A letter from 1830 indicates Joseph Smith was intimately involved in folk magic and money-digging. It purports that the messenger who delivered the plates to Joseph was a white salamander who guarded the gold plates, rather than the benevolent being associated with the story. Instead, he was a malicious spirit who guarded the treasure.
There are some interesting questions about Joseph Smith's background before he interpreted the gold tablets with the magic glasses.
Well you learn something new every day. How big was the white salamander?