The Judgment of Akeman

After a man named Akeman threatened Wilford Woodruff and attempted to harm him, Akeman suddenly fell dead in a manner recognized by both his family and the missionaries as a divine judgment.

The events occurred near Petty John Creek in Arkansas Territory (not Missouri), where Woodruff traveled with his companion Elder Harry Brown. The man's full name was Alexander Akeman, a former member of the Church in Jackson County, Missouri, who had apostatized and moved to Arkansas specifically to escape 'Mormonism.' Before the incident, Woodruff experienced a prophetic dream in which he walked a narrow path into a house filled with large serpents; as they attacked him, they fell dead at his feet, turning black, swelling, bursting, and catching fire. Following the incident, Woodruff and Elder Brown stayed in the neighborhood for twenty-five days, during which time Woodruff also preached Akeman's funeral sermon and baptized a man named Hubbel and his wife.