Joseph A. West, Wm. H. Wright, and Willoughby recognized by spiritual discernment
Published October 5, 2026 at 6:17 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
While walking in the Isle of Wight, Joseph A. West and his companions were shouted at by men in a passing carriage who identified them as 'Mormons'. Since the missionaries had never been to that specific location before and the Church had not labored on the island for twenty years, the Elders perceived this identification as an act of spiritual discernment or divination.
In Their Own Words
“We arrived at Ryde, Isle of Wight, on the 16th of May, and commenced our labors by distributing tracts. We found the people generally very indifferent, and in many instances quite hostile. On the 19th, while walking along the road, we were suddenly surprised by a party of gentlemen in a carriage, who, as they passed, shouted at the top of their voices, 'Mormons! Mormons!' At first we knew not what it meant, but as we looked in the direction whence it came, and saw a number of respectably dressed men in a receding carriage, swinging their silk hats and shouting vehemently to us, we knew that we were recognized, and that they were calling us 'Mormons!' They kept up the shouting for some moments, when we stepped into the middle of the road and doffed our hats. At this they ceased their tumult, bowed respectfully and passed quietly on. As we had never been there before, and our Elders have not labored on the island for upwards of twenty years, it will perhaps always remain a mystery by what power of discernment or divination we were known.”
— Joseph A. West, Millennial Star 45:23
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 4 June 1883 (Vol. 45, No. 23). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1883-06-04_45_23 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Full first-person account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 45, No. 23, June 4, 1883, p. 363 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1883-06-04_45_23
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