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Source: Church History Vol. 4 Chapter 19 Page: 344 (~1881)

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344 then sat down and wrote Saunders a letter myself, reminding him of his promise, and wrote to Cobb also about it; and after a long time Cobb wrote me again, that Saunders had written to him; but I have never learned how satisfactory it was, or whether he made the affidavit or not."

"Is that Saunders a brother of the Saunders living down here, Orlando Saunders?"

"Yes, sir; they are brothers."

"Is he older or younger?"

"Younger; about fifteen years younger."

"Then he must have been quite young before the Book of Mormon was published?"

"Yes, he was young."

"This Saunders down here don't talk like a great many people; he seems to think the Smiths were very good people; we have been there to-day."

"Oh, I don't think the Smiths were as bad as people let on for. Now Tucker, in his work, told too many big things; nobody could believe his stories."

"Did the Smiths ever dig for money?"

"Yes; I can tell you where you can find persons who know all about that; can take you to the very place."

"Can you? All right, give us their names."

"The Jackaway boys-two old bachelors, and their sister, an old maid, live together, right up the street going north, near the north part of the town; they can tell you all about it, and show you the very places where they dug."

"What will you take for your copy of the Book of Mormon; or will you sell it?"

"Yes, I will sell it."

"How much for it?"

"I will take five hundred dollars for it, and no less; I have known them to sell for more than that."

"Well, I am not buying at those figures, thank you."

"What kind of a man was Martin Harris?"

"He was a very honest farmer, but very superstitious."

"What was he before his name was connected with the Book of Mormon?"

"Not anything, I believe; he was a kind of a skeptic."

"What do you mean by his being superstitious? Was he religious?"

"Well, I don't know about that; but he pretended to see things."

"What do you think of the Book of Mormon, as a book; you are well posted in it?"

"Oh, there is nothing taught in the book but what is good; there is no denying that; it is the claim of being from God that I strike at."

"Well, is it any more wonderful than that God gave the Bible?"

"No, not a bit; and there is a good deal more evidence to show that that is divine than there is for some of the books in the Bible. Why, it

(page 344)

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