Without Disclosing My True Identity
Faithful Account of That Singular Imposition and Delusion, from Its Rise to the Present Time. With
Sketches of the Characters of Its Propagators, and a Full Detail of the Manner In Which The Famous
Golden Bible Was Brought Before the World. To Which Are Added, Inquires Into the Probability
That The Historical Part of the Said Bible Was Written By One Solomon Spalding, More Than
Twenty Years Ago, And By Him Intended to Have Been Published as a Romance.^9
What Joseph’s later critics have not reported was the reason why Howe wasted a
great deal of his life condemning another person’s religious beliefs. Howe’s own wife, sister,
and niece converted to Mormonism and loved reading the Book of Mormon. In sum,
however, the fact was, neither Joseph’s critics, nor his friends, knew the real truth.
The Stowell Connection
The Smith men at one point were employed by Josiah Stowell (Stoal).^10 Josiah
Stowell worked personally with Joseph Jr. and became very fond of him, in spite of his
inconsistent work habits. Stowell found some personal value in working with the Smith
men, as he was Josiah Stowell, Sr. and had a son, Josiah Stowell, Jr., just like the Smiths did.
Josiah Jr. and Joseph Jr. became good friends working together for Mr. Stowell. Yet, the
fonder Josiah Sr. became of Joseph Jr., the more worried his family became. Josiah’s wife
was well acquainted with the rumored claims circulating among the women of that area in
regards to “Lucy Smith and her special son.” However, Mrs. Stowell loved and respected her
husband and did not question his integrity or his judgment of the men he trusted as hires.
Josiah Stowell had one reason for hiring workers—to look for gold and silver. Had
Joseph made claim to any special, magical, supernatural ability to locate gold and silver,
Stowell would have made mention of this at some time during his life. He never did (at least
not in any of his personal, true accounts). Josiah Stowell, Sr. eventually became one of
Joseph’s first converts and stayed loyal to his testimony of Joseph being a prophet of God
and of the veracity of the Book of Mormon. Josiah Stowell, Jr., on the other hand, never
converted to Mormonism nor accepted Joseph for anyone other than a person he was
Intemetely acquainted with... then was about 20 years old or there about. I also went to
school with him one winter[.] he was a fine likely young man & at that time did not
Profess religion he was not a Profain man although I did onc[e] in a while hear him
swair. He never gambled to my knowledge I do not believe he ever did. I well know he
was no Hoars Jocky for he was no judge of Hoarses I sold him one[.] that is all I ever
knowd he dealt in the kind[.] I never [k]new him to git drunk. I believe he would now
and then take a glass, He never Pretended to Play the Slight of hand nor Black leg. It
was fashionable at that time to drink Liquor. I do not Believe in any religion & there
fore am friendly to all. ...I State this for facts that any thing from what I have said
about Joseph Smith that is wors than I say is fals & untru[.]^11 (As in original.)Had Joseph done anything to take advantage of or mislead the Stowells in any way,
those Stowells who knew him best and worked closely with him would have said
something of that nature. But they didn’t.
Josiah Stowell, Sr. spent much of his wealth searching for gold, silver, and hidden
treasures. Because his money started to disappear in paying for labor, the Stowell family
intervened—not out of concern so much for Josiah, but so that they wouldn’t lose any
inheritance that might be left to them. One of Josiah’s nephews, Peter Bridgman, was close