“I was well acquainted with the elder Smith [Joseph, Sr.]; he often came to see me, and we had many long talks together…

“Smith told me of the stones his son Joseph had found, and by means of which he could see hidden treasures and many wonderful things…

“I required to be shown the plates of which he spoke, but he said if I saw and handled the plates I would be struck dead. I told him, if this was the case, it was just the kind of death I would want to die. But he would not consent, and thus gave me up.”

William Hyde – 14 October 1888, Deseret Evening News, “The Birth of Mormonism” (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Evening News, 10 November 1888), 2.