The 1902 LDS missionary edition accidentally replaced was with the rather implausible were here in Mosiah 25:17 (although one could, I suppose, interpret the were as representing some kind of subjunctive usage). The source of the error is the were in the next line of text. The copytext for the 1902 edition was the 1879 LDS edition; the 1902 compositor’s eye apparently skipped down one line as he was setting was desirous that, and he ended up setting were desirous that:
Summary: Reject in Mosiah 25:17 the obvious 1902 typo, “that king Limhi were desirous that he might be baptized”.