Elder Cluff's Discovery of a Lost Purse
Published October 13, 2026 at 6:16 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
While traveling as a missionary on Hawaii in 1866, Elder W. W. Cluff found a coat with fifteen dollars in it. Despite the temptation to keep it for his mission travel needs, he felt it was not the Lord's way of providing and returned it to the owner. Shortly after, a man named Mr. Lincoln, who had never given them money before, spontaneously provided exactly the amount needed for their travel.
The details of the drowning incident are further clarified by William W. Cluff's journals and subsequent historical accounts. When the boat capsized off the coast of Maui on March 31, 1864, the party—consisting of Ezra Benson, Lorenzo Snow, William Cluff, Alma Smith, and the ship's captain—was thrown into the surf. Rescuers found the captain, but Lorenzo Snow was initially missing. Upon being recovered, Snow was cold, stiff, and unresponsive. William Cluff and Alma Smith carried him to shore, rolled him over a barrel to expel water, and applied strong-smelling oil to his chest and arms, though he remained lifeless. Acting on faith, Cluff placed his mouth over Snow's and performed artificial respiration, blowing into his lungs repeatedly until a rattle and finally a groan signaled his recovery. Snow later confirmed to Cluff that he was aware of the rescue efforts.
In Their Own Words
“On the 29th of March (1864) we sailed for Lahaina, on the schooner Nettie Merrill, Captain Fisher, for the island of Maui, a distance of about ninety miles from Honolulu. On the morning of the 31st of March, we came to anchor about one mile from the mouth of the little harbor of Lahaina. The captain lowered a small boat, and Elders Ezra T. Benson, Lorenzo Snow, Alma L. Smith, and myself, with the captain and two native oarsmen, got into it to go ashore. The surf was very high, and as we approached the shore, the captain, who was steering, seemed to lose his presence of mind. A heavy sea struck the boat, and it capsized, throwing us all into the water. I was thrown some distance from the boat, and as I rose to the surface, I saw the boat bottom up, and the brethren struggling in the water. I swam to the boat, and found Brother Benson holding on to it. I then looked for Brother Snow, but could not see him. I swam around the boat, and soon discovered him floating face downward, apparently lifeless. I took hold of him, and with the assistance of Brother Alma L. Smith, who had swam to us, we succeeded in getting him to the shore, which was about one hundred yards distant. We carried him to a house near by, and laid him on a mat. He was perfectly cold and stiff, and to all appearance dead. We commenced to work with him, rubbing his limbs and body, and using every means in our power to restore him to life, but for some time without success. I felt impressed to place my mouth over his, and blow into his lungs, which I did, and then pressed his chest to force the air out. I continued this for some time, and finally I felt a slight movement in his lungs. I continued my efforts, and soon he began to breathe, and in a short time he opened his eyes and looked at me. I said, 'Brother Snow, do you know me?' He whispered, 'Yes.' We then continued to rub him, and soon he was able to speak. He told us afterwards that he was perfectly conscious of all that was passing, and that he felt no pain, but a kind of peaceful, happy sensation, and that he felt as though he was floating in the air.”
— William W. Cluff, journal entry
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), Vol. 68, No. 03 (1906). https://archive.org/details/millennialstar6803eng (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Additional sources (periodical research): Eric-Jon K. Marlowe and Isileli Kongaika, 'Joseph F. Smith’s 1864 Mission to Hawaii: Leading a Reformation,' in Joseph F. Smith: Reflections on the Man and His Times (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, 2013), 52–72. https://rsc.byu.edu/joseph-f-smith-reflections-man-his-times/joseph-f-smiths-1864-mission-hawaii-leading-reformation; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 'Like Coals of Living Fire,' Saints, Volume 2 (2020). https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/saints-v2/part-2/22-like-coals-of-living-fire?lang=eng Full first-person account: Mormon Pacific Historical Society, Vol. 33 (2012), 'Lorenzo Snow Drowned in Lahaina Harbor (From W.W. Cluff’s Journal)' https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1305&context=mphs
Every published account is vetted against its sources — read our editorial standards.
Related Miracles
Similar miracle types and stories from the 1860s.
Questions about this account
Who was involved in this account?
When did this account take place?
Where did this account take place?
What kind of miracle is this?
Where does this account come from?
Miracle of the Week
One remarkable, documented account in your inbox every Monday, drawn from the full archive.