region about the Gold Bible Hill had not been idle
while these things were occurring in Susquehanna. William Van Camp
relates that he and all the other boys believed Hen Pack Hill, a mile
east of Palmyra, would open to allow a giant to step forth and place his
foot upon Palmyra to crush it. This would be the end of all disbelievers
in Mormonism, and the Saints would at once be gathered together in that
vicinity. "I did not know then," says Mr. Van Camp, "how easy it is for
men to lie."

Mr. Van Camp is about seventy years old, and Major John H. Gilbert, who
still resides in Palmyra, is about seventy-six. Both of these gentlemen
were working in the office of the _Wayne Sentinel_, E.B. Grandin
proprietor, during the months from September, 1829, to March, 1830, the
time during which the Book of Mormon was in process of printing. The
office was in the third story of a building now known as "Exchange Row,"
in the principal street of Palmyra. The foreman was Mr. Pomeroy Tucker,
who afterward published a work on Mormonism. Major Gilbert was a
compositor and also a dancing-master. His duties in the latter calling
took him away from his "case" so frequently that Van Camp "distributed"
in order to give him a chance to work the next day. The "copy" was on
ruled paper--an expensive thing in those days--and the letters were so
closely crowded together that words like _and_ or _the_ were divided at
the end of the line. The copy was in Cowdery's handwriting, but it was
produced from a tightly-buttoned coat every morning by Hyrum Smith. One
day's supply only was given at a time, and even this was carefully taken
away at night, there being but one occasion when permission was given to
Major Gilbert to take it away from the office. Major Gilbert and others
say that David Whitner of Richmond, Missouri, has this manuscript copy;
and it has been stated recently that he has been called upon by
officials from Salt Lake City to produce it, and refused.[4]

There were no marks of punctuation in the copy--a sore trial to both
Tucker and Gilbert in "reading proof." At such times Cowdery
occasionally "held the copy." In the absence of Cowdery the
proof-readers often resorted to the orthodox Bible to verify some foggy
passage. The "matter" was "paged" so that thirty-two pages could be
printed at a time on one of Hoe's "Smith" six-column hand-presses. After
the sheets had been run through once and properly dried, they were
reversed and printed on