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                                  Castle Shannon

                                        Allegheny Co. Pa

                                           Dec 3d -- 78.

Dear Sir,

            A few days since  I handed to 

Mr. Isaac Craig a copy of my pamphlet 

against Mormonism to forward to you.  

I fortunately found  another copy and 

I hope you have received it safely.  

The Rev. Robert Patterson's only surviving 

son is the assistant editor of the "Presbyterian 

Banner" published in Pittsburgh.  To make

matters doubly sure  I showed to him 

his father's certificate in my pamphlet 

and he added his confirmatory of that 

I received from his father which I gave 

to Mr. Craig to send to you. And I also

found that my dates were all correct to 

the very day.

       He had no old account books or

other documents from which he could 

learn the time when Lambden came 

into partnership with his Father but 

from all that he had heard about it 

it must have been in 14 or 15 and existed 

until 23 or 24 when they failed and dissolved.  

Then some friends assisted his father 

to continue the Bookstore as Agent.  

He continued only a few years and gave 

up the business to his eldest son and a Mr. Ingram.

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He then moved a few miles into the country 

where he died in fifty two if I remember 

rightly.  His son's certificate gives the 

exact date.  I also learned that 

Silas Engles  the foreman in the printing 

office was a cousin of the Rev. P.'s 

and entrusted with the management 

of the business.

    It makes no difference whether Rigdon 

copied it or procured it from either 

Lambdin or Engles  the identification

of it and the Mormon Bible could not 

be proven more strongly.  It is more 

probable however that Rigdon obtained 

the Manuscript and  modified it here 

and there in order as he imagined  better to

accomplish his purpose.  It is said 

that Whitmer who remained in Mo. 

near Nauvoo has that Manuscript.

When Rigdon fled from Mo. with the 

Danites on his track  he no doubt was 

in great haste and was not able to 

collect all of his traps.  This was not 

very long before the murder of Smith, 

but he was evidently frightened. He came 

through Pittsburgh and was pointed

to me one day and two of his family

but they did not remain any length of time.

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In my last  I was led into a great 

mistake by Mr. Craig which I now 

correct. He said he had Mr. Robt 

P.'s death from his tombstone 

whereas it was his Father's death

Mr. Joseph P's  he had which 

made me think that the date of 

the certificate should be 32 instead 

of 42, but when I had a little time 

to think about it I remembered a 

number of things that made it clear

that the date was entirely correct. 

And I also said that Rigdon was 

Pastor only about a year of the first 

Bap Chh -- what I should have 

said was that before he was with 

them a year he  preached his errors 

and was charged with them  but 

not excluded until the 11th of Oct 1823, 

making it one year and nine months.

These dates are taken from the old 

church book and the Minutes of the 

Association.

    It was shortly after Page left Pittsburgh 

that Smith and Rigdon quarrelled and the 

flight of the latter from the 

saints in Mo.

    It is amazing to what a magnitude this 

imposture has grown in this land and century! 

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And yet when one reflects that the poor

ignorant foreigners in those old feudal lands 

can never hope to possess a foot of land 

for themselves or posterity are told by 

the Elders from Salt Lake that they 

can every one have 160 acres of the best 

land in the world and live in the New 

Jerusalem they become willing to make 

any profession the Elders may dictate. 

From the first, Rigdon, Smith, Harris, 

Pratt &c. were evidently impelled by 

the spirit of insatiable avarice to pursue 

this course and practice these impostures. 

They became so hardened in this wickedness 

that they were ready to commit any crime 

to accomplish their object.  And no 

doubt although Rigdon had to leave the

community  he took a good sum of money 

with him. But not enough to enrich 

himself and family as he expected to do.

   I hope you will publish a full and 

complete history of this great imposture.  

It has not yet been done.  You may rely 

on Mr. Howe's statements for he took great 

pains to inform himself about the Smiths 

but he had not the facts about Rigdon.  

And you   rely implicitly upon my dates 

and facts as I have been the Pastor of the same 

1st Bap Chh for 28 years and often conversed with 

the old members about the tricks and errors of Rigdon.

              Resp. &c  S. Williams.

Transcriber's Comments:

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