Description

Switching Stones

The scene would have looked ordinary enough—two men—one in his twenties and the other middle-aged– standing by the bank of a river throwing and skipping rocks across the stream. It was welcome exercise, but then, as the older man was searching for another rock, he saw one that looked very familiar, and without his companion’s notice he picked it up, and slipped it into his pocket.

That older man was Martin Harris of Palmyra, New York. The other man at the Susquehanna River that day was Joseph Smith Jr. In those early summer days of 1828, Martin and Joseph worked in Joseph and Emma’s small farm cabin on the banks of the Susquehanna River, translating the gold plates. They labored day after day in the translation process. Joseph translated using the Urim and Thummim, or sometimes for the sake of convenience, he would translate with the aid of the seer stone, while Martin wrote it down.

“Martin explained the translating as follows; By aid of the seer stone sentences would appear and were read by the Prophet and written by Martin, and when finished he would say, ‘Written,’ and if correctly written, the sentence would disappear and another appear in its place. If not written correctly it would remain until corrected”

It was tiresome work. Their unused muscles would cry for relief. It was for that reason that they would walk the few steps to the River and throw stones for exercise. The stone that looked familiar to Martin that day on the River resembled Joseph’s seer stone. A plan formed in Martin’s mind, a test, if you will.

Martin took his rock and returned to the cabin. Somehow he switched it with the seer stone, and then waited to see what would happen. If Joseph continued to translate as usual—then in Martin’s mind, Joseph was a liar and a fraud. But if he didn’t translate….

“[Martin] said the Prophet remained silent, unusually and intently gazing in darkness, no traces of the usual sentences appearing. Much surprised, Joseph exclaimed, “Martin, what is the matter? All is as dark as Egypt.’”

Martin’s countenance betrayed him. He could not hide what he had done. When Joseph asked him why he had done such a thing, Martin replied, “To stop the mouths of fools.”

Martin became convinced that the work was true. He would, notwithstanding great trial and affliction, bear witness to his last breath that Joseph Smith was a true prophet and that the Book of Mormon was of God.

Source: Martin Harris account cited in Deseret News, December 28, 1881, p. 763