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                                  Castle Shannon

                                        Allegheny Co Pa

                                             Dec 14th -- 78

Dear Sir,

      I have just recd. yours of the 27th ult 

through Mr. Craig, and answer your questions 

as well as I can in detail.

    Mr. Patterson of the Presn Banner says Engles was 

his Father's cousin and was in his employ 

during the term of his partnership with 

Lambden, and was entrusted with the 

management of the printing office.

   I am not certain about Lambden being a 

Portrait painter.  I distinctly recollect of 

a Mr. Lambden  a Painter  being in Pittsburgh 

when I came to the city in 1827 and somehow 

I received the impression that it was the 

same man.  They may not have been the same. 

    Mr. Craig has made a great mistake in regard 

to the death of Robert Patterson -- he gave you 

the date of the death of his Father the Rev. 

Joseph Patterson. Robt Patterson was 

the Pastor of the Highlands Chh twenty years 

and all that time was engaged in the Book 

business on a small scale up at least to 1840 

when his son and a Mr. Ingram succeeded 

him and he moved about six or seven miles 

out on the Washington road south of the city 

where he lived until 51 or 2 or about 

that time.  I have been in his store a hundred 

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times, had books or pamphlets on sale 

in his store, and was  standing near him 

when he wrote that certificate in 1842.  

Besides I often met him on the street 

and preached once or twice for him in his 

church at Hilands.  The date of his death 

is now certified by his son as you will see 

the by the scrap of paper with the pamphlet.  

The small chh to which he preached gave 

him but a small support and he was 

obliged to do something else for a living, as 

many others of us have to do.

   I was led to think 1842 was a misprint by 

Mr. Craig and without much thought gave 

you that date, 1832, but 1842 and not 32 is the

correct date.  Because when I came to 

recollect distinctly, I got the certificate 

when I was opposing John E. Page and 

I know he flourished in Pittsburgh in 

1841-2, and all the other dates in the 

Pamphlet are correct for they were taken 

from the minutes of the Redstone Association 

and the old Church Book of the 1st Bap Chh.

   Mr. Patterson stated to me that Mr. Spaulding 

brought the Manuscript to the Office and 

of course it came under the charge of Engles, 

and at or about that time Engles spoke to 

Mr. Patterson about it.  That time must have 

been 1814 or 15.  All of the old men of our Church 

knew about Rigdon hanging about that Printing 

Office, and whether he spent his time there in 

copying it or concocting his schemes while 

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conversing with Engles and others, or 

at length procured the Manuscript by 

purchase or otherwise, makes not the 

smallest difference.  If it is true that 

Mrs. Spaulding had the Manuscript 

returned to her, then unless Mr. Spaulding 

had duplicate copies leaving one in the 

office, Rigdon must have copied it.  
  
   The identification of the Mormon Bible 

with the Novel of Mr Spaulding I consider 

complete and placed beyond cavil.

   Now I wish to write about J. Patterson.  He 

was Mr. Joseph Patterson who I suppose was 

in with his brother Robert before Lambden 

came into the firm.  He married a very 

wealthy lady, built a long block of buildings 

on one of the principal business streets  6th 

producing high rents, retired from active 

business, and finally moved to Philadelphia 

to enjoy his fortune. I knew him well.  

I have no doubt you are right in the matter 

of Mrs. Spaulding's statement concerning the 

interest Jos. P. had taken in the Manuscript.

But Mr. Spaulding not being able to furnish

the money for its publication -- there it remained. 

I have never supposed that Rigdon ever saw 

Mr. Spaulding for at that time he had not as 

yet come on the stage, but finding such a 

document there shown to him by Engles in 1822 

or 3.  But I do not think he ever wished Patterson 

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to publish it, thinking he might turn it to account 

in making a fortune. And suppose the Novel was 

returned to Mrs. Spaulding -- it being a strange 

production, Engles might during his leisure 

hours have copied it with the intention of making 

something out of it and perhaps not being able 

to publish it, sold it to Rigdon.  Any one of these 

Lambden, Engles, Joseph Patterson, or Rigdon might 

have taken a copy.

   I think Rigdon had his plan of a community 

formed, { indeed the old members told me that 

when in Pittsburgh he often broached the 

subject to them of a common-stock system 

as he then called it }  before he met Joe Smith, 

and at first expected to use him as a tool 

to carry out his plans.  So that it may be that 

Rigdon had a little community begun at Kirtland 

before he met Joe Smith. But I remember 

well the report that Parley Pratt the tin pedlar 

told Rigdon of Smith and was the means 

of bringing them together, and I suppose it was 

1829 or '30.  Another thing I learned that about the 

time they published the first edition of the Mormon 

Bible they established a Bank at Kirtland without 

a basis  issued notes, and the Elders put them 

into circulation.  I saw one of the notes.

    I hope you will persevere and collect all of the 

facts and publish an authentic history of that 

huge imposture.  You will see by my pamphlet 

that you can get nowhere else the first facts 

in the history. I feel thankful that I can help 

a mite toward the  object.

    I was sick for three or four weeks but have 

recovered.  If I can aid you any further  I 

shall be glad to do it.

Judge Cobb.

              Very respectfully,
                      S. Williams.

Transcriber's Comments:

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