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According to the letter, when Smith dug up the plates a "salamander" appeared, which transformed itself into a spirit that refused to give Smith the plates unless his brother, [[Alvin Smith (brother of Joseph Smith)|Alvin Smith]], was also present. This would have been very difficult, as Alvin was dead at the time of the alleged appearance. This reference may have been an attempt by Hofmann to associate the recovery of the gold plates to a rumor that Alvin's grave was dug up by Smith's family to use Alvin's remains in a magical ceremony.
Hofmann's use of a [[salamander]] drew upon legends about certain animals having supernatural powers. Hofmann may have been inspired by the early anti-Mormon book, ''[[Mormonism Unvailed]]'' (1834), which claimed that a [[Mormonism_Unvailed#Toad_as_a_treasure_guardian|toad-like animal was rumored]] to have appeared to Smith in conjunction with the recovery of the plates.
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