Letter from Parley P. Pratt, 23 May 1837
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Source Note
, Letter, , OH, to JS, , OH, 23 May 1837; Naked Truths about Mormonism, Apr. 1888, p. 4.
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Historical Introduction
, one of the original Twelve Apostles ordained in 1835, became upset with JS and during the 1837 economic crisis in , Ohio. He presented his concerns in a personal letter to JS that was not intended for public circulation. Pratt charged JS and with fostering a spirit of speculation and with falsely prophesying that land values would remain high. Pratt further accused JS of extortion for selling land to Pratt at what he felt was a greatly inflated price. More particularly, Pratt sought redress regarding the impending loss of his home and property to the Kirtland Safety Society Bank, a circumstance for which he held JS personally responsible.Early in 1838, , JS’s estranged clerk and former secretary of the Kirtland Safety Society, sent ’s letter to the New York Wesleyan Society’s weekly publication, Zion’s Watchman, edited by LaRoy Sunderland and Timothy Merritt. The letter appeared in the March 1838 edition. Later that year, it was again published by Richard Livesey, a Methodist Episcopal minister in Britain, in his pamphlet An Exposure of Mormonism.In the August 1838 issue of Elders’ Journal, claimed that his letter as published in Zion’s Watchman had been altered and that it misrepresented his intentions. Pratt acknowledged he wrote the letter in “great severity and harshness” and “much regretted having written it.” He affirmed his full confidence in the Book of Mormon, the revelations, and the integrity of JS and .The original letter has not been located. In 1888, Arthur B. Deming reprinted what he purported to be “an exact copy of the original” in Naked Truths about Mormonism. The 1888 version included a postscript omitted in 1838 and other significant differences with the Zion’s Watchman version in terms of spelling and punctuation. It is Deming’s text that is featured here even though its fidelity to the original cannot be independently verified.
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, May 23, 1837.
Pres’t J Smith Jr Deare Brother as it is dificult to obtain a personal interview with you at all times By reason of the multitude of Buisiness in which you are engaged you will Excuse my saying In writing what I would otherwise say By word of mouth.
Haveing Long Pondered the Path in which we as a people have been led in regard to our temporal management, I have at Length Become fully convinced that the whole scene of Speculation in which we have Been Engaged is of the Devel; I allude to the covetous Extortionary Speculating Spirit which has reigned in this place for the Last season; which Has given rise to Lying deceiveing and takeing the advantage of ones Nabour [neighbor] and In Short to Every Eavle evil work:
And Being as fully convinced that you and ; Both By presept and Example have Been the principle means In Leading this people astray in these particulars and haveing myself Been Led astray and Caught in the same snare By your Example and By false Prophesying and preaching from your mouths; yea haveing done many things Rong wrong and plunged myself and family and others well nigh in to distruction, I have awoke to an awful sense of my situation and now resolve to retrace my steps, and to get out of the snare and make restitution as far as I can And now Dear Brother If you are still determined to persue this wicked course untill your self and the shall sink down to hell; I Beseach you at least to have mercy on me and my family and others who are Bound with me for those certain 3 lots which you sold to me at the Extortionary price of $2;000 which never cost you $1:00; for if It stands against me it will rewin [ruin] Myself and a helpless family as well as those Bound with me for yesterday came to me and Informed me that you had drawn the money from the Bank on the obligation you hold against me and that you had Left it to the mercy of the Bank and could not help what ever course they might take to collect it: notwithstanding the most sacred promise on your part that I should not Be ingured [injured] By giveing these writings; I offered him the 3 lots for the writings But he wanted my house and home also; now deare Brother will you take those Lots and give me up the writings and pay me the seventy-five dollars which I paid you on the same or will you taake the advantage of your Nabour Because he is in your Power if you will receive this admonition from one who Loves your Soul and repent of your Extortion and covetiousness in this thing, and make restitution you have my fellowship and Esteem as far as it respects our dealings Between ourselves; But if not I Shall Be under the painful necessity of prefering charges against you, for Extortion, covetousness, and takeing advantage of your Brother By an undue religious influence for it is this kind of influence which Led us to make such kind of trades, in this society, such as saying it was the will of God that Lands Should Bear such a price and many other Prophesyings Preachings and Statements of a like nature.
Yours with respect,
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P. S. Do not suppose for a moment that I Lack any Confidence in the Book of Mormons or Doctrine and Covenants Nay It is my firm belief in those Records that hinders my Belief In the course we have Been Led of Late. [p. 4]
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