“[Joseph Smith, Jr’s] occupation was that of seeing, or pretending to see by means of a stone placed in his hat, and his hat closed over his face. In this way he pretended to discover minerals and hidden treasures…

“The manner in which he pretended to read and interpret, was the same as when he looked for the money-diggers, with the stone in his hat, and his hat over his face, while the Book of Plates were at the same time hid in the woods!”

Isaac Hale (Emma Smith’s father) affidavit – 20 March 1834 (Susquehanna, PA: Susquehanna Register Newspaper, 1 May 1834), 1.