Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-11-27
FORMER COLLEGE
MAN HERE FINED
FOR DISLOYALTY
pe,IW. SWanheek, Once at August.
ana, Deeply IIumiiiates Local
Relatives.
THREATENED IOWA PRESIDENT
Minister Of Swedish Lutheran Church
Suffers Penalty for Un-Ameri-
can Statements.

Roy J W. Swanbeck who was fined
t9oo and costs in Swea City, Iowa,
,bera ne Is a preacher in the Swed-
tsb lutheran church. for making
q 'breatg against the life Of President
wilson. was formerly Of Augustana
College of Rock Island and has a num-
her Of relatives and acquaintance in
this city
News o. his arrest and the conse-
\ euent federal court action has reached |
y this city causing his relatives and |
others who knew him to feel deeply |
bumlliated. but nevertheless they have |
expressed themselves as believing that ,
ME- minister was given his just de- /
serts. The Swea City Herald says the :
following about the case:
"gev j W. Swanbeck plead guilty |
u the federal court at Fort Dodge
saturday to making threats against |
the life of the president and was fined
$500 and costs Judge Reed Of Du-
buque presided.
THUS ay the preacher was indict-
ed by the federal grand jury under the
act OF congress OF Feb. II, 1917, relat
ine 10 threats against the life Of the
president r. s. Waud testified to the
grand jury that In April Of this year
Rev Swanbeck had said to him that
The president ought to be assassinat-
ed. and / will furnish the powder to
blow him up
Saturday the preacher accompanied
by his lawyers, Gabrielson & Daniel
son of Fort Dodge. appeared in court
and plead guilty 10 the indictment as
rendered Rev. Swanbeck appeared
:. very much shaken. and made his
I statements i'm mixed English and
Swedish
THE preacher told the court that
his remarks were made before the
n United States declared war on Ger
4 many, that his wife was a leader in
Red Cross work and that he was
patriotic
Got Bargain!
THE outcome Of this case is dis
appointment here, where feeling has
run to white heat Lots Of people be-
lIeve the preacher got a bargain.
THE testimony of the witnesses sub
poeuaed by the federal authorities
when examined by District Attorney
0Conner and the federal grand jury
was virtually as l0llOWS.
'At "a joint picnic Of the Swedish
and Norwegian Lutheran congrega-
\ lions at East Chain last July. 2. c.
,iahl overheard Rev Swanbeck say
that the United States government
was the rottenest on the face of the
earth, was corrupt and led by graft
ers This government ought to be de-
Stroyed and President Wilson hung,
was the preachers opinion The dis
russlon started when Rev. Edwin
Duea, the Norwegian pastor, told a
joke on the Faribault county eXemp-
ton board. A registrant appeared be-
fore the board, was examined and
passed. Then the young man told
A the board that he was partially para
~ lyzed Sure enough, after a second
L examination it was found that the
young man had told the truth Then
Rev Swanbeck began to spout Mr.
\ Dahl, knowing the preachers tenden
Y cies and views, walked away in dis
\ gust AT length the group carrying
II on the discussion came up to where
H Mr.. Dahl was standing. Rev. Duei
Il had just said. None of us wants t
Il live under the German government.
n or words TO that effect. Thereupol
n Rev Swanbeck said that the German
n government was the best there is
4 The United States government was tn
n Tottenest on the face of the earth
n and so on. Mr. Dahl suggested 4
NJ the preacher that it was fortunat
n mat he was among friends Swan
II beck retorted that he would just a
Il soon repeat his statements any wher
n and al any time. Mr.. Dahl then toll
n the preacher to keep quiet.
Ed. Hillsten in July heard tn
4 preacher say that Wilson was a trait
or. fool and was run, by Wal
street.
4 Early In the year Laurence Buke
1 and Fred Haglund heard the preach
\ er say in the Northern Lumber com
\ pany's Office that if the United State
declared war on Germany there woul
oe al uprising in this country by tn
Germans living here. The preache
added that he wanted to take part i
the uprising and would shoot the frs
man that got in his way.
j. p. C. Dahl's father Of East Chat
fIWas also subpoenaed as a witness.
- No Indictment could be rendere
on the evidence of the Dahls, as tn
incident which they witnessed OF
u CURED IN Minnesota, outside of tht
W. federal district.
Preacher Reinstated.
Rev Swanbeck preached in III
II Town church Sunday. He had conduc
II 60 services in the church in Swe
township regularly since he ra
amuck In Swea City in Septemb,
4 Nnen he was forced to kiss the Anne
'1an tiag A number Of his parishioi
'Fs. however. refuse TO attend service
mere was a well-founded rumor
II S"ea City yesterday that steps wi
ue taken in the near future to hay
angle"
me Fort Dodge. Iowa, Messenger
az editorial under the caption of TT
'ehalty OF Disloyalty," says:
About the surest way TO force 10y
americans to take the law into the
WIN hands in netting out justice
pro-Germans in this country would
lof federal authorities 70 maintain {
ssSy going policy in punishment
nose who by their utterances she
.hey are not only against our COVER
meht IN this war but in fact symp
'hlze with the enemy.
When a man is found guilty