A
brother in the church, by the name of Burgess, had come to Kirtland and stated
that a large amount of money had been secreted in the cellar of a certain house
in Salem, Massachusetts, which had belonged to a widow, and he thought he was
the only person now living, who had knowledge of it, or to the location of the
house. We saw the brother Burgess, but Don Carlos Smith told us with regard to
the hidden treasure. His statement was credited by the brethren, and steps were
taken to try and secure the treasure . . .
We
soon learned that four of the leading men of the church had been to Salem,
Massachusetts, in search of hidden treasure spoken of by Brother Burgess, viz:
Joseph Smith, jr, Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon and Oliver Cowdery. They left home
on the 25th July, and returned in September . . .
We
do not believe the members of the church generally knew the object of those
brethren visiting Salem, and we did not know of the Revelation, given at Salem
until recently, when we saw it in the Millennial Star. (Ebenezer
Robinson, “Items of Personal History,” The Return [July 1889], 105, 106,
108, in Van Hale, Mormon Miscellaneous Notecards, 3 vols. [Sandy, Utah:
Mormon Miscellaneous, 1985], 2:18)
Further Reading:
Resources on Joseph Smith's Prophecies