“At length the public, becoming wearied with the base imposition which [Joseph] was palming, had him arrested as a disorderly person.” — Abram W. Benton1
Josiah Stowell, born in 1770 in New Hampshire, wanted to find the Spanish silver mine rumored to be hidden in the mountains near Harmony, Pennsylvania. He hired Joseph Smith Jr. to help him, believing the young man's gift with seer stones would help locate the treasure. The group never found anything, and eventually, Joseph convinced Stowell to call off the search.2
After the failed treasure-seeking venture, the 20-year-old Joseph was brought to trial in Bainbridge, New York, on a misdemeanor charge of "glass looking" and disorderly conduct. The charge likely came from a relative of Josiah Stowell, but Joseph's former employer came to Joseph's defense in court. It is unclear how the trial turned out and historians still debate the topic today.3
