Image of Harmony cabin: courtesy Dale Broadhurst
Smith likely had several drivers for rapid dictation. Emma’s illness after loss of her firstborn would have slowed dictation in the Winter of 1828-29 and created a need for a different scribe. With Cowdery as scribe, Smith could read from text previously dictated in Bainbridge, Ohio (Episode 3), and Cowdery could simply record Smith’s dictation. The purpose of such a dictation would be to change the scribe handwriting.