[, (Viator, pseud.)], Letter, , Hancock Co., IL, to the Editor of Daily Bee, , Suffolk Co., MA, 17 Mar. 1843, partial draft; handwriting of ; one page; “Truthiana No. 1,” Truthiana, 1843, drafts, CHL.
do them the justice to say, that I have never found more of the true, gentlemen among any family <people> <among any people,>;— Entirely free from that sophistry <in manners deportment,> which characterises many of the fashionable of the day of civilized Society.— The <Mormon> prophet may well be considered— the <one hundred & first,> wonder of the age, and the caution too; for if I may judge by a few calls at his office, and frequent exhibitions of his himself in public;— for his offical, The dignity, combined withurbanity with ease, familiarity & urbanity of manner, which characterizes his deportme[n]t; on the Judgme[n]t seat, as mayor of the , as Comomader of the ; as head of President of a numerous church; as head of noble family, & as a general business calculator, is unsurpassed: in my observation: but <this> appear <things are is> not sufficet to occupy his mind; his eye <appears to> glances with the velocity of lightning to the utmost bo[u]nds of earth.— & he compasses other wo[r]lds in his imagnation, or revelation (true or false, Jud[g]eye,) never loosing sight of the Signs in the heaven, the commotion of eleme[n]ts, the contentions of nations, on and every even minute circumstanceswhich of any <every> description, which he supposes will have an influence on the happiness, misery misery or destiny, of himself, or his fellow men, and especially, of those his followers who dependon <refere to> him for counsil,
I[t] has been often reported that that “Joe Smith” is surround with some “learnd and talented menn, who does all the work, and he gets the credit,” of thisI doubt;— that there are men of talent here, there is not question;— but, thus far, the prophet has presented himself to myview as his own, best, councillor.
I have take a public survey of the <location of the> , and many other things, such as, its history <its>— charters, number of inhabitants, morals, municipal discipline, organization, & discipline, politics, Legion, General and particular relations, as individuals and body politic; Literary institutions, morals, commerce, currency, wealth & pove[r]ty, prophets, revelations, , faith, &c, &c,— so far as the intense cold wo[r]ld suffere a man with safety, put <push> his nose out of doors, which has been seldom: but will say no more, till I have examind more critically; for there has been so much Speculation concerning this people, I am detirmnd to writee nothing but what from my own observation—