| 349 such case, turned out to abuse them, because they had the manhood to stand for their own convictions. I have seen such work all through life, and when I was working with John Brown for the freedom of my fellow man, I often got in tight places; and if it had not been for Gerritt Smith, Wendell Phillips, and some others, who gave me their influence and money, I don't know how I would ever got through."
"What did the Smiths do that the people abused them so?"
"They did not do anything. Why! these rascals at one time took Joseph Smith and ducked him in the pond that you see over there, just because he preached what he believed and for nothing else. And if Jesus Christ had been there, they would have done the same to him. Now I don't believe like he did; but every man has a right to his religious opinions, and to advocate his views, too, if people don't like it I let them come out and meet him on the stand, and show his error. Smith was always ready to exchange views with the best men they had."
"Why didn't they like Smith?"
"To tell the truth, there was something about him they could not understand; someway he knew more than they did, and it made them mad."
"But a good many tell terrible stories, about them being low people, rogues, and liars, and such things. How is that?"
"Oh! they are a set of d-d liars. I have had a home here, and been here, except when on business, all my life-ever since I came to this country, and I know these fellows; they make these lies on Smith, because they love a lie better than the truth. I can take you to a great many old settlers here who will substantiate what I say, and if you want to go, just come around to my place across the street there, and I'll go with you."
"Well, that is very kind, Mr. Taylor, and fair; if we have time we will call around and give you a chance; but we are first going to see these fellows who, so rumor says, know so much against them."
"All right; but you will find they don't know anything against those men when you put them down to it; they could never sustain anything against Smith ."
"Do you think Smith ever got any plates out of the hill he claimed to!"
"Yes; I rather think he did. Why not he find something as well as anybody else? Right over here, in Illinois and Ohio, in mounds there, they have discovered copper plates since, with hieroglyphics all over them; and quite a number of the old settlers around here testified that Smith showed the plates to them-they were good, honest men, and what is the sense in saying they lied? Now, I never saw the Book of Mormon -don't know anything about it, nor care; and don't know as it was ever translated from the plates. You have heard about the Spalding romance; and some claim that it is nothing but the books of the Bible that were rejected by the compilers of the Bible; but all this don't prove that Smith never got any plates."
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