The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-12-18
GIRL RESCUED.
Held by a North Carolina Farmer
as a Slave
IN A BARN WITH RATS.

| u. L. feuueP H1PeQ MISS OlRa SJOS'
tedt by Advertisement and Then
Tried to Starve Her.-He Laugh.
ed at Her Pleadings.-When Re
leased, She Declares Negroes Re-
ceived Better Food Than She.
Half starved, yet joyful over her
release from what she declared to
be slavery on a farm owned by E.
T. Pender, six miles from Halifax,
N. c., Miss Olga Sjostedt passed
through Washington D. c., on Thurs
day.
With her was Thomas Broderick,
formerly detective at Asbur: Park.
That is the home of the girl, who is
trained nurse and who served In
that capacity in the Spanish-Amer-
ican War.
ION the Tuesday before Thanks
giving Invent to Halifax to work for
Pender, whom I believe to be in
sane," said the girl, as she clung to
her rescuer.
"Since then Pender has made me
a vertable slave. If Mr.. Broderick
had not arrived, would have killed
myself, as I declared would do In
- Frta dc
Broderick's mission was & strange
one. He had been told that II. by
Sunday, Miss sjostedt were not re-
leased she would destroy herself.
Supplied with ample funds by the
girls friends, he hurried to the train
and early Thursday he reached Hal
flax.
Hiring a rig, the detertive sped
over the miles separating the little
town from the bleak, desolate farm:
Arriving there he found Pender,
hoary-headed man beyond go years
of age. He did not at first see the
unfortunate nurse whose piteous ap-
peals for help by mail had arouseh
Asbury Park.
Broderick, big, powerful man.
with a record for bravery, aggres-
sively demanded that the girl be pro-
duced.
Pender snarled and refused to
comply. Broderick then resorted TO
m,Ider means. He quoted the law,
He told Pender that he, having hir-
ed the girl, was responsible for her
welfare. ;,
He cited the fact as he knew It,
that she had been given only TWO
meals a day, both consisting almost
Invariably of cornmeal. The oetec-
tive also told of letters, Miss sos
tedt had smuggled North, describing
how she had been imprisoned IN
harn. through the cleats or WHICH
snow and the bleak winds blew.
"This girl" thundered BrodericK'
came into your employ through an
advertisement. She was amlcIeo
with a slight throat trouble ana
thought the South was the place LOT
her. You accepted her as house
keeper, and as such you should nave
nrovided for her. You haven't done
CO. and if you don't deliver her 10
me- I'll have you hauled before
Judge
Pender quivered and finally broke
down. He led the detective to MISS
siostedt, who at that moment sne
said afterward, was contemplating
means of suicide.
She had said: "It is better anu
sier to die by my own hand than
to be starved to death by this lun-
attic"
Miss sjostedt flung her arms
around the big detectives neck Wnen
he told her he had come to release
her. The pair got into the rig. brod-
erick keeping one eye upon Penoe'
meanwhile, and they covered the SIX
miles of desolate country, where only
half a dozen negroes and three or
four white persons live.
Arriving at Halifox, they took tne
train northward, and reached wash
ington. en- route to Asbury Park.
Miss Sjostedt was in tears during
the trip, but her tears were not those
Of one in agony. The nervous strall'
through which she had bravery pao'
tied began to tell on her as she le1'
tho shadow of the tumble-down barn
where Pender would thrust her al
night and lock the door upon ner
and where rats and mice scampereo
about adding more horror to mel
pitiable condition. ,
"I never knew" she said, ina
2 white manor a man alleged te
he white-could treat human De
ing in the manner Pender treated
me He even laughen in my face
when I begged for some nutritious
food, and offered me the same olo
dried up, unpalatabla corn meal. HI
fed the negroes working for him bet
ter fare than he gave me-
Frederick gave no explanatlol
vhy after he had rescued Miss SJos
tedt. he did not have Pender ar
rested. 1t is believed he had reasons
of his own to justify this move nj
, main object being to return Mis-
} siostedt to her friends.