Jacob Gates records in personal journal conversation with John Whitmer, who affirmed his testimony of the BOM.
Jacob Gates, Journal, March 18, 1861, MS 1501, Church History Library
Monday the 18th I rode into Far West & called upon John Whitmer one of the witnesses to the Book of Mormon who was cut off from the Church some 22 years before he received me very kindly & appeared to be glad to see me I spent 4 or 5 hours with him in conversation he still testified that the Book of Mormon is true & that Joseph Smith was a prophet of the Lord he also said that he believed that the Elders preached the gospl right when the[y] went out into the world & that Brigham Young was carrying out the Doctrine & Sistem which which Joseph Smith taught but he (Whitmer) did not believe in a mans haveing more than one wife & finally he said that he & his Brother David often talked about the affairs of the Church & it had been made known unto them that it was wisdom for them to stay were they were & refered me to the case of the harlot Rahab who hid the spies &c. I invited him to come to Salt Lake City & pay us a visit he said he would not say that he would not come he did not know what he might do I bid him good by with a feeling of sorrow to think that a man who was once a Bright & Shineing light in the Kingdom of God should be so lost to his own interest & the wellfare of his family