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The letter recounted how the church prophet had encountered a white salamander that transformed itself into a spirit guarding the gold plates. When Simmonds returned after an errand, he found that Hofmann had photocopied until he had run out of coins. Despite the churchs natural interest in the document, this story is less about religion and more about (say it with me, true-crime fans): a violent man with delusions of grandeur trying to prove a point. The boom in Mormon documents continued into 1983, though Camelot was gone, replaced by a grim professionalism. The register noted the bills issued by serial number. The paper was covered with handwriting on both sides that had faded to a light gold color. Excerpt. Why was this one of the most unusual cases in American forensic history? 18. The Salamander Letter was a document which presented a controversial view of the Latter Day Saint movement. This three-part limited series began streaming on Wednesday, March 3rd 2021 and considers the life of Mark Hofmann, an American counterfeiter who created forgeries regarding the Latter Day Saint movement. March 4, 2021 NETFLIX As detailed in Netflix's latest true crime documentary, Murder Among the Mormons, the Salamander Letter was a controversial forgery that revised Mormon history. Essentially, the reason it caused such a stir is this. Even though it may seem like a relatively minor discrepancy, considering it involves the founding of an entire religion, it understandably created a lot of confusion. He asked Hofmann to leave the fragment with him. "If these documents were proved authentic, what kind of major disruption would this be? He specialized in finding and selling historic documents and also happened to be a devout Mormon. It was eventually revealed that the letter was a fake, but the controversy which surrounded it played a crucial role in Hofmann manufacturing bombs later down the line, in hopes that the escalating events would force those who doubted the letter to confront their uncertainty in him and the letter. Lets explore Netflixs Murder Among the Mormons documentary and consider this essential detail. Is the Salamander Letter real? Since the letter purports only to be Martin Harris's interpretation of what he had heard about Joseph's experience, the use of the words white salamander and old spirit seem understandable. What really happened with the salamander letter. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! Answer (1 of 20): In the early 1980's, a letter ostensibly from Martin Harris appeared on the scene in which Harris referred to stories told by Joseph Smith in which a "spirit transfigured himself from a white salamander," with numerous obvious parallels to the published "Joseph Smith Story" but . Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. Controversial forged letter that claims folk magic at beginning of Mormonism. The aim of the letter was to cast doubt on the . The story of Mark Hofmann and the LDS Church is a true-crime drama centered on religion. Lets get it explained. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club thats right for you for free. Collector of rare documents? He claimed to be greeted by Moroni, an angel who led him to buried of golden plates. Simmonds gathered that Jacobs was too shy to deal with him directly. The Salamander Letter was written using ink and paper used in the 19th-century. Really! CNN's summary of Sunday's 2-hr documentary on Afghanistan has some interesting quotes from the commanders - and a few errors - I thought we should start the week out with. Remarkably enough, it was only sixteen days later that the Church openly published the contents of the Salamander Letter in The Church News. The letter, purportedly written by Martin Harris, an early disciple of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints founder Joseph Smith, recounts that a spirit in the form of a white salamander appeared to Smith at the time he discovered the "gold plates," which the church maintains contained hieroglyphics that Smith would translate into the . Im going back to New York to look for the lost 116 pages of The Book of Mormon manuscript. The salamander letter presented a view of the life of the movement's founder, Joseph Smith, that stood sharply at odds with the commonly accepted version of the early progression of the church Smith established. In the letter, Harris describes the origin story of the LDS Church with some high-key differences,. Since folklore was common in the 1800s, the LDS Church had no problem accepting the letter six months before the Salt Lake City bombing. She is also the author of a collection of poetry, a collection of short stories, and a novel and has contributed to several anthologies of poetry and short stories. Tracking the White Salamander: The story of Mark Hofmann, Murder and Forged Mormon Documents Vinyl Bound - January 1, 1987 by Jerald Tanner (Author) 4 ratings Vinyl Bound from $11.00 1 New from $11.00 Then he insured the document, made an appointment to see Dean Jessee to examine the handwriting, alerted sheriffs all along his route to Salt Lake City, and took the fragment to the LDS historical department. We are sorry. Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations. In the early 1980s, the cornerstone of how the Church of Latter-Day Saints, aka the Mormon church, came to be was called into question with the discovery of a controversial piece known as the Salamander Letter. The boom in Mormon documents . In December 1983, Mormon document dealing and collecting was at its peak. On one of his trips to USU that spring, Hofmann became interested in a register book for Deseret Currency, Mormon money used in early pioneer Utah. Jacobs drove to USU, but the staff could not find the register. If that detail was off in the original account, what else could be wrong with the story? Simmonds did not press Jessee but silently concluded that Jessee was telling him he had seen it among the LDS churchs fragments. In the letter, Harris describes the origin story of the LDS Church with some high-key differences,. Netflix has been celebrated for its diverse array of content over the years and documentary enthusiasts have had plenty to dive into. When the Salamander Letter, along with dozens of other historic documents, were discovered to be forgeries, all the pieces fell into place to expose the long con being executed by Hofmann. Letter states a white salamander appeared when Joseph Smith uncovered gold plates. Mark Hofmann's notorious and deadly legacy will always be inextricably tied to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but the impact of his machinations spread far outside of Utah and the church. We're hooked already! All of this had the effect of muddying up the Mormon origin story for a hot second, until it was eventually revealed that the Salamander Letter was a forgery. Murder Among the Mormons is now streaming on Netflix. The new documentary about the case, Murder Among the Mormons, was one of the most-watched shows on Netflix the week it dropped. A bomber killed Steven Christensen at his office door. The Eastern hellbender salamander is an indicator species for river health. Hofmann also told Michael Marquardt about the letter and described its contents. President Hinckley said that letter will never see the light of day, Hofmann confided. The Salamander Letter was a document which presented a controversial view of the Latter Day Saint movement. After the bombings, investigators desperately searched to find any motive that would explain who could be behind it. Get personalized recommendations, and learn where to watch across hundreds of streaming providers. 1. Some Mormons considered this concerning, to say the least. The LDS Church is only one of many victims of Mark Hoffman. He. Netflix Television. UK accused of involvement in 'violence' of Russian warships in the Black Sea, Trespasser at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort prompts huge Secret Service response, Quinton Simon's grandfather 'killed' amid landfill search for toddler's body, Man kills 2 research scientists then leaves mom-of-5 dead in murder-suicide, 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, The documents Mark was carrying were found to be fraudulent, The car bomb was supposedly intended to kill Mark Hoffmann, Hofmann's car blew up in the third explosion. Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon, [{"displayPrice":"$19.95","priceAmount":19.95,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"19","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"95","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"nqAHmpHIgwua28Od9bACu8muSLtNh6PDZ6b56NYQA5p9szLWuEsi0tuVFYzzit%2Fcaoekcop82hGLOC0k7286%2BpCuFaqHkXvWktqsR5Uxfbft8YQE7%2BdDi8y6%2B%2BTT%2F1spBLnkEZqphZE%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW"},{"displayPrice":"$15.29","priceAmount":15.29,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"15","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"29","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"%2FZCwAV%2FNk1uJ3A4JaXyEzuuJWgAGwzIPw14nzfzuev1W4m0EqVEz1HQVx%2BxSUe2RSmehVJQ%2BUFu%2F6Muxh6i7nu8OVj%2BiqM%2F45AcbitFHbntXWShIx%2BQlCgH0qzycrx5lCExq72Cwtq0JwRVJ18EHtThAtqcTAhN18saNvzBCx6xUl7nHIzC9HQ%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED"}]. What is the White Salamander letter? A second bomb killed Kathy Sheets on the sidewalk outside her Salamander: The Story of the Mormon Forgery Murders by Linda Sillitoe & Allen Roberts, Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2011. . Isn't real life always stranger than fiction? It was "discovered" in 1983 by Mark Hofmann, who was raised in a devout Mormon family in Salt Lake City, where the church has its headquarters. Cosmopolitan participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. A lot of them ;-) This was a good one. The Salamander Letter came into play in the early 1980s while a man named Mark Hofmann was making a name for himself as a reputable antiques dealer in Utah. Im not delighted, Mark, but Im not angry.. Mark was a renowned collector of rare documents, including the infamous White Salamander Letter - an artefact whose contents threatened to shake the very foundations of Mormonism. still from Murder Among the Mormons, Netflix. He claimed to have been visited by an angel named Moroni, who told him he had been chosen to translate the Book of Mormon. Did he ever want to go straight, if you will?, Jared echoed this: Im curious what was going through his head leading up to the decision to kill people. Your Weekend Plans: This Chocolate Olive Oil Cake, I Need One Non-Exhausting Election Cycle, Pls, Everything We Know About lite Season 6, 20 Must-Watch British Crime Dramas on Netflix, What We Know About Fate: The Winx Saga Season 3, We're Falling for 'Falling for Christmas' (Lol. The enormous success on Broadway of "Book of Mormon" brings to mind the longest and most difficult mini-series development in the then-William Morris Agency's history. He reported to others in the history division that this was proof the document had come from Grandins shop. . It also requested that Smiths deceased brother be present in order for him to access the plates. Among them, the White Salamander Letter, which supposedly revealed that a magical white salamander guided church founder Joseph Smith to the gold plates that held the Book of Mormon. . Is the Salamander Letter real? Netflix The Salamander Letters The Mormon church is based on the story that Joseph Smith was led to the buried golden plates by an Angel called Moroni. Netflixs new investigative docuseries, Murder Among the Mormons, depicts a widely known yet largely misunderstood moment in time. She is also the author of a collection of poetry, a collection of short stories, and a novel and has contributed to several anthologies of poetry and short stories. Even though it has been exposed as a fake, the magical origin story laid out in the Salamander Letter is still referenced to this day. According to the church's history, Smith was visited by an angel who gave him gold plates, which he translated into the Book of Mormon. This " salamander letter ," which went up for sale in 1984 and was first revealed to the public in 1985, posed a severe challenge to Mormon orthodoxy. March 9, 2021. Hofmann claimed his document was Smith's very first translation of the plates. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. Sam Lawyer is a lifestyle writer and television producer based in New York City. No, thats all right, Mark, Ashworth replied. The three-part series explores the history of the Mormon community in Utah and the role that the infamous White Salamander Letter played in the bombings. Promise. To see our price, add these items to your cart. Watch Murder Among the Mormons . The poor man who passed the lie detector test with a twelve--only to be outdone by Hofmann himself, who passed with a 14--plus the bomb-making mania reminded me of Brody in "Homeland." And we all know how that fictional character exited the series. By the early '80s, some of his most infamous forgeries propelled him to meetings with top church leaders. It was hard to put down. The E. B. Grandin Book of Mormon contract was made available to the history division for study and publication, as were the testimonial notes from Martin Harris and David Whitmer and the Anthon transcript. (highly addictive) documentary series, which delves deep into the . The bombings killed two people and severely injured Mark Hofmann, "a renowned collector of rare documents, including the infamous White Salamander Letteran artifact whose contents threatened. Toads, Salamanders, Bloodstone Amulets, and the Smith Family Magic Parchment: Possible Origins of the White Salamander Letter. Eastern Newt. Linda Sillitoe is a graduate of the University of Utah. Moses, Moroni, and the Salamander Martin Harris' letter of 23 October 1830 to Wm. The letter states that Smith encountered an "old spirit" that "transfigured himself from a white salamander" when he first came across . What do you want for it? Simmonds asked. white salamander documentary white salamander documentary . John Reznikoff, founder of University Archives, was a credited featured contributor during the production of the newly released Netflix three-part true crime docuseries "Murder Among the Mormons: The Salamander Letter." Reznikoff has made a special study of Mark Hofmann, the subject of this documentary, after acquiring material in 2013 relating to Hofmann's life of crime. Some time later, a church employee noticed eleven faint rows of uninked type impressed into the reverse side of the contract, indicating that the contract had been laid on the type in Grandins office, lightly imprinting an advertisement for the shop. in the same dream & says dig up the gold but when I take it up the next morning the spirit transfigured himself from a white salamander in . Contradicts church history. In 1984, Hofmann produced the Salamander Letter, which was written by Martin Harris to William W. Phelps and cast doubt on the official version of events about the founding of Mormonism. To add the following enhancements to your purchase, choose a different seller. It helped that they were both raised in the LDS church, currently lived in Salt Lake City and had been toying with the idea for a documentary project about the "Salamander Letter" for almost a decade. This was well before . Very well written. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2018. Murder Among the Mormons - Mark Hofmann Documentary . As he was earning cred in his community for procuring early Mormon texts, he announced the discovery of a never-before-seen letter. In the end, this story only verifies that some facts are indeed stranger than fiction. Worldwide shipping is available! The letter states that Smith encountered an old spirit that transfigured himself from a white salamander when he first came across the golden plates which he discovered through the use of a seer stone. If the Salamander letter was proven to be authentic, it would confirm controversial aspects of Smiths life and introduce more mystical, magical elements to the religion than the original, orthodox beginnings. Hofmann rewrote Joseph Smith's discovery of the golden plates to replace the angel Moroni with a white salamander . He is the co-founder of Sunstonemagazine, co-editor ofDialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, and is a contributing author toReligion, Feminism, and Freedom of Conscience: A Mormon/Humanist Dialogue. A skilled con artist by anyones assessment, Mark Hofmann eluded exposure by police and document authenticatorsthe FBI, Library of Congress, the LDS historical department, and polygraph expertsuntil George Throckmorton discovered the telltale microscopic alligatoring that was characteristic of the forgeries. {{#media.media_details}} {{#media.focal_point}}. Truthfully, what did he plan to accomplish if he had gotten away with it? Experienced document examiners deemed the Salamander Letter authentic which caused an uproar among the Mormon church when it was released. The writer needed a better editor. Jessee looked it over carefully, then commented that he had seen it before. 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