Elder Willey Healed of Possession
Published October 4, 2026 at 7:50 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
Elder Willey was seized by a foul spirit that caused him to gnash his teeth and foam. Elders laid hands on him, rebuked the spirit in the name of Jesus, and he was able to call for drink and lie down, though he later began speaking in poetry, requiring further rebuke by Elder Duncan McArthur to be relieved.
Fuller account of this event (as retold in The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 16, No. 15 (15 April 1854)):
This evening, Elder Willey was taken ill, gnashing his teeth and foaming horribly. They laid hands on him, and rebuked the foul spirit in the name of Jesus, when he called for drink and lay quietly down, but soon recommenced his poetry. Elder Duncan McArthur laid hands upon him, and began to rebuke it. At the same instant, he let out a long groan, yelped, and screamed out, as it were, all in a whistling sound, and he became silent. As soon as Elder McArthur was done, he lay down, and was well.
In Their Own Words
“This evening, Elder Willey was taken ill, gnashing his teeth and foaming horribly. They laid hands on him, and rebuked the foul spirit in the name of Jesus, when he called for drink and lay quietly down, but soon recommenced his poetry. Elder Duncan McArthur laid hands upon him, and began to rebuke it. At the same instant, he let out a long groan, yelped, and screamed out, as it were, all in a whistling sound, and he became silent. As soon as Elder McArthur was done, he lay down, and was well. — Millennial Star 16:15”
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 15 April 1854 (Vol. 16, No. 15). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1854-04-15_16_15 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Fuller account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 16, No. 15 (15 April 1854) https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1854-04-15_16_15
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