[Colofornian]

From the article: Feature agent and former New York colleague Fred Milstein called me one morning and spoke about a series of forgeries and murders by a 28-year-old elder of ths Mormon church against fellow Mormons. I could try to explain the convolutions of this story, but the most incisive and coherent analysis comes from a former LDS elder who calls himself "Stray Mutt." It is herein paraphrased. Mark Hofmann [pictured left] was a gifted and masterful forger. Like any good con man, he knew part of his success manufacturing and selling fake historical documents depended on willing victims – people who wanted to believe. Growing up Mormon, Hofmann realized he was surrounded by the devout who were trained to trust authority. He also saw they were true believers about their sacred history and legends. This was a situation ripe for exploitation. From his years of collecting, buying and selling old documents and studying church history, Mark Hofmann knew there were skeletons in the Mormon closet. He also knew the church was interested in acquiring potentially embarrassing documents so they could suppress them. So Hofmann created the “Salamander Letter” [at right], a document by church founder Joseph Smith encountering a talking salamander that turned into an angel. The sale of this "document" to his brethren, created, penned and aged by Hoffmann, netted the son of the Mormons $40,000. Hofmann was on his way. There were dozens of other "documents" only Hofmann could "discover." Over a period of four years, Hofmann's transactions with the leaders of the LDS netted him nearly a million dollars. In cash.

[freedomlover]

At least he didn’t forge something along the lines of Heaven Levels 1-3, polygamy in heaven, spirit babies, or that “No man can come to Christ except through Joseph Smith”!

That certainly would have been immediately recognized as forgery.

[william clark]

I was surprised that “September Dawn” managed to get made and released. On the other hand, what do you bet that if Romney gets the GOP nomination, this project gets resurrected?

[reaganaut]

A knowledgeable member of the church, however, began to suspect Hofmann was a forger.

- - - - - -
Actually, Jerald Tanner, known “anti-Mormon” figured out that Hoffman was a forger long before the LDS did including the victims.

www.UTLM.org

[svcw]

place marker

[Pontiac]

If this is the English language of the early 1800’s well Hmmm. I am quite amazed that this forgery was bought, hook line and sinker. There doesn’t seem to be a coherent thought in the whole thing.

The Salamander Letter

[Pontiac]

Sorry about the link. The Salamander Letter

[Oratam]

Paley, who hadn't been Jewish for more than half a century . . .

oy vey!

I remember sitting next to a woman on a very long flight in the mid-80s who was reading that book. She gave me the long and the short of it. How much I wanted to read it! But before I could, 60 Minutes pretty much covered it.

[dr_lew]

A knowledgeable member of the church, however, began to suspect Hofmann was a forger. Hofmann realized he might be exposed, so he blew the guy up with a letter bomb. To throw the investigation away from himself, he tried to blow up the first guy’s business associate, but unintentionally killed the associate’s wife instead. He was trying to deliver a third bomb, but it blew up on him.

I read the book. It was a lot more complicated than that. Hoffman was getting advances to cover payment promises to others, and this "kiting" scheme was collapsing around him by the hour when he resorted to the bombing murders, which he conceived as a way out. A gripping true crime tale.

His forgeries, BTW, were very clever. He made ink using genuine, but less valuable documents by dissolving the "old ink" from them, and in this way the ink on the forgery passed scientific age tests.

[Elsie]

Like any good con man, he knew part of his success manufacturing and selling fake historical documents depended on willing victims – people who wanted to believe. Growing up Mormon, Hofmann realized he was surrounded by the devout who were trained to trust authority. He also saw they were true believers about their sacred history and legends. This was a situation ripe for exploitation.

People who 'believe' that MORE will be coming from the Lord...