Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-12-11
SAVED FROM SLAVERY
Girl Held Prisoner For Twelve
Days OH North Carolina
Plantation
DupED AND LOCKED IN SHACK
Planter Led Her to Believe She Was
to Preside Over Mansion-WiIl Pros
ecute Captor-Escape Effected by
Smuggling Message to Friends
Forced to Do Work of MeniaI.

Ashbury Park, N. J., Dec. IL
Weakened and unnerved by the terri
bic experiences h had undergone in
a log cabin in the Wilds of North Caro-
line, Miss Olga Sjostedt, a trained
twelve days on the plantation of T. E.
Fender, returned to Ashbury Park yes
terday, accompanied by Thomas Bro
derrick. a police officer Of this city. who
was sent to her aid by local officials
at the solicitation of the nurses
friends, to whom she had applied for
aid.
Miss Sjostedt, who is a Swede, is
now resting at the home of her friend,
Mrs. Henry Lange. According to her
statement she is the fifty-second wom-
an that has been secured under false
pretenses and held prisoner by Pender
with vicious intentions. Her rescue by
Broderick and the North Carolina Of
ficers was effected after the former had
battered down the door Of the shack,
which was unfit for human %habitation.
Miss Sjostedt had been locked in her
room by Fender, who was absent from
his plantation at the time. The plan
tation is ten miles from Halifax, N.
c., and consists Of 1000 acres Three
hundred negroes are employed on the
place. Fender arrived soon after the
officers had rescued the He
stormed at the officers. out when the
latter displayed their revolvers he sub
sided and permitted the girl to depart
with her rescuers. Before leaving
Fender returned $40 he had taken from
her and gave her $3.50 for her wages.
When the rescuing party arrived at
Halifax and told their story the citi-
zehs were greatly incensed against the
planter.
II could easily have raised a posse
in Halifax to go out and lynch the
man." Boderick said today in telling
Of the rescue. but / was in a hurry to
return to Ashbury Park, and we left
after the county officials assured me
they would see to it that Pender was
punished as he deserves"
Miss Sjostedt said tonight she will
prosecute the planter to the full eX-
tent Of law. According to the
nurses story she went to North Caro-
lima, believing she was ito preside as
over an antebellum man
sion. She secured the position by adj
.,-,ls:-- T.. Ny1- W. ~
She reached the plantation the day be-
fore Thanksgiving. Instead of the
piutcred mansion she was ushered into
two room shack, which formerly
was a liquor saloon and which was
filthy. The windows Of the rooms
were barred. In searching her room
she found a bundle of rags, beneath
which was the body of a negress. Com
planning to her employer, he replied:
90, that was my last housekeeper.
will have her buried tomorrow"
This was the only promise he full
filed during Miss Sjostedt's enforced
Pender made improper advances to
the nurse. She repulsed him and seiZ-
ing her hattpin drove him from the
room, after which he bolted the door
from the outside. She was locked in
her room every time he left, and she
was most of the time a veritable pris-
oner. At night she wrote letters to her
friends in Asbury Park and succeed
I'd in mailing them at the rural free
delivery box hen her inhuman m
ployer was eating or in his room
smoking. Letters from her friends
we're intercepted by Pender and de-
stroyed.
Miss Sjostedt was forced to get up
5 o'clock in the morning, milk the
cow, feed the pigs and chickens and
lean three horses. Her Thanksgiving
dinner consisted of corn bread and
salt pork cooked in old tomatoe cans.
She threatened to leave Thanksgiving