[Lee Yost]
... The first heard of Joe Smith was his coming to Fayette to Examine and Search for Treasure as he Supposed was hid or Burried in or about the Embankments of the old Fort or Earth Works was and Plainly to be Seen in the woods on the Farm of my Wife's Grand=father--John Markel in Fayette[.] Smith was shown the Place or Fort by my Wifes Father William A Marshall[,] Son in Law to Markel[.] There together with one or two others they Spent Several days and nights[,] Smith with his mineral Rod to find the Hidden location But failed to find the treasure[.] the next heard of Smith was his Story of finding the Golden Bible[.] the History he gave of the finding was that the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and directed him to Search in a certain Spot East of the vil[l]age of Palmyra directing him of a certain Place South Side of the Road in the field at the foot of of a hill or quite a rise of ground he would find the Plates of the Golden Bible[.] I stayed all night at a tavern on the North side of this road and was shown the very Spot Smith Said he[,] the angel[,] directed him where to find the the Plates of the Golden Bible[.] ... My Father Casper Yost at time a number of times went over to the Whitmores [Whitmer] and there Saw and handled the Golden Plates so called[.] the plates looked to him he Said and I have heard him describe them to others as they appeared to him as sheets or plates of Brass with letters or Engraving which he did not understand or know anything about[.] ...
[Lee Yost to Diedrich Willers, Jr., 18 May 1897, Willers Papers, Seneca Falls Historical Society, Seneca Falls, New York., as cited in Dan Vogel, Early Mormon Documents: Lee Yost To Diedrich Willers, Jr.]
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