After hearing of the arrest and treatment of Brother Forssgren in Sweden, I wrote to him to come over to Denmark and labour with us. A few days after I felt much anxiety for his safety; and fearing lest the Swedish government should either put him in close confinement, or smuggle him away privately to the United States, we unitedly prayed that he might be delivered and come to us in safety. I went to bed, and dreamed of seeing him in water up to his arms, and held by a man whom I understood to be an officer. I thought he was anxious to come to where I stood on the shore. The officer seemed waiting for the decision of his superiors, whom I saw with a crowd at a distance. He received his orders, but I could not understand them. Brother Forssgren was immediately released, and pressed hard through the water to come to me; but, before he got out of reach, the officer thrust his hand quickly under the water behind, and caught his leg or garment, and pulled his feet from under him, which dipped his head under water. I saw his perilous situation, but could not render him any assistance. Another man, of a kind expression of countenance, stood near them, to whom Brother Forssgren called with an agonizing voice for help. He went and raised his head out of the water, and made the officer let him go. He started again to come to me, and I awoke. September 18th, Brother Forssgren arrived in Copenhagen and related his story, which explained my dream. It runs as follows:—After being examined and bearing testimony before the authorities, civil and ecclesiastical, in Geffle and Stockholm, he was held as a prisoner at large in the latter place, not being permitted to preach or to leave town; but the newspapers published accounts of his doings and sayings, and his whereabouts in Stockholm, and the result was that many people flocked to see him, both from town and country. He was invited to visit among them, and to their mechanic club meetings. Thus he instructed many in private, and made many warm friends; and, as some began to desire baptism, the police took him by night and put him on board an American vessel, which was ready to start for New York; paid his passage, and requested the captain to see that he did not land until he reached New York. But Elder Forssgren soon won the friendship of the captain; and when they arrived at Elsinore, where the vessel called to pay toll, the captain landed him on Danish ground. Very soon after landing he was arrested by the Danish police, at the instigation of the Swedish consul of that place, and was about to be re-shipped for New York. He now ascertained that the Swedish authorities at Stockholm, fearing that he might land in Denmark and recross the sound into another part of Sweden, had sent despatches to their consul at Elsinore (the only place where the vessel would stop,) describing him and the vessel, and directing the consul to see that he was shipped to New York. He produced his American passport, and claimed the protection of the Hon. Walter Forward, American minister to Denmark, who had just landed in that place from Copenhagen. My previous interviews had won the friendship of Mr. Forward, who quickly came to his assistance, and effected his release, repudiating the aspersions of his enemies, and accompanied him to Copenhagen, where he arrived in good health, full of joy and the Holy Ghost, having been absent from us about three months. * * * * * The following extract from a private letter, which found its way into the "Frontier Guardian," contains some further particulars. |