet the doubters at home.” (Joseph Smith and The Beginnings of Mormonism, Richard L. Bushman, p. 90)
Uncertainty beset Harris.”[9] Martin knew he would be facing strong opposition at home.[10] He wanted assurance that he really wasn’t being played for a fool.
When Joseph stood firm, refusing to show Martin the plates, Martin began to nag Smith to at least let him take the manuscript home for Lucy to read. Maybe that would satisfy her? Included in Martin’s nagging[11] was a threat to pull back his financial support unless Smith complied.[12] Joseph was persuaded to hand over the 116 pages.
Martin Harris then headed back home with the Book of Mormon manuscript in hand.
When Martin arrived back on the farm, he found his wife had turned into a cold, hard, unresponsive woman, whose ruined life she blamed on him.[13] Lucy had moved out everything she owned that she could carry.[14] Martin’s bed[15] had been moved into another room which Lucy refused to enter.[16]
In an effort to make peace, Martin brought the manuscript in for Lucy and a few other family members to examine. Afterwards, Lucy and Martin went to visit with friends at the house of one of Lucy’s relatives. Martin ended up going home by himself. Lucy was still away from the farm when a friend of Martin’s came to see him.
Martin wanted to show his friend the Book of Mormon manuscript, but it was locked away in Lucy’s bureau and only Lucy had the key. In order to show the work, Martin broke into her bureau, damaging it considerably.[17] Upon her return, Lucy became enraged after seeing the damaged bureau.[18] She then stole the manuscript. There were no copies.
Moroni Takes the Plates and Interpreters from Joseph Smith:
As a consequence of Joseph Smith’s disobedience leading up to the lost 116 pages of manuscript, the golden plates and interpreters were supposedly taken from Smith by the angel Moroni for a season.
According to the story, God had told Joseph Smith not to allow Martin Harris to take the Book of Mormon manuscript home the first two times Joseph asked. Smith said that he should have been content with the first answers he received from the Lord, yet because he was not, Joseph Smith disobeyed the Lord’s instructions.
Smith claimed that the angel Moroni said he would be given the golden plates and interpreters back a few months later, on the 22nd of September, if he walked worthy before God. As far as the story goes, he did walk worthy before God and was given the plates and interpreters back on September 22nd, 1828.
Rebuttal:
For punishment, one might wonder why Moroni didn’t take away Smith’s seer stone and his white hat, seeing that those were the things his scribe said he was actually using. Also, it seems too convenient that Moroni took away the golden plates and the interpreters right at the time the defendant was under pressure to come up with an identical retranslation from the golden plates to replace the lost 116 pages. Is it possible that Smith was stalling until he could figure a way out of the situation?
The Lost 116 Pages, Lucy’s Attempt to Expose the Fraud:
Mrs. Harris (Lucy) persisted in her attempt to expose the fraud, and in her husband’s absence, took the 116 pages and gave them to a neighbor for safe keeping. When charged with it she replied,
“… if this be a divine communication, the same Being who revealed it to you can easily replace it …”[19]
She was convinced that Joseph Smith and her husband could not recreate the 116 pages again word for word and intended to have the lost 116 pages publicly compared with the replaced pages when the Book of Mormon was published.
When Mrs. Harris challenged the defendant to replace the lost 116 pages with an exact copy, the moment of truth arrived. Joseph Smith, realizing that recreating the lost 116 pages word for word would be impossible, made excuses in an attempt to save his reputation.
“… there is no doubt but Mrs. Harris took it from the drawer, with the view of retaining it, until another translation should be given, then, to alter the original translation, for the purpose of showing a discrepancy between them, and thus make the whole appear to be a deception.”[20]
The defendant was supposedly,
“… commanded of the Lord … not translate the same over again, for Satan had put it into their hearts to tempt the Lord their God, by altering the words, that they did read contrary from that which I translated and caused to be written; and if I should bring forth the same words again, or, in other words, if I should translate the same over again, they would publish that which they had stolen …”[21]
Rebuttal:
This is pure doubletalk. The con-game would be over if the truth were found out: that Joseph Smith could not recreate a word for word copy.
Mrs. Harris’s claim that Joseph Smith was a grand imposter was reinforced when Smith failed to do so. Statements claiming that the original work had been, or would be altered, were just a smokescreen.
Martin Harris Loses Faith in Joseph Smith:
During this dark hour, Martin’s faith in the defendant took a nosedive, then his seed of doubt[22] sprouted and grew until it came into full bloom. Because of Harris’s falling out with Joseph Smith, Harris set out to destroy Smith’s reputation.
In an attempt to save his reputation Joseph Smith received a new revelation.
God supposedly said,
“Behold, they have sought to destroy you, yea, even the man in whom you have trusted, has sought to destroy you, and for this cause I said, that he is a wicked man, for he has sought to take away the things wherewith you have been entrusted, and he has also sought to destroy your gift; … And behold, Satan has put it into their hearts to alter the words which you have caused to be written, or which you have translated …”[23]
One might wonder why the defendant would now publicly accuse his former scribe of a conspiracy[24] to ruin his reputation. Probably because at the time, Joseph Smith believed Martin Harris was a lost cause.
Because of the Lost 116 Pages, Joseph Smith Started Over with New Plates:
Joseph Smith’s reputation was in jeopardy. His original Book of Mormon manuscript had been stolen, and he dare not try to reproduce it word for word. Nothing less than an incredible story was needed to redeem the defendant from his present distress.
A prophet from the Book of Mormon came to Smith’s aid. The answers to his troubles were supposedly written in gold. Instead of starting over with the plates of Lehi, Joseph Smith would start translating again with the plates of Nephi.
Defense:
Objection your honor; how is this relevant?
Prosecution:
Without this information key elements in this case would be left unheard.
Court:
Objection overruled; you may continue.
Joseph Smith never translated another word from the supposed plates of Lehi — the translation of which Harris lost. Instead, he supposedly replaced the lost pages from the plates of Nephi.[25]
Official LDS statement on the subject:
“Joseph Smith began with the book of Lehi when he was translating the Book of Mormon. It was a record that Mormon had abridged from the plates of Lehi. After he had 116 pages of manuscript that he had translated from this book, Joseph gave the manuscript to Martin Harris, who had briefly served as Joseph’s scribe in the translation of the Book of Mormon. The pages were then lost. Joseph did not retranslate the book of Lehi to replace the lost manuscript but instead translated other related accounts from the gold plates.” (Guide to the Scriptures, Lehi, Father of Nephi, The Scriptures, LDS.org)
The Lost 116 Pages and The Words of Mormon:
The “Words of Mormon” is one small chapter in the Book of Mormon, half of which is devoted to explaining that the prophet Mormon found the plates of Nephi and inserted those plates in with the rest of the record:
Verse (6) But behold, I shall take these plates, which contain these prophecying (sic) and revelations, and put them with the remainder of my record, for they are choice unto me; and I know they will be choice unto my brethren.
Verse (7) And I do this for a wise purpose; for thus it whispereth me, according to the workings of the Spirit of the Lord which is in me. And now, I do not know all things; but the Lord knoweth all things which are to come; wherefore, he worketh in me to do according to his will (Words of Mormon 1:6-7)
Members of the jury, what is written in the “Words of Mormon” is an attempt to point the focus away from Lucy Harris’s challenge to Joseph Smith to recreate a word for word copy of the lost manuscript.
The lost 116 pages were never found. Lucy Harris probably burned[26] them. Because of all the mistrust that Smith and Harris suffered during that time, Smith was looking for a new scribe. A distant relative of the Smith family, Oliver Cowdery, came to his aid; together they finished the manuscript.
Other articles of interest:
■ The Real Joseph Smith — Rich Kelsey
■ Ten LDS Plot holes — Rich Kelsey
■ Joseph Smith 1823 Bedroom Dream — Rich Kelsey
LDS Series / Full Article Index
Endnotes:
[1] “…Most of our readers have probably heard of the Golden Bible, which it is asserted was found not long since, in some part of Ontario county. Some of the circumstances attending the remarkable discovery of this truly remarkable work, may not be uninteresting to some of our readers, as they serve to show how easily ignorance and superstition are made to support whatever doctrines may be advanced — no matter how revolting they may appear in the light of reason. An angel appeared to an ignorant man near Palmyra and directed him to dig at a designated place, with a promise that he would there find a new revelation engraved on plates of metal. The man obeyed the messenger, and on digging, soon discovered an oblong box tightly cemented together. Upon opening this, he found enclosed a bundle of plates similar to gold, about 7 inches long, 6 broad, and all about 6 inches deep each sheet being of about the thickness of tin. They were united at one edge with 3 silver wires, so that they opened in a manner similar to a book.” (AUBURN FREE PRESS, Vol. VII. Auburn, N. Y., Wednesday, December 8, 1830. No. 28)
[2] I would also inform you that the plates of which hath been spoken, were found in the township of Manchester, Ontario county, New-York. (Preface, 1830 Book of Mormon)
[3] “It is possible that this neighbor was Emma’s mother, Elizabeth Hale, who ran “an inn or tavern” and whose house was near the one that Joseph and Emma occupied on land they had purchased from Isaac Hale.” (Newell and Avery, 3)
[4] “When she returned home, being about two weeks after her arrival in Harmony, the place where Joseph resided, she endeavoured to dissuade her husband from taking any further part in the publication of the Record; however, Mr. Harris paid no attention to her, but returned and continued writing.” (Lucy Smith: Biographical Sketches, 1853 edition, Cory/Pratt, chapter 24)
[5] “This was Harris’s own account of the matter to me. What other measures they afterwards took to transcribe or translate from these metallic plates, I cannot say… In addition to the facts with which I myself was conversant in 1827 and 1828, connected with the rise of Mormonism…”, (Gleanings by the Way, 1842, W.J. & J.K. Simon, pp. 222ff) [Microfilm copy]
[6] “When it was became necessary for Martin to return home ) remained with my son and wrote dilligently untill he had transcribed nearly 116 pages of the record when it <then> became necessary for him to return home—he now began to requested Joseph to permit him to look upon the plates for he desired a further witness that of their work <actual existance and> that he might be better able to give a reason for the hope that was within <him> of seeing great things come to pass in the last days.“ (Lucy Smith History: First Draft Biographical Sketches, chapter 25, verse 1)
[7] “By the middle of June, 1828, Martin had covered 116 pages of foolscap with text from the golden plates, and yet uncertainty still beset him.” (Joseph Smith and the beginnings of Mormonism, Richard L. Bushman, 1988, P. 90)
[8] “Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God…” (Doctrine and Covenants 135:3)
[9] “Yet uncertainty still beset Harris.” (Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Richard L. Bushman, New York, Alfred A. Knopf, 2005, p.66)
[10] “When she returned home, being about two weeks after her arrival in Harmony, the place where Joseph resided, she endeavoured to dissuade her husband from taking any further part in the publication of the Record; however, Mr. Harris paid no attention to her, but returned and continued writing.” (Lucy Smith: Biographical Sketches, 1853 edition, Cory/Pratt, chapter 24)
[11] “Mr. Martin Harris, who was employed as Mr. Smith’s scribe at the beginning of the translation, had written out with his own hand 116 pages of manuscript. By long and persistent coaxing, and the most faithful promises of secrecy, he secured Mr. Smith’s permission to carry said manuscript to his own house for his wife’s inspection—a woman who is accredited with a very irascible temper. Before the precious treasure was returned to its owner, a sad domestic quarrel so thoroughly provoked Mrs. Harris, that in an evil hour she put said manuscript forever out of the way. The general belief was that she burned it.” (The Stolen Manuscript: The lost 116 Pages of the Book of Mormon; Excerpt from The Golden Bible by Rev. M. T. Lamb, 1887, p. 118)
[12] “…for behold you should not have feared man more than God…” (Lucy Smith History – First Draft / Biographical Sketches, chapter 27)
[13] (Martin Harris) “…has whipped his wife and beaten her so cruelly and frequently, that she was obliged to seek refuge in separation. He is considered here, to this day, a brute in his domestic relations, a fool and dupe to Smith in religion, and an unlearned, conceited hypocrite…” (Statement from Jesse Townsend, pastor of Palmyra’s Western Presbyterian Church, 1817-20, and at nearby Sodus, 1827-31, Vogel 3:23)
[14] “…and that she was compelled to deposit a few things away from home in order to secure them. So she carried away her furniture, linen, and bedding; also other moveable articles, until she nearly stripped the premises of every thing that could conduce either to comfort or convenience, depositing them with those of her friends and acquaintances, in whom she reposed sufficient confidence to assure her of their future safety.”(Lucy Smith: Biographical Sketches, 1853 edition, Cory/Pratt, chapter 24)
[15] “…his wife’s anger kindled afresh at his presence, insomuch that she prepared a separate bed and room for him, which room she refused to enter.” (Lucy Smith: Biographical Sketches, 1853 edition, Cory/Pratt, chapter 24)
[16] In the 1872 Palmyra Courier, James H. Reeves published , ”He (Martin) vowed that he would not allow her in his room and she declared she would never trouble him on that score. So determined were they in occupying separate apartments, that both expressed themselves to the hired man, that if he ever knew of their occupying the same sleeping room, they would give him their best cow.” (Vogel 2:343)
[17] “…Martin laid it aside (The 116 pages) and went with Mrs H to visit a relative of her’s who lived [blank] miles distant and as his wife declined returning with him he left her with her friends and went home alone — shortly after he got there a very particular friend made him a visit to whom he related all he knew concerning the record The man’s curiosity was much excited and he earnestly desired to see the transcript Martin was anxious to gratify his friend although it was contrary to his obligation. but when he went to seek for it he found that key could not be found but he soon resolved to carry his design into execution and to do this he picked the lock and in so doing he injured his lady’s beaureau considerably.” (Lucy Smith History First Draft / Biographical Sketches)
[18] “…when Mrs Harris returned and beheld the marred and injured state of her beaureau her irracible temper knew no bounds and an intolerable storm ensued throughout the house which descended with greatest force upon the head of the devoted husband.” (Lucy Smith History First Draft / Biographical Sketches)
[19] (Chapter Three, The Lost 116 Pages Story, What We Do Know, What We Don’t Know, and What We Might Know. J. B. HAWS, BYU education)
[20] (Lucy Smith: Biographical Sketches, 1853 edition, Cory/Pratt, chapter 26)
[21] TO THE READER— [about the lost 116 pages]
As many false reports have been circulated respecting the following work, and also many unlawful measures taken by the evil designing persons to destroy me, and also the work, I would inform you that I translated, by the gift and power of God, and caused to be written, one hundred and sixteen pages, the which I took from the Book of Lehi, which was an account abridged from the plates of Lehi, by the hand of Mormon; which said account, some person or persons have stolen and kept from me, notwithstanding my utmost exertions to recover it again—and being commanded of the Lord that I should not translate the same over again, for Satan had put it into their hearts to tempt the Lord their God, by altering the words, that they did read contrary from that which I translated and caused to be written; and if I should bring forth the same words again, or, in other words, if I should translate the same over again, they would publish that which they had stolen, and Satan would stir up the hearts of this generation, that they might not receive this work: but behold, the Lord said unto me, I will not suffer that Satan shall accomplish his evil design in this thing: therefore thou shalt translate from the plates of Nephi, until ye come to that which ye have translated, which ye have retained; and behold ye shall publish it as the record of Nephi …” (Preface to the 1830 Book of Mormon)
[22] “Between April 12 and June 14, 1828, the two of them completed 116 pages of manuscript. At this point, Harris, who suffered from his wife’s doubts about the existence of the plates, asked permission to show the manuscript to her and four other family members.” (Church History 1820 – 1831, Background Founding New York Period; light planet on-line article)
[23] (Doctrine and Covenants 10:7 and 10; also, Lucy Smith: Biographical Sketches, 1853 edition, Cory/Pratt, chapter 27)
[24]
• “For he [the Devil] hath put into their hearts to do this, that by lying they may say they have caught you in the words which you have pretended to translate.” (Doctrine and Covenants 10:13)
• “For, behold, they shall not accomplish their evil designs in lying against those words. For, behold, if you should bring forth the same words they will say that you have lied and that you have pretended to translate, but that you have contradicted yourself.” (Doctrine and Covenants 10:31)
[25]
(Verse) 32 And, behold, they will publish this, and Satan will harden the hearts of the people to stir them up to anger against you, that they will not believe my words.
(Verse) 33 Thus Satan thinketh to overpower your testimony in this generation, that the work may not come forth in this generation.
(Verse) 34 But behold, here is wisdom, and because I show unto you wisdom, and give you commandments concerning these things, what you shall do, show it not unto the world until you have accomplished the work of translation.
(Verse) 35 Marvel not that I said unto you: Here is wisdom, show it not unto the world—for I said, show it not unto the world, that you may be preserved.
(Verse) 36 Behold, I do not say that you shall not show it unto the righteous;
(Verse) 37 But as you cannot always judge the righteous, or as you cannot always tell the wicked from the righteous, therefore I say unto you, hold your peace until I shall see fit to make all things known unto the world concerning the matter.
(Verse) 38 And now, verily I say unto you, that an account of those things that you have written, which have gone out of your hands, is engraven upon the plates of Nephi;
(Verse) 39 Yea, and you remember it was said in those writings that a more particular account was given of these things upon the plates of Nephi.
(Verse) 40 And now, because the account which is engraven upon the plates of Nephi is more particular concerning the things which, in my wisdom, I would bring to the knowledge of the people in this account.
(Verse) 41 Therefore, you shall translate the engravings which are on the plates of Nephi, down even till you come to the reign of king Benjamin, or until you come to that which you have translated, which you have retained … ” (Doctrine and Covenants 10:32-41)
[26] “The most widespread rumor was that Harris’ wife, irritated at having earlier been denied a glimpse of the ancient plates, had removed the manuscript translation from Martin’s unlocked bureau and burned it. Not long afterward, she and Martin separated.” (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Manuscript Lost 116 Pages, Macmillan 1992)