David W. Patten — Encounter with Cain in Tennessee
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While serving a mission in Tennessee, Apostle David W. Patten was riding on horseback when he encountered a very strange and imposing personage walking along the road. The man was described as being very tall, with dark skin, and covered in hair, wearing no clothing except for a skin around his loins. Patten rode alongside the figure for some distance, during which the being identified himself as Cain, the son of Adam. Cain stated that he had no resting place and was a wanderer upon the earth, seeking to destroy the souls of men. Sensing a dark and oppressive spirit, Patten rebuked the being in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and commanded him to depart. The figure then withdrew, and Patten continued his journey, later recording the event as a testimony of the reality of the adversary's presence.
In Their Own Words
“As I was riding along the road on my mule I suddenly noticed a very strange personage walking beside me. His head was about even with my shoulders as I sat in my saddle. He wore no clothing, but was covered with hair. His skin was very dark. I asked him where he dwelt and he replied that he had no home, that he was a wanderer in the earth and traveled to and fro. He said he was a very miserable creature, that he had earnestly sought death during his sojourn upon the earth, but that he could not die, and his mission was to destroy the souls of men. About the time he expressed himself thus, I rebuked him in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by virtue of the Holy Priesthood, and commanded him to go hence, and he immediately departed out of my sight.”
— David W. Patten, as recorded in a letter by Abraham O. Smoot; quoted in Lycurgus A. Wilson, The Life of David W. Patten (1900)
Sources & References
Lycurgus A. Wilson, The Life of David W. Patten: The First Martyr in the Latter-day Dispensation (1900); FAIR LDS, 'Cain, Curse, Master Mahan, and Latter-day Saint Legend' (https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/conference_home/2025-fair-conferences/virt_2025-ot/master-mahan-cain-in-the-latter-day-saint-tradition) (research confidence: high) Account discussed: https://doctrineandcovenantscentral.org/people-of-the-dc/david-w-patten/
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