Information in this book was current as of 1995

Introduction

A personal greeting is hardly necessary, since this monograph is written primarily for my friends, family, colleagues, and clients, particularly here in Jackson County, Missouri. For those unacquainted with me, my name is John Hajicek.(1) Most know me as a professional historian and a buyer of rare books related to the Mormons and Latter Day Saints, and few people in this neighborhood have not seen my bold advertisements offering to pay premium prices for fine books. Many have visited my Restoration library of thousands of volumes, since my benevolent decision two years ago to open it to any interested researcher.

Although most of my friends are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) and the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS)--and the Restoration churches that extend that tradition--my own cultural heritage is from one of the distinctive minor Mormon churches that pioneered Wisconsin and Michigan in the 1840s. Based on my ethnicity, a handful of intolerant but isolated librarians, associated with the RLDS Church, conjectured that I was stealing books instead of buying them.(2)

Their biased accusations led to false charges that I allegedly stole a rare first edition Book of Mormon, printed in 1830, from the State Historical Society of Missouri, and that I possessed a second rare book, the 1856 Book of the Law of the Lord, allegedly stolen from Graceland College (sponsored by the RLDS Church). In this monograph, I provide evidence that will demonstrate that I did not steal the books.

This is not a conspiracy theory. Bigotry separately tainted the supposition of each of the so-called witnesses (there were no eyewitnesses to the allegations). They shared their exaggerated stories, fortified each other, and then rationalized perjury independently. Rather than scheme together, multiple participants planned individually to fulfill a mutual goal. They doubtless thought that I was stealing books, and that provided an excuse for them to amplify their testimonies and to plant evidence. Because of my peculiar Mormon faith, it mistakenly seemed obvious to them that I was a thief, and they were determined not to let me "slip away."

Allusions in this monograph to intolerance by members of the RLDS Church are meant invariably to refer to the specific agents of that church involved in this case, and I recognize that every other person ought to be evaluated upon his or her own merits. I know that many individual members of that church are unbiased people who accept other people of all cultures; most of my local friends are among them (or of that background), and many helped me in my defense. Dena Hajicek, my business colleague and wife, was raised in the RLDS Church, and her family has been Latter Day Saint since the 1840s.(3) She is the niece of one of the most well-liked appointees (general authorities) in the RLDS Church, and the daughter of a police captain her in Independence, Missouri--so naturally she was taught to be exceedingly ethical in her relationships with other people. Together, she and I are experienced buyers of not only Latter Day Saint and Mormon imprints, but also autographs, art, and relics. We continue to build friendships with either sophisticated or down-to-earth members of the RLDS Church, or any other faith, who appreciate our diversity.

1. Czech surname pronounced Hie-yi-chek.

2. This monograph was written in response to the view of the case here in Jackson County, Missouri. It was originally intended as a long book, with sections responding to the outlook of the case from Jackson County, Missouri; Boone County, Missouri; and Utah, respectively. However, since the citizens of Boone County have discontinued their oppression of me, and my colleagues in Utah have revitalized their trust in me, I have suspended my plans to publish the remainder. With that understanding, I have de-emphasized the roles of certain politicians, booksellers, and institutions in those two places, who might otherwise have been adversely affected. Prevalent religious intolerance among certain influential historians in Jackson County, though, has forced this local response from me.

3. According to family lore, her ancestors were with Lyman Wight's colony (a minor Mormon church) in Texas during the 1840s. Family members have subsequently joined the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints, the Church of Christ (Temple Lot), independent Restoration churches, and the Great Lakes Mormons, in a tradition of cultural diversity and searching.

Book Copyright � 1995 John Hajicek.  All rights reserved.