# Title: Letter to Messrs. Bartlett & Sullivan, editors of the Quincy Whig (reply to Matilda Davison statement on Solomon Spalding), Commerce, Ill.
# Date: 1839-05-27 (published June 8, 1839)
# Source: http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/IL/whig1839.htm | Provenance: signed S. RIGDON; Rigdon's only substantial published denial of the Spalding authorship claim. High confidence.

COMMERCE, May 27th, 1839.

MESSRS. BARTLETT & SULLIVAN:

In your paper of the 18th inst. I see a letter
signed by somebody, calling herself Matilda Davidson,
pretending to give the origin of Mormonism, as she is pleased to call it, by relating a moonshine story
about a certain Solomon Spalding, a creature with the knowledge of whose earthly existence, I am entirely
indebted to this production; for surely, until Doctor Philastus Hurlburt informed me that such a being
lived, at some former period, I had not the most distant knowledge of his existence; and all I now know
about his character is, the opinion I form from what is attributed to his wife, in obtruding my name upon
the public in the manner in which she is said to have done it, by trying to make the public believe, that
I had knowledge of the ignorant, and according to her own testimony, the lying scribblings of her deceased
husband; for if her testimony is to be credited, her pious husband, in his life time, wrote a bundle of lies,
for the righteous purpose of getting money. How many lies he had told for the same purpose while he was
preaching, she has not so kindly informed us; but we are at liberty to draw our own conclusions; for he that
would write lies to get money, would also preach lies for the same object. This being the only information
which I have, or ever had, of this said Rev. Solomon Spalding, I, of necessity have but a very light opinion
of him as a gentleman, a scholar, or a man of piety; for had he been either, he certainly would have taught
his pious wife not to lie, nor unite herself with adulterers, liars, and the basest of mankind.

It is only necessary to say, in relation to the whole story about Spalding's writings being in the hands of
Mr. Patterson, who was in Pittsburg, and who is said to have kept a printing office, and my saying that I
was concerned in said office, &c. &c. is the most base of lies, without even the shadow of truth; there was
no man by the name of Patterson during my residence at Pittsburgh who had a printing office; what might have
been before I lived there I know not. Mr. Robert Patterson, I was told, had owned a printing office before I
lived in that city, but had been unfortunate in business, and failed before my residence there. This Mr.
Patterson, who was a Presbyterian preacher, I had a very slight acquaintance with during my residence in
Pittsburgh. He was then acting under an agency, in the book and stationery business, and was the owner of no
property of any kind, printing office, or any thing else, during the time I resided in the city.

If I were to say that I ever heard of the Rev. Solomon Spalding, and his hopeful wife, until Dr. P. Hurlburt
wrote his lie about me, I should be a liar like unto themselves. Why was not the testimony of Mr. Patterson
obtained to give force to this shameful tale of lies; the only reason is, that he was not a fit tool for them
to work with; he would not lie for them; for if he were called on, he would testify to what I have here said.

Let me here, gentlemen, give a history of this Dr. P. Hulburt and his associates, who aided in getting up and
propagating this batch of lies.

I have seen and heard, at one time and another, by the persecutors and haters of the truth, a great deal said
about the eminent physician, Doctor Hulburt. I never thought the matter worthy of notice, nor probably ever
should, had it not made its appearance in your paper, or some one of equal respectability. And I believe,
gentlemen, had you have known the whole history of this budget of lies, it would never have found a place in
your paper. --

But to my history.

This said Doctor was never a physician, at any time, nor anything else, but a base ruffian. He was the seventh
son, and his parents called him Doctor; it was his name, and not the title of his profession.

He once belonged to the Methodist Church and was excluded for immoralities. He afterwards imposed himself on
the Church of "Latter Day Saints," and was excluded for using obscene language to a young lady, a member of
said church, who resented his insult with indignation, which became both her character and profession.

After his exclusion, he swore -- for he was vilely profane -- that he would have revenge, and commenced his
work. He soon found assistance, a pious old deacon of the Campbellite church, by the name of Onis [sic] Clapp, and
his two sons, Thomas J. Clapp and Matthew S. Clapp, both Campbellite preachers, abetted and assisted by another
Campbellite preacher by the name of Adamson Bentley. Hulburt went to work, catering lies for the company.
Before Hulburt got through, his conduct became so scandalous, that the company utterly refused to let his
name go out with the lies which he had collected, and he and his associates had made; and they substituted
the name of E. D. Howe. The change, however, was not much better. There were scandalous immoralities about the
Howe family of so black a character, that they had nothing to lose, and became good tools for this holy company
to work with. A man of character would never have put his name to a work which Hulburt was concerned in. But
while Hulburt was busily employed in the service of the company, old deacon Clapp was employed in taking care
of his wife. How many others of the company aided in this business must be left to futurity to disclose. At a
certain time, Hulburt being out till a late hour in the night, returned to his house, and in going to his bed
room where his wife was. Behold and Lo! there was the pious old deacon, either in the bed with his wife,
or at the side of it. He had a five dollar bank note in his hand, and his dress was rather light, to suit the
Doctor's taste; for he was not quite as well off as was Aaron, when he offered sacrifice; not even having on a
pair of "linen breeches." Hulburt laid hold of him and called for help, which soon came to his assistance.
The pious old deacon was arraigned before a justice of the peace, and was on the eve of being bound over for
his appearance to the county court, when to put an end to the evils which might result from his pious care of
Mrs. Hulburt, he kindly offered a yoke of oxen and a hundred dollars; this was accepted. Hulburt took
his wife and left the country forthwith, and the pious old deacon and his sons and the good Mr. Bentley, are
left to wear out the shame of their great effort to destroy the character of innocent men, whom they never dare
meet in argument. The tale in your paper is one hatched up by this gang before the time of their explosion.

It has always been a matter of no ordinary satisfaction to me, to know that my enemies have no better weapon
to use against me, or the cause in which I am engaged, than lies; for if they had any better, they would
certainly use them. I must confess, however, that there is some constancy in our persecutors; for, as truth
never can destroy truth, it would be in vain for our persecutors to use truth against us, for this would only
build us up; this they seem to know, and lay hold of the only available means they have, which are lies. And
this, indeed, is the only weapon which can be or ever has been used against the truth. As our persecutors are
endeavoring to stop the progress of truth, I must confess that they act with a degree of consistency in the
choice of the means, namely, lies -- but if truth would do it, they would surely not have recourse to lies.

In order to give character to their lies, they dress them up with a great deal of piety; for a pious lie, you
know, has a good deal more influence with an ignorant people than a profane one. Hence, their lies come signed
by the pious wife, of a pious deceased priest. However, his last act of piety seems to have been to write a
bundle of lies, themselves being witnesses; but then his great piety sanctifies them, and lies become holy
things in the hands of such excessive piety, particularly when they are graced with a few Reverends; but the
days have gone by, when people are to be deceived by these false glossings of Rev'd sanctions; the intelligent
part of the communities, of all parts of the country, know that Rev'ds are not more notorious for truth than
their neighbors.

The only reason why I am assailed by lies, is that my opposers dare not adventure on argument, knowing that
if they do, they fall. They try, therefore to keep the public from investigating, by publishing and circulating
falsehoods. This I consider a high encomium on both myself and the cause I defend.

Respectfully,

S. RIGDON.
