“The Lord formed a new joint as good as the old one and he can leap like an hart and dance like a top” — Amanda Smith¹

Alma Smith was just a six-year-old boy when he survived the Hawn’s Mill Massacre on October 30, 1838, despite being severely injured. When the mob attacked, Alma and his brother Sardius hid under the blacksmith bellows, but Sardius was killed, and Alma was shot in the hip. His father was also killed in the attack. His mother, Amanda Barnes Smith, received divine inspiration on how to treat Alma’s wound, using a poultice made from slippery elm roots.² Despite initial doubts, Alma’s hip miraculously healed, allowing him to walk again.³

1. Amanda Barnes Smith notebook, 1854-1866

2. Saints, Volume 1, Chapter 30, 347-355

3. Saints, Volume 1, Chapter 32, 378-379