entitled The Prophetic Controversy #3. Among other things, Watson points out that the theory advanced fails to explain how the 12"x12"x3" stone covering block was placed above the case containing the plates. Strang was assassinated in 1856. The Voree plates remained with his family until they disappeared sometime around 1900. Their current whereabouts are a mystery. Script used on the plates The Voree plates are written in an unknown alphabet. Strang authored a personal diary during his youth, parts of which were written in a secret code which was not deciphered until over one hundred years later by Strang's own grandson. Comparison of the script used in the coded portions of Strang's diary and the script used on the Voree plates shows remarkable similarities between the two. Keith Thompson, of Manchester, England, alleges that the text on the plates matches Strang's published translation. Although he did not identify the values of specific characters, Thompson claimed to have shown how words such as "and", "in", and "are" appear in multiple places. According to a Strangite website, Derek J. Masson, a non-Mormon scholar, reportedly argued in an unpublished 1977 paper that Strang's translation was sound. This same site alleges that a second non-Mormon scholar, Robert Madison, concluded in 1990 that the text on the plates appears to represent a genuine, albeit unknown, language, and that Strang's translation appeared to be "a superb (if poetic) rendition of that text into English." Independent scholarly assessment of Masson's and Madison's conclusions does not exist. See also Reformed Egyptian List of plates (Latter Day Saint movement) Notes External links The Voree Plates, Strangite site containing a large reproduction of the Voree plates, with translation and other information. James Strang as Translator, Strangite site on the plates. Giants of Burlington, non-Strangite website seeking to link the Voree plates to the world of psychic and UFO phenomena. 1845 archaeological discoveries Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite) Latter Day Saint texts Latter Day Saint terms 1845 in Christianity 1845 in Wisconsin Territory Mormonism-related controversies Lost objects