On 2 May 1836, Joseph Smith, Sr., bestowed a Patriarchal Blessing upon William Harris. In the text describing the event, it is noted that William was granted an exceptional supernatural ability:

“[T]hy arm shall prevail like unto the Almighty, for his power shall be round about thee, and thou shall have all power to translate thyself and change into a shadow, so that if any shall smite at thee they shall only hit thy shadow and thou shall be in another place. The eyes of thy enemies shall be blinded so that they cannot see thee, & thou shalt escape their power.”

H. Michael Marquardt, Early Patriarchal Blessings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City, UT: The Smith-Pettit Foundation, 2007), 69.