Biographical Sketch of Joseph Smith<\/em>.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
In March 1829, Lucy Harris brought charges of conspiracy to commit fraud against Joseph Smith. \u00a0Those charges were heard before a magistrate in Lyons, New York. \u00a0Lucy Mack Smith provided an account of witness testimony during the proceedings:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The first arose and testified, that Joseph Smith told him that the box which he had, contained nothing but sand; and he, Joseph Smith, said it was gold, to deceive the people.<\/span><\/p>\nSecond witness swore, that Joseph Smith had told him that it was nothing but a box of lead, and he was determined to use it as he saw fit. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThird witness declared, that he once inquired of Joseph Smith what he had in that box, and Joseph Smith told him that there was nothing at all in the box, saying, that he had made fools of the whole of them, and all he wanted was, to get Martin Harris\u2019s money away from him, and that he (witness) was knowing to the fact that Joseph Smith had, by his persuasion, already got two or three hundred dollars. \u00a0(126)<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Martin Harris was then called to the stand. \u00a0According to Lucy Mack Smith\u2019s account, this is (at least in part) what he said on that occasion:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
I can swear, that Joseph Smith never has got one dollar from me by persuasion since God made me. \u00a0I did once, of my own free will and accord, put fifty dollars into his hands, in the presence of many witnesses, for the purpose of doing the work of the Lord. \u00a0This, I can pointedly prove; and I can tell you, furthermore, that I have never seen, in Joseph Smith, a disposition to take any man\u2019s money, without giving him a reasonable compensation for the same in return. \u00a0(127)<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
After Martin Harris\u2019s testimony, Lucy Mack Smith recalled, the judge declared that no further witnesses were necessary. \u00a0He took the trial transcript from the court clerk, ripped it up, and told the people in the courtroom to go home, to mind their own business, and to \u201ctrouble him no more with such ridiculous folly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 \u00a0 A few more notes from\u00a0Susan Easton Black and Larry C. Porter,\u00a0Martin Harris: Uncompromising Witness of the Book of Mormon\u00a0(Provo: BYU Studies, 2018). \u00a0The passages below are actually cited from Lucy Mack Smith\u2019s Biographical Sketch of Joseph Smith. \u00a0 In March 1829, Lucy Harris brought charges of conspiracy to commit fraud against Joseph Smith. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[56,259,4940,7854,7974,7980,2415,7983,7851,1570,2265,1615,7977,5688,5051,4003,921],"class_list":["post-82389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-book-of-mormon","tag-book-of-mormon-witnesses","tag-gold","tag-harris","tag-lucy","tag-lucy-harris","tag-lucy-mack-smith","tag-lyons","tag-martin","tag-martin-harris","tag-new-york","tag-plates","tag-smith","tag-three-witnesses","tag-trial","tag-witness","tag-witnesses"],"yoast_head":"\n
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![\"Judge](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2019\/09\/71677628_676943729473253_3748341250550398976_o.jpg\")
<\/a>