his friends, and
one of them furnished him with money, so that he could proceed to
Pittsburg and have the novel printed. The manuscript remained in the
office of Patterson & Lambdin in that city for some time, but it was
never published. It is probable that it was taken away by Spalding, who
died shortly after (in 1816) at Amity, Washington county, near
Pittsburg. While it was in the office it is believed that Sidney Rigdon,
a young printer, was so pleased with the novel that he took a copy for
future use. Rigdon was born in Alleghany county, Pennsylvania, February
19, 1793. He received a fair English education, and in 1817 became an
orthodox Christian preacher. He soon gave forth strange doctrines, which
were founded on the manuscript in his possession, and then he abandoned
preaching for a number of years "to study the Bible," as he expressed
it. Moving into Lake county, Ohio, he prepared the minds of his
followers for some new _ism_. It cannot be accurately stated just when,
where and how he met Joseph Smith and added his religious enthusiasm to
the humbuggery of the Peeker. But that such a union was formed appears
from the talk of Smith regarding the gold plates, and from the actual
finding of them in the manner proposed by Spalding fourteen years
before. The union is still more evident when we listen to witnesses who
had heard Spalding's readings, and who afterward recognized them in the
Book of Mormon, with additions of a religious nature. These witnesses
noted certain inconsistencies in the Book of Mormon which they had
formerly discovered in Spalding's novel. History records that the widow
of Spalding sent the manuscript to Conneaut, where it was publicly
compared with the printed book and the fraud exposed. Soon afterward the
manuscript was spirited away from Mrs. Spalding, probably to avoid the
certainty of a still more convincing disclosure. Major Gilbert
testified that Rigdon dogged Smith's footsteps about Palmyra for nearly
two years before the Bible was printed. He is of opinion that Rigdon was
among those who listened to Spalding in Conneaut, and took notes on
those occasions. The Bible itself is full of the religious questions
which stirred the people of Western New York in those days--a most
strange thing in a celestial work of such great antiquity.

Immediately after the publication of the Book the Church was duly
organized at Manchester. On April 6, 1830, six members were ordained
elders--Joseph Smit