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2 1M“W5> UlgtSl Edited by Bob Nelson Monday, February 22,1988
Swaggart to stop preaching until investigation ends
BATON ROUGE, La. — Televi
sion evangelist Jimmy Swaggarl,
who reportedly was photographed
—* with a prostitute, confessed Sunday
that he had sinned and said he would
stop preaching until church officials
complete an investigation.
“1 do not plan in any way to white
wash my sin or call it a mistake,” he
told his tearful but apparently forgiv
ing congregation. ‘‘I call it a sin.”
The Assemblies of God denom ina
tion has been investigating Swaggart,
reportedly for allegations of sexual
misconduct. A church official said
thecvangelist had shown “true humil
ity,” and another minister said the
door was open for Swaggart to remain
in the ministry.
“1 will step out of this pulpit for an
undetermined, indeterminate period
of time,” Swaggart said. “We will
leave this in the hands of the lord.”
Swaggart, who a year ago had
scathingly denounced fellow Assem
blies of God evangelist Jim Bakker
for committing adultery, did not de
scribe his misconduct.
“Every time I have stood before a
congregation, before these television
cameras, I have met and faced the
issues head on. I have never skirted or
sidestepped unplcasantrics,” he said.
“I can do no less than this morning.”
Forest H. Hall, secretary-treasurer
of the Louisiana District of the As
semblies of God, told the 7,500
people at Swaggart’s sprawling fam
ily worship center that the evangelist
had confessed to church officials and
his family.”
“He confessed to specific inci
dents of moral failure,” Hall said. “In
the opinion of the officers ot the
Louisiana District, he has shown true
humility and repentance and has not
tried to blame anyone else for his
failure.”
District church officials would
determine “appropriate disciplinary
procedures after hearing all the facts
and circumstances,” Hall said.
He urged Swaggart to resist the
urgings of those outside the church to
respond to questions” and called on
church members “to regain from
speculation and imagination about
this matter.”
Amid gasps and streaming tears,
the congregation gave Swaggari a
‘ standing ovation after Hall turned to
him and said, “Brother Swaggart,
would you come here? I believe I
bring you to a group of people who
love you.”
Cause of Amtrak fire disputed
OMAHA — A fire aboard
Amtrak’s California Zephyr that
. •» killed one man and injured 19 people
may have been caused by luggage or
some other flammable material
placed near a heater in a crew car, an
Amtrak spokesman said Sunday.
Amtrak investigators didn’t find
evidence of an electrical short in the
heater, John Jacobsen said in a tele
phone interview from Washington.
Nebraska Deputy State Fire Mar
shal Chuck Hoffman said Saturday
that an electrical short in the wiring of
the crew car healing unit caused the
fire. He said the heater was in a
storage area under the crew sleeping
quarters and that the short ignited the
car’s wood floor.
State Fire Marshal Wally Barnett
said the wiring showed wear and tear
but did not say Amtrak was negli
gent.
No one answered the telephone at
Hoffman’s or Barnett’s home or of
fice Sunday. But Hastings Fire De
partment Capt. Henry Park said he
believed the state fire marshal’s in
vestigation ended Saturday and they
stood by their report.
Passengers aboard the Amtrak
* I
train complained that they received
no warnings or instructions from
crew members when the smoky fire
broke out in Hastings.
“To the best of my knowledge, the
crew members did nothing about the
passengers,” said Margaret Eth
eridge of Grand Island. Ms. Eth
eridge said she had talked with others
on the train who said the same.
Jacobsen said the crew’s first pri
ority was to make sure passengers
weren’t in danger and then get people
in the crew car to safety. He said
many of the crew were incapacitated
by the smoke and several lives may
have been saved by the actions of a
conductor and his assistant.
Conductor J.P. Jones, of Arvada,
Colo., and assistant conductor Todd
M. Witaker of Denver separated the
crew car from the train’s baggage car
and engine to reach people endan
gered by the smoke, Jacobsen said.
“Wc could have easily had four or
five employees killed in that dormi
tory car yesterday,” Jacobsen said.
Ms. Etheridge also said she was
concerned about the lack of smoke
detectors on the train.
Jacobsen said the fire would
probably prompt Amtrak officials to
renew their search for an effective
smoke alarm for their trains. But no
model works now because they arc
often set off by the constant vibra
tions of trains, he said.
Asked if an effective smoke alarm
might have saved the life of the
Amtrak employee, Jacobsen said
there was no way to answer that
question.
Jacobsen said the Amtrak investi
gation was continuing, and that no
disciplinary action had been taken
against any crew members. National
Transportation and Safety Board
spokesman Alan Pollock said that
agency also was investigating the
incident.
The fire aboard the 14-car west
bound train carrying 294 passengers
and a crew of 18 was reported about
3 a.m. as the train was pulling into
Hastings for a scheduled stop.
Hastings Fire Chief Jim Mitera said
the bla/c was under control about 90
minutes later.
Adams County Attorney Gary
Andcrbcrg said an autopsy showed
that the Amtrak employee died of
smoke inhalation.
-1
1 First Nebraska uranium mine may cause problems
Mining company officials say Nebraska’s first uranium mine may be
operational in 1989, and a citizens’group is questioning the company’s
ability to ensure groundwater quality.
Rich Sommer, a board member of the Western Nebraska Resources
council, said the group questions the ability of Ferret Exploration
company of Nebraska, Inc. to restore the groundwater near the mine to
its original condition, especially if the company is allowed to go into
commercial production.
The mine is located five miles southeast of Crawford near the Crow
Butte landmark.
The company’s pilot project is testing the feasibility of mining
uranium commercially and the ability to extract uranium without
contaminating the aquifer beneath the mine.
World record, double gold metalist in Games
Calgary, Alberta — Tomas Gustafson of Sweden set a world speed
skating record and became the Winter Olympics’ first double gold
! medalist Sunday, while America still basked in the triumphs of its own
two skaters.
Franck Piccard won the super giant slalom and gave France its first
ski racing gold since Jean-Claude Killy took Grenoble by storm in 1968.
Anita Wachtcr of Austria won the women’s combined.
With spring-like temperatures lingering in the Rockies, Brian Boi
| tano and Eric Flaim were America’s men for all seasons—Boitanowith j
a gold in figure skating, Flaim with a silver in speed skating.
Flaim, who won his silver in the 1,500 meters, finished Sunday’s
10,000 in fourth place — his third No. 4 finish at these games. '
America had three medals, and its hockey team tried to stay in
contention for another one Sunday night in a game against West
Germany that would decide the third and final team advancing from the
j B pool into the medal round.
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Article sends JAMA to court
CHICAGO — One of the nation’s leading
medical journals is headed for court in what
may be its most serious editorial controversy—
the publication of an anonymous article by a
doctor w ho described com m i uing a mercy ki 11 -
ing.
The Cook County state’s attorney’s office
wants the name of the doctor, but the Journal of
the American Medical Association, citing a
state frcc-press law, says it will be in court
Monday seeking to quash the subpoena.
Letters to the journal have been about evenly
split on whether JAMA should have printed the
anonymous essay.
It’s not the first time in recent years the 105
year-old journal, the official publication of the
country’s largest organization of physicians,
has found itself in a clash over its contents.
In 1984, a U.S. Army medical expert
charged that A M A offic ials killed a story he had
submitted on smoking so they could win favor
with politicians in tobacco-growing states.
Two years earlier, the journal was accused
of publishing an article on heart medicine to
placate a major drug company that was an
advertiser.
JAMA officials denied the charges in both
eases.
The latest ease involves the broader issues of
press freedom and mercy killing.
In the Jan. 8 essay, titled, “It’s Over, Deb
bie,” a doctor described injecting a lethal dose
of morphine into a woman dying of ovarian
cancer, he wrote that he did not know the
patient, but was asked to check on her and
moved by her plea of “Let’s get this over with.”
Hezbollah backs kidnappers
BEIRUT, LEBANON — Iranian-backed Hezbollah
extremists dashed Sunday with Shiite militiamen search
ing for a kidnapped U.S. Marine and declared support for
his abductors.
A Hezbollah leader said he believed Lt. Col. William
R. Higgins had been smuggled out of south Lebanon.
“We declare solidarity with, and full support for, the
smugglers against America who confront the plots of the
great Salan,” said a statement from Hezbollah, or Party of
God. ‘The demands of the Organization of the Oppressed
on Earth arc just.”
The Organization of the Oppressed on Earth on Friday
claimed responsibility for Higgins’ kidnapping, charging
he was a CIA spy. U.S. and U.N. officials denied the
charge.
Higgins, a decorated Vietnam veteran and a one-time
military assistant to former U.S. Defense Secretary Cas
par Weinberger, heads a 76-man observer group attached
to a U.N. peacekeeping force in south Lebanon. He was
kidnapped Wednesday near the ancient port city of Tyre.
Hezbollah is believed to be the umbrella organization
for pro-Iranian groups holding foreign hostages in Leba
non.
Police said Hezbollah and Justice Minister Nabih
Bcrri’s mainstream Shiite Amal militia clashed in a brief
firefight in the southeastern Lebanese village of Ein el
Tineg. No casualties were reported.
Hezbollah militiamen opened machine-gun fire on an
Amal patrol near the village in the western sector of the
Bekaa valley and the patrol fired back with rocket
propelled grenades.
Nebraskan
Editor Mlk* Rellley
472-1766
Managing Editor Jen Deselma
Assoc News Editors Curl Wagner
Chris Anderson
Editorial
Page Editor Diana Johnson
Wire Editor Bob Nelson
Night News Editors Joath Zucco
Scott Harrah
Art Director John Bruce
General Manager Danlal Shattll
Production Manager Katherine Pollcky
Advertising
Manager Marcia Miller
Asst. Advertising
Manager Bob Bates
Publications Board
Chairman Don Johnson,
472- 3611
Professional Adviser Don Walton
473- 7301
The Daily Nebraskan (USPS 144 080) is
published by the UNL Publications Board,
Nebraska Union 34,1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb
(except holidays); weekly curing the summer
session.
Readers are encouraged to submit story
ideas and comments to the Daily Nebraskan by
phoning 472-1763 between 9am and 5 p m
Monday through Friday. The public also has
access to the Publications Board For informa
tion, contact Don Johnson, 472-3611.
Subscription price is $35 for one year
Postmaster; Send address changes to the
Daily Nebraskan, Nebraska Union 34,1400 R
St., Lincoln, Neb 68588 0448 Second class
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ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1988
DAILY NEBRASKAN
