Now, even admitting, for the sake of argument, that these witnesses are all honest and credible men, yet what would be easier than for Smith to deceive them?  Could he not easily procure plates and inscribe thereon a set of characters, no matter what, and exhibit them to the intended witnesses as genuine?  What would be easier than thus to impose on their credulity and weakness?  And if it were necessary to give them the appearances of antiquity, a chemical process could effect the matter.  But we do not admit that these witnesses were honest; for six of them, after having made the attestation to the world that they had seen the plates, left the Church, thus contradicting that to which they had certified.  And one of these witnesses, Martin Harris, who is frequently mentioned In the Book of Covenants—­who was a high-priest of the Church—­who was one of the most infatuated of Smith’s followers—­who even gave his property in order to procure the publication of the Book of Mormon, afterwards seceded from the Church.  Smith, in speaking of him in connection with others, said that they were so far beneath contempt, that a notice of them would be too great a sacrifice for a gentleman to make.

Some of the Mormons have said that a copy of the plates was presented to Professor Anthon, a gentleman standing in the first rank as a classical scholar, and that he attested to the faithfulness of the translation of the Book of Mormon.  Now, let us read what the professor himself has to say on this matter.  In a letter recently published he expresses himself thus:—­

“Many years ago, the precise date I do not now recollect, a plain-looking countryman called upon me, with a letter from Dr. Samuel L. Mitchell, requesting me to examine and give my opinion upon a certain paper, marked with various characters, which the doctor confessed he could not decipher, and which the bearer of the note was very anxious to have explained.  A very brief examination of the paper convinced me that it was not only a mere hoax, but a very clumsy one.  The characters were arranged in columns, like the Chinese mode of writing, and presented the most singular medley I ever beheld.  Greek, Hebrew, and all sorts of letters, more or less distorted, either through unskilfulness or from actual design, were intermingled with sundry delineations of half-moons, stars, and other natural objects, and the whole ended in a rude representation of the Mexican zodiac.  The conclusion was irresistible, that some cunning fellow had prepared the paper in question, for the purpose of imposing upon the countryman who brought it, and I told the man so, without any hesitation.  He then proceeded to give me the history of the whole affair, which convinced me that he had fallen into the hands of some sharper, while it left me in great astonishment at his simplicity.”

The professor also states that he gave his opinion in writing to the man, that “the marks on the paper appeared to be merely an imitation of various alphabetic characters, and had no meaning at all connected with them.”