The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1914-03-03
MOTHER TALKS OF
ACCUSED DAUGHTER
FLEDA PENDLETON LEFT HOME
TO HELP SUPPORT FAMILY
Father Once Wealthy.-Parent Weeps
While Telling Reporter About
Unfortunate Girl.
News and Courier.

News and Courier.
Durham, n. c., Feb. 28-Breatning
the silence with which she has answer
ed newspaper inquiries since tragedy
stalked into her quiet home a month
ago il tie form of a message telling
her that her missing 19 year old
daughter. Laura Fleda Pendle.on, was
a prisoner in a South Ca olina jail,
charged with murder, Mrs. j. H.
Pendleton, of this city, today threw
food of light on obscure spots in the
girls life story, talked freely of the
family and is history and told Of
Fedds cary association with Clyde
Caldwell Clement, co-defendant and
alleged father of her slain babe.
The elderly sweet faced woman
s.rove heroically to control her emo
ton during he painful recital, but
her eyes were frequently dimmed, and
two little girls, Ruth and Margaret
Pendle.on, gazed in awed silence at
the spectacle of their mother in tears
Mrs. PendletOn Talks.
Fleda was always a good, obedient
girl, the mother said. until she came
under the influence Of Clement in
SDartanburg. She attended Sunday
school regularly and scrupulously res
pected her moyhe:' wishes. Mrs.
Pendleton said that iFleda and Clement
knew each other when they were chill
dren together in Polk county, but her
parents would rot permit her to spend
much time in his company because, ac-
cording to Mrs. Pandleton, he was Civ
en- to rough ways. Miss Pendleton was
mindful CT parental advice then, and it
was because she could no, come to her
mother for counsel in Spar.anburg, the
latter said she believed, that Fleda
yielded to temptation.
The girl left home to exc out the
scanty family income, which had been
reduced by busiGess Teverses and ply
steal Affections of her father, J. H.
Pendleton. He was at one time we'll
eo-do merchant, but his health gave
way, and with it went his money. His
eyesight became affected he could no
longer stand confinement because OF
lis impaired health, and he took to
farming. He was p,anniag when Fleda
last heard of him to accept position
as travelling salesman for a shoe
house, but failing eyesight forced him
to abandon this plan At present he
is living in MaoresTilIe, N. c.. and is
engaged in tobacco farming.
Why Daughter Worked.
II was due to tee fathers poor
health that Mrs. Pendleton agreed to
allow her daughte- to go out into the
world to work. WHAT money FIeda
could make was needed to help sup
port the younger children. Mrs. Pen
dleton said i was not true, as report
ed, that F,eda was driven from home
because she accepted Clements at
tendance; at that time she would have
nothing to do with him.
Waile the family were living in Polk
couat Thomas Pendleton, the elder
brother, decided to go to spartanburg
to study telegraphy He persuaded
FIeda to accompany him, and botn en-
tered the spartanburg School Of Teleg-
raphy. She soon mastered the Morse
Code and left the school, going to At
lanta, Ca, to work. She made several
visits back home, and while on one Of
these visits received an offer from the
Spartanburg school for her services as
a teacher. This offer was accepted,
and when she returned to the school
she again came in contact with CLYDE
C. Clement, then a student in the prep
aratory department of Wofford Col
Iege.
Letters from Girl Ceased.
Soon after the old acquaintance was
reopened, Mrs. Pendleton said, she
ceased to hear from her daughter. She
telegrapned to the principle Of the
spartanburg school relative to Fleda's
whereabouts and was told that the
young woman could not be found in
Spartanburg, but was reported to be
in Atlanta. Mrs. Pendleton said that
the last letter she received from her
daughter was some time in August Of
last year. After losing trace Of her
in spartanburg the mother never heard
Of Fleda until she was informed Of
the girls trouble