Three Angels Save Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith from Evil Spirits in England (1840)

In 1840, while serving in England with Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde, Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith experienced a severe spiritual assault by evil spirits in their lodging. The records differ on the location: one places the event in London, while the other identifies Preston. Woodruff described feeling as though a strong man had gripped his throat and was trying to choke him; the spirits sought to take the lives of both men. A spirit instructed Woodruff to pray. As he prayed, the room filled with light and three heavenly messengers entered. They laid their hands on Woodruff and Smith and rebuked the evil powers. The intervention preserved the two Elders’ lives, healed injuries Woodruff sustained during the strangulation, and enabled them to rebuke and bind the evil spirits. Woodruff recorded the experience, and Heber C. Kimball also gave an account.

Scholarly analysis of contemporary journals, including that of Joseph Fielding, reveals that the spiritual attacks occurred over two successive nights in Preston rather than a single event. On the first night, the missionaries were assaulted by invisible but audible spirits that threw Elder Kimball to the floor. The following night, Elder Hyde experienced a distinct vision of the evil spirits appearing in the room in various grotesque forms, including those resembling misshapen women and animals. This second encounter included a spirit addressing Hyde directly, stating, 'I never spoke against you.'