American Antiquities: Corroborative of the Book of Mormon (7 May 1859)

AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES,
CORROBORATIVE OF THE BOOK OF MORMON.

(Continued from page 274.)

(From the Times and Seasons, May 1, 1843.)

“To the Editor of the Times and Seasons,

On the 10th of April last, a respectable merchant, by the name of Robert Wiley, commenced digging in a large mound near this place: he excavated to the depth of ten feet and came to rock. About that time the rain began to fall, and he abandoned the work. On the 23rd, he and quite a number of the citizens, with myself, repaired to the mound; and after making ample opening, we found plenty of rock, the most of which appeared as though it had been strongly burned; and after removing full two feet of said rock, we found plenty of charcoal and ashes; also human bones, that appeared as though they had been burned; and near the eciphalon a bundle was found, that consisted of six plates of brass, of a bell shape, each having a hole near the small end, and a ring through them all, and clasped with two clasps. The rings and clasps appeared to be of iron very much oxydated. The plates appeared first to be copper, and had the appearance of being covered with characters. It was agreed by the company that I should cleanse the plates. Accordingly I took them to my house, washed them with soap and water and a woollen cloth; but finding them not yet cleansed, I treated them with dilute sulphuric acid, which made them perfectly clean, on which it appeared that they were completely covered with hieroglyphics, that none as yet have been able to read. Wishing that the world might know the hidden things as fast as they come to light, I was induced to state the facts, hoping that you would give it an insertion in your excellent paper; for we all feel anxious to know the true meaning of the plates, and publishing the facts might lead to the true translation. They were found, I judged, more than twelve feet below the surface of the top of the mound. I am, most respectfully, a citizen of Kinderhook,

W.P Harris, M.D.”

“We, the citizens of Kinderhook, whose names are annexed, do certify and declare that on the 23rd April, 1843, while excavating a large mound in this vicinity. Mr. R. Wiley took from said mound six brass plates, of a bell shape, covered with ancient characters. Said plates were very much oxydated. The bands and rings on said plates mouldered into dust on a slight pressure. The above-described plates we have handed to Mr. Sharp for the purpose of taking them to Nauvoo.

Robert Wiley,          W.P. Harris,

G.W.F. Ward,          W. Longnecker

Favette Grubb,       Ira S. Curtis,

Geo. Deckerson,    W. Fugate,

J.R. Sharp,

(From the Quincy Whig.)

"A Mr. J. Roberts, from Pike County, called upon us last Monday, with a written description of a discovery which was recently made near Kinderhook, in that county. We have not room for his communication at length, and will give so much of a summary of it as will enable the reader to form a pretty correct opinion of the discovery made. It appeared that a young man by the name of Wiley, a resident in Kinderhook, dreamed three nights in succession that in a certain mound in the vicinity there were treasures concealed. Impressed with the strange occurrence of dreaming the same dream three nights in succession, he came to the conclusion, to satisfy his mind, of digging into the mound. For fear of being laughed at, if he made others acquainted with his design, he went by himself and laboured diligently one days in pursuit of the supposed treasure, by sinking a hole in the centre of the mound. Finding it quite laborious, he invited others to assist him. Finally, a company of ten or twelve repaired to the mound and assisted in digging out the shaft commenced by Wiley. After penetrating the mound about eleven feet, they came to a bed of limestone that had been subjected to the action of fire. They removed the stones, which were small and easy to handle, to the depth of two feet more, when they found six brass plates, secured and fastened together by two iron wires, but which were so decayed that they readily crumbled to dust upon being handled. The plates were so completely covered with rust as almost to obliterate the characters inscribed upon them; but, after undergoing a chemical process, the inscriptions were brought out plain and distinct. There were six plates, four inches in length, one inch and three-quarters wide at the top, and two inches and three-quarters wide at the bottom, flaring out to points. There are four lines of characters or hieroglyphics on each. On one side of the plates are parallel lines running lengthwise. A few of the characters resemble, in their form, the Roman capitals of our alphabet. For instance, the capitals B and X appear very distinct. In addition, there are rude representations of three human heads on one of the plates, the largest in the middle. From this head proceeds marks or rays, resembling those which usually surround the head of Christ in the pictorial representations of his person. There are also figures of two trees with branches, one under each of the two small heads, both leaning a little to the right. One of the plates has on it the figure of a large head, by itself, with two pointing directly to it. By whom these plates were deposited there must ever remain a secret, unless some one skilled in deciphering hieroglyphics may be found to unravel the mystery. Some pretend to say that Smith, the Mormon leader, has the ability to read them. If he has, he will confer a great favour on the public by removing the mystery which hangs over them. We learn there was a Mormon present when the plates were found, who, it is said, leaped for joy at the discovery, and remarked that it would go to prove the authenticity of the Book of Mormon, which it undoubtedly will. In the place where these plates were deposited were also found human bones in the last stage of decomposition; also some braid, which was at first supposed to be human hair, but on close examination proved to be grass, probably used as a covering for the bodies deposited there. This was also in the last stage of decay. There were but few bones found in the mound; and it is believed that it was but the burial-place of a small number—perhaps of a person or a family of distinction in ages long gone by, and that these plates contain the history of the times or of a people that existed far, far beyond the memory of the present race. But we will not conjecture anything about this wonderful discovery, as it is one which the plates alone can reveal. On each side of this mound in which this discovery was made, was a mound, on one of which is a tree growing that measures two feet and a half in diameter, near the ground, showing the great antiquity of the mounds and of course all that is buried within them. Thesemound*, like others that are found scattered all over the Mississippi valley, are in the form of a sugar loaf. The plates above alluded to were exhibited in this city last week, and are now, we understand, in Nauvoo, subject to the inspection of the Mormon Prophet. The public curiosity is greatly excited; and if Smith can decipher the hieroglyphics on the plates, he will do more towards throwing light on the early history of this continent than any man now living.”