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Source: Church History Vol. 4 Chapter 19 Page: 348 (~1881)

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348 Book of Mormon was published. Don't know whether he was skeptical or visionary. Old Joe claimed he understood geology, and could tell all kinds of minerals; and one time, down at Manchester, in the grocery, the boys all got pretty full, and thought they would have some fun, and they fixed up a dose for him." (We omit the ingredients of the dose, because improper for publication.)

"If young Smith was as illiterate as you say, Doctor, how do you account for the Book of Mormon?"

"Well, I can't; except that Sidney Rigdon was connected with them."

"What makes you think he was connected with them?"

"Because I can't account for the Book of Mormon any other way."

"Was Rigdon ever around there before the Book of Mormon was published?"

"No; not as we could ever find out. Sidney Rigdon was never there, that Hurlbut, or Howe, or Tucker could find out."

"Well; you have been looking out for the facts a long time, have you not, Doctor?"

"Yes; I have been thinking and hearing about it for the last fifty years, and lived right among all their old neighbors there most of the time."

"And no one has ever been able to trace the acquaintance of Rigdon and Smith, until after the Book of Mormon was published, and Rigdon proselyted by Pratt, in Ohio?"

"Not that I know of."

"Do you know the Pratts,-Parley or Orson Pratt?"

"No; have heard of them."

"Did you know David Whitmer?"

"No; he lived in Seneca County, New York."

"Have you told now all you know about the Smiths and the Book of Mormon?"

"All that I can recollect."

Here we bade the Doctor, whom we found to be quite a gentleman, affable, and ready to converse,-good day.

During the time of making the interviews in Manchester, we accidentally met the Thomas H. Taylor referred to by Mr. Booth in the interview with him. He is a Scotchman by birth, of advanced age, but very robust and active. Somewhat of the knock-down and drag-out style; is a public speaker and lecturer, and practices law to some extent. He claims to be one of the original parties with John Brown at Harper's Ferry-all through the fight there-and previous to the War of the Rebellion, was engaged in piloting the darkey to Canada and freedom. He was a soldier throughout the war, and saw hard service. In religion he follows Colonel Robert G. Ingersol. To our inquiries if he was acquainted with the Smiths, and the early settlers throughout that part, sometimes called Mormons, he said:

"Yes; I knew them very well; they were very nice men, too; the only trouble was they were ahead of the people; and the people, as in every

(page 348)

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