The following is a sworn affidavit of Peter Ingersoll, as found on pages 63 and 64 of "Mormonism Exposed", by William C. Bennett. The book is controversial for many reasons, but mostly for the slanted bias of Bennett after he had a falling out with Joseph Smith in Nauvoo. Both Bennett and Smith worked closely together in beguiling the women of Nauvoo, but swiftly parted ways as the tensions rose. There is no doubt that this book was put together to slander the fallen prophet, but who better to let the truth be known than his right-hand man? Bennett scoured the country for affidavits against JS, of which the book is mostly a collection of those affidavits.

Now to the topic at hand, enjoy!

“In the month of August, 1827, I was hired by Joseph Smith, Jr., to go to Pennsylvania, to move his wife's household furniture to Manchester, where his wife then was. When we arrived at r. Hale's, in Harmony, Pa., from which place he had taken his wife, a scene presented itself, truly affecting. His father-in-law (Mr. Hale) addressed Joseph, in a flood of tears: ‘You have stolen my daughter, and married her. I had much rather have followed her to her grave. You spend your time in digging for money — pretend to see in a stone, and thus try to deceive people. Joseph wept, and acknowledged he could not see in a stone now, Nor NEVER could; and that his former pretensions in that respect, were all false. He then promised to give up his old habits of digging for money and looking into stones. Mr. Hale told Joseph, if he would move to Pennsylvania and work for a living, he would assist him in getting into business. Joseph acceded to this proposition. I then returned with Joseph and his wife to Manchester.

“Joseph told me, on his return, that he intended to keep the promise which he had made to his father-in-law; ‘but, said he, “it will be hard for me, for they will all oppose, as they want me to look in the stone for them to dig money. And, in fact, it was as he predicted. They urged him, day after day, to resume his old practice of looking in the stone. He seemed much perplexed as to the course he should pursue. In this dilemma, he made me his confidant, and told me what daily transpired in the family of Smiths. One day he came and greeted me, with a joyful countenance. Upon asking the cause of his unusual happiness, he replied in the following language: “As I was passing, yesterday, across the woods, after a heavy shower of rain, I found, in a hollow, some beautiful white sand, that had been washed up by the water. I took off my frock, and tied up several quarts of it, and then went home. On my entering the house, I found the family at the table, eating dinner. They were all anxious to know the contents of my frock. At that moment, I happened to think of what I had heard about a history found in Canada, called the golden Bible; so I very gravely told them it was the golden Bible. To my surprise, they were credulous enough to believe what I said. Accordingly I told them that I had received a commandment to let no one see it; for, says I, no man can see it with the naked eye and live. However, I offered to take out the book and show it to them, but they refused to see it, and left the room. Now, said Joe, ‘I have got the damned fools fixed, and will carry out the fun. Notwithstanding, he told me he had no such book, and believed there never was any such book, yet, he told me that he actually went to Willard Chase, to get him to make a chest, in which he might deposit his golden Bible. But, as Chase would not do it, he made a box himself, of clapboards, and put it into a pillow-case, and allowed people only to lift it, and feel of it through the case.

“In the fall of 1827, Joseph wanted to go to Pennsylvania. His brother-in-law had come to assist him in moving, but he himself was out of money. He wished to borrow the money of me, and he presented Mr. Hale as security. I told him in case he could obtain assistance from no other source, I would let him have some money. Joseph then went to Palmyra; and said he, “I there met that damn fool Martin Harris, and told him that I had a command to ask the first honest man I met with for fifty dollars in money, and he would let me have it. I saw at once, said Joe, ‘that it took his notion, for he promptly gave me the fifty.” “Joseph thought this sum was sufficient to bear his expenses to Pennsylvania; so he immediately started off, and since that time I have not been much in his society. While the Smiths were living at Waterloo, William visited my neighborhood; and, upon my inquiry how they came on, he replied, “We do better there than here; we were too well known here to do much.”

PETER INGERSOLL.
“STATE of NEW YORK, Wayne County | SS,

“I certify, that on this 9th day of December, 1833, personally
appeared before me the above-named Peter Ingersoll, to me known, and made oath, according to law, to the truth of the above statement.

“TH. P. BALDWIN,
“Judge of Wayne County Court.”

Bet he can see his golden Bible now. Didn't the angel Moroni take it back up into hell?

He was known for tall tales.
I wouldn't have trusted that guy.

Yup..Joseph Smith the snake was very much known for fraud and tall tales. I wouldn't have trusted him either.

Ya? Dispute that!

I think the book you're speaking of is "History of the Saints: Or, An Expose of Joe Smith and Mormonism" by John C. Bennett.

so according to Peter Ingersoll Mormonism began with a box of white sand and a small lie about the boxes contents and grew into an ever increasingly big lie involving a multi-billion dollar corporation with millions of followers. This would imply that Joseph Smith was a complete fraud, not a pious fraud as Dan Vogel asserts in his book "Joseph Smith: The Making of A Prophet."

I think the truth is somewhere between the two extremes. One thing seems quite apparent: Joseph realized early on that the people in his world were easy to convince (or con) and he ran with it. He seemed to possess a remarkable ability to persuade people to believe him. This was demonstrated early on with his seer stone and treasure hunting.

Yes, it was John C. Bennett. I happened to be looking at another document, an interview with William Law from 1887, when I passively wrote William as his first name. My mistake.

The scanned hardcover of the book reads "Mormonism Exposed" but the title page reads a "History of the Saints: Or, An Expose of Joe Smith and Mormonism".

Thank-you for correcting my errors.

I need to register my handle to take care of errors such as this!