Book of Mormon witnesses-David Whitmer

David Whitmer was one of the big three (not like the Celtics big three, but Garnett, Pierce and Allen are also just as important! Go Celtics!) of the original witnesses. Like the rest of them, he broke from Smith, was never re-baptized-but never denied his testimony in the validity of the Book of Mormon. 

And boy did have the opportunity to do so. He was not the longest lived of the three witnesses. Harris died at 92-an amazingly old age at that time period, when life expectancy was much shorter, and Cowdrey died in his forties. Whitmer was the final living one for thirteen years. He was asked about the golden plates many times, and even though he was quite bitter towards the church over polygamy, bank failures, personal disagreements with Smith-he never denied that he actually saw the golden plates. 

Whitmer was also asked if he saw them in a "spiritual" vision only or if he saw them in physical reality. He knew he didn't have much time left  (he was in the "sunset" of his life) and he made it clear that he saw them when they were "in the spirit" but also "in body also". 

It's been said before, but liars make bad martyrs (not my line, I forgot where I heard it). All three of these men had nothing to gain, and a lot to lose-by professing belief in the validity of the Book of Mormon. It would have been easier for them to just deny it and move on.