Hyrum and Lucy Mack Smith1838 Testimonies of the Book of Mormon Plates and the Breastplate (Historical Documents)

I have not heard but one sermon since we have been in the place, and that by hyrum Smith as he was moving to Missouri [.] he tarried with us a little while [.] his discourse was beautiful [.] we was talking about the Book of Mormon which he is one of the witnesses [.] he said he had but too [two] hands and too [two] eyes [.] he said he had seene the plates with his eyes and handled them with his hands and he saw a brest plate and he told how it wass maid [.] it was fixed for the brest of a man with a holer [hollow or concave] stomack and too [two] pieces upon eatch side with a hole throu them to put in a string to tye <it> on but that wass not so good gold as the plates for they was pure [.] why i write this is because they dispute the Book so much. I lived by his Mother and and [she] was wone [one] of the finest of wimen [.] always helping them that stood in need [.] she told me the [w]hole story [.] the plates wass in the house and some times in the woods for eight months and on account of people trying to get them [.] they had to hide them [.] wonce [once] they had these under the hearth [.] they took up the brick and put them in and put the brick back [.] the old lady told me this hur self with tears in hur eyes, and they ran down her cheeks too [.] she put hur hand upon her stomack and said she [ha]s the peace of god that rested upon us all that time [.] she said it wass a heaven below [.] I axter [asked her] if she saw the plates [.] she said no it wass not for hur to see them but she hefted and handled them and I believed all she said for I lived by hur eight months and she was wone [one] of the best of wimen [.]

[From Sally Parker to John Kempton, 26 August, 1838, In Private Possession, Microfilm in LDS Family History Library, Salt Lake City].