Abner Cole
Abner Cole (17 August 1783 – 13 July 1835), also known by his pen name Obadiah Dogberry, Esq., was a 19th-century American newspaper editor. He is notable as one of the earliest critics of the spiritual claims of Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Cole's publishing philosophy was one of freethought, which flourished in periodicals in the northeastern United States between 1825 and 1850.
Cole was born in Chesterfield, Massachusetts. As an adult, Cole moved to Palmyra, New York. After a short career as a judge, Cole began editing a weekly newspaper in Palmyra called the Reflector. Cole wrote most of the contents of the paper under the pseudonym "Obadiah Dogberry, Esq." In the paper's first edition on 2 September 1829, Cole wrote one of the first public criticisms of Mormonism: "The Golden Bible, by Joseph Smith Junior, author and proprietor, is now in press and will shortly appear. Priestcraft is short lived!"[1]
Prior to the Book of Mormon being published, the Reflector printed the first few chapters of what he called "Jo Smith's Gold Bible". Cole obtained the segments of the book by stealing[citation needed] the typeset at E. B. Grandin's press, where the Book of Mormon was being printed. After the first excerpts from the Book of Mormon appeared in the Reflector, Cole was confronted by Smith and was informed that Smith held the copyright to the text. Cole became upset and threatened to fight Smith. Smith refused and reminded Cole of the importance of the rule of law. Shortly thereafter, Cole ceased publishing excerpts from the book.
Later, Cole printed two satires of the Book of Mormon under the name, "Book of Pukei".[2] This satire involved an old man appearing to Joseph Smith dressed as an Native American Indian and claiming to be a messenger sent by Mormon. The Reflector published into 1831.
In 1832, Cole moved the Reflector to Rochester, New York and changed the periodical's name to Liberal Advocate. Cole published in Rochester until 1834, and died the following year.
Notes
- ^ "Selected Items",The [Palmyra] Reflector, September 2, 1829, 1(1).
- ^ Bushman (1984, p. 120).
References
- Joseph W. Barnes, "Obediah Dogberry: Rochester Freethinker", Rochester History 36(3) (July 1974)
- Bushman, Richard Lyman (1984), Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Mormonism, New York: U. of Illinois Press, ISBN 0252060121.
- Cole, Abner (aka O. Dogberry, Esq.) (September 23, 1829), "Selected Items", The [Palmyra] Reflector, 1
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link). - Cole, Abner (aka O. Dogberry, Esq.) (January 2, January 13, and January 22, 1830), "From the Book of Mormon", The [Palmyra] Reflector, 2
{{citation}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link). - Cole, Abner (aka O. Dogberry, Esq.) (June 30, 1830), "editor's note", The [Palmyra] Reflector, 3 (3)
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link). - Cole, Abner (March 19, 1831), "editor's note", The [Palmyra] Reflector, 2 (16)
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link).