The original holograph letter is held in the Miscellaneous Letters and Papers (Whitmer Family Collection), Community of Christ Library-Archives, Independence, Missouri. Per the editorial note in Vogel, Early Mormon Documents 5:260, "the bottom half of the letter is missing beginning at the fold." The portions of the letter that have been published — i.e., the framing narrative around the Elizabeth Ann Whitmer Cowdery affidavit, the affidavit itself which McLellin copied into the letter, and several additional sentences quoted by Royal Skousen from his transcription of the manuscript — are reproduced below.
[McLellin introduced the affidavit with the following:]
"Last Tuesday, I went to visit David [Whitmer] again in Richmond and found him as well as usual for him. … I stayed in Richmond two days and nights. I had a great deal of talk with widow Cowdry and her amiable daughter. She [Elizabeth's daughter] is married to a Dr. Johnson. But has no children. She [Elizabeth] gave me a certificate and this is a copy. …"
Richmond, Ray Co., Mo. Feb 15th 1870———I cheerfully certify that I was familiar with the manner of Joseph Smith's translating the book of Mormon. He translated the most of it at my Father's house. And I often sat by and saw and heard them translate and write for hours together. Joseph never had a curtain drawn between him and his scribe while he was translating. He would place the director in his hat, and then place [-] his <face in his> hat, so as to exclude the light, and then [read?] to his scribe the words (he said) as they appeared before him. …
[Before relating Elizabeth's certificate, McLellin wrote:]
"I dont think there would be much object of his [David's] acting much without he can obtain the Interpreters."
[After relating Elizabeth's account, McLellin wrote:]
"I am now looking for some man to rise with the Interpreters or Directors—those ancient eyes by which hidden treasures can and will come to light. (Joseph in his history and all L.D.S.ism call those interpreters the Urim & Thummim), but I prefer calling it by its proper name—it never was Urim nor Thummim but LDSism nicknamed almost every holy thing which it touched I have less and less patience with its unholy doings, the more I see of it."