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Source: Church History Vol. 4 Chapter 26 Page: 459 (~1885)

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459 up the corner-stone referred to, in repairing and remodeling the dwelling into which he made a part of the premises. He found that the contents of the stone had been imperfectly preserved, water having penetrated the cavity. The manuscripts were water-soaked and spoiled, a small section only being decipherable, the rest was mostly reduced to pulp, and on those portions not so reduced, the writing was faded out and illegible. A copy of the Doctrine and Covenants was with the manuscript, and the whole mass when dry crumbled to pieces at a touch. He forwarded such part as could be handled to us at Lamoni, where after a little exposure and handling it became entirely worthless even as a relic. If this copy thus accounted for was one of the two which it is alleged were made at the beginning, either the original or the copy, the one which Elder David Whitmer has is the only one in writing in existence; and must be the basis from which any errors, if any have been made, must be corrected.

The final report of the committee was published in the Herald for August 23, 1884, setting forth that the committee had carefully compared the manuscript in the hands of David Whitmer with the Palmyra and Plano editions of the Book of Mormon, noting all discrepancies. Many unimportant changes were found but none that changed the meaning of the language. Conclusive evidence was found that the manuscript was the one used by the printers of the Palmyra edition. The handwritings of Oliver Cowdery, Christian Whitmer, and Emma Smith were positively identified by parties familiar with these handwritings. The committee earnestly recommended that future editions of the Book of Mormon be made to conform to the Palmyra edition corrected by them to fully agree with the manuscript.

This recommendation has not been carried into effect.

The following certificate accompanied the report, but has not been hitherto published:

RICHMOND, Ray County, Missouri, July 17, 1884.

To whom it may come: This may certify that we were present from time to time at the residence of David Whitmer, Sr., during the examination and comparison of the Palmyra and subsequent editions of the Book of Mormon, with the manuscript of that book now in the hands of said David Whitmer, and that examination was conducted openly, and as we believe fairly; by W. H. Kelley, A. H. Smith, and T. W. Smith for the Reorganized Church; and Joseph Smith and Philandi A. Page for David Whitmer;

(page 459)

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