Howeverhe did not follow the Saints to Missouri from Ohio. He remained and is said to have apostatized, but this is not totally true, he never forsake the Church even though he was excommunicated.
Years later he moved to Utah, and diligently sought rebaptism. After a manifestation of the spirit, the baptismal font was prepared, and by arrangement Elder Stevensen led Martin Harris down into the water and rebaptized him. Five of the Apostles were present (John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Orson Pratt, Geo. A. Smith and Joseph F. Smith) After baptism, Orson Pratt confirmed him, being joined with the rest of the brethren, by the laying on of hands.
�. . . On occasion of our visit to the Fifteenth Ward of Salt Lake City. The meeting was crowded, as usual, with those anxious to see him and to hear his constant, undeviating testimony. On that occasion, he explained the manner in which the plates, containing the characters of the Book of Mormon, were exhibited to the witnesses. Brother Harris said that the angel stood on the opposite side of the table on which were the plates, the interpreters, etc., and took the plates in his hand and turned them over. To more fully illustrate this to them, Brother Martin took up a book and turned the leaves over one by one. The angel declared that the Book of Mormon was correctly translated by the power of God and not of man, and that it contained the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Nephites, who were a branch of the lost sheep of the House of Israel, and had come from the land of Jerusalem to America. The witnesses were required to bear their testimony of these things, and of this open vision to all people, and he (Harris) testified, not only to those present, but to all the world, that these things were true, and before God whom he expected to meet in the day of Judgment he lied not.
When Pres. Geo. A. Smith and others of us were being driven by John Henry Smith in a carriage to take a bath in the Warm Springs, near Salt Lake City, while passing over a high hill Pres. Smith directed the curtains of the carriage to be raised, giving a magnificent view of the city below. The immense Tabernacle and the Temple-and in fact the beautiful city in full view-looked wonderful to Brother Harris, who seemed wrapped in admiration and exclaimed, 'Who would have thought that the Book of Mormon would have done all this?'
Soon after his arrival in Utah Martin Harris located in Smithfield, and later in Clarkston, Cache county, where he died July 10, 1875, nearly ninety-three years old. A few hours before his death, when prostrated with great weakness. Bishop Simon Smith came into his room; Martin Harris stretched forth his hands to salute him and said, "Bishop, I am going." The Bishop told him that he had something of importance to tell him in relation to the Book of Mormon, which was to be published in the Spanish language, by the request of Indians in Central America. Upon hearing this, Martin Harris brightened up, his pulsation improved, and, although very weak, he began to talk as he formerly had done previous to his sickness. He conversed for about two hours, and it seemed that the mere mention of the Book of Mormon pt new life into him.
At his funeral every respect that could be paid to him was manifested by the people. In dressing him, a Book of Mormon was put in his right hand and the book of Doctrine and Covenants in his left hand. On the head board of his grave was placed his name, date and place of his birth and death, with the words, "One of the witnesses of the Book of Mormon
