The Anthon Letter

I was reading a book by Gordon H. Fraser the other day called What Does the Book of Mormon Teach? and I read something something about a letter written by Charles Anthon. This letter was written to Martin Harris who showed him a manuscript that was written by Joseph Smith which supposedly was written in Reformed Egyptian. Harris showed Anthon, who was an expert in ancient languages, a manuscript that Joseph Smith had given him for the purpose of verifying its authenticity. This interaction between Harris and Anthon as well as the paper called the Anthon Manuscript has been used by Mormons as evidence that the BOM was in fact taken from plates written in Reformed Egyptian. The story according to Joseph Smith History, Martin Harris' story goes as follows:

64 “I went to the city of New York, and presented the characters which had been translated, with the translation thereof, to Professor Charles Anthon, a gentleman celebrated for his literary attainments. Professor Anthon stated that the translation was correct, more so than any he had before seen translated from the Egyptian. I then showed him those which were not yet translated, and he said that they were Egyptian, Chaldaic, Assyriac, and Arabic; and he said they were true characters. He gave me a certificate, certifying to the people of Palmyra that they were true characters, and that the translation of such of them as had been translated was also correct. I took the certificate and put it into my pocket, and was just leaving the house, when Mr. Anthon called me back, and asked me how the young man found out that there were gold plates in the place where he found them. I answered that an angel of God had revealed it unto him.

65 “He then said to me, ‘Let me see that certificate.’ I accordingly took it out of my pocket and gave it to him, when he took it and tore it to pieces, saying that there was no such thing now as ministering of angles, and that if I would bring the plates to him he would translate them. I informed him that part of the plates were sealed, and that I was forbidden to bring them. He replied, ‘I cannot read a sealed book.’ I left him and went to Dr. Mitchell, who sanctioned what Professor Anthon had said respecting both the characters and the translation.”

Anthon has quite a different story, his letter can be found here. He says that the reformed Egyptian hieroglyphics are "perfectly false" which is quite different than being more correct than anything else. Reading through the letter you will see that Anthon is trying to protect Harris from a conman, Smith wanted Harris to sell his farm in order to pay for the publishing of the Book of Mormon.

Not much of a story, I know, but it does show that there were people against the LDS church even in the most early stages of it and that Smith did all he could to cover it up.