Sally Horner

Sally Horner was an American girl who, at the age of 11, was abducted by Frank La Salle in 1948 and held captive for 21 months. Several critics and writers believe that her story served as inspiration for the 1955 novel Lolita, though its author, Vladimir Nabokov, consistently denied these claims. 
== History ==
=== Background ===
Florence "Sally" Horner was born on April 18, 1937, in Camden, New Jersey. Her father, Russell Horner, committed suicide when Sally was five years old, leaving her to be raised solely by her mother, Ella Horner, and older half-sister, Susan Panaro. Sally went to school at Northeast Elementary School, where she was notably an honors student.
==== Frank La Salle ====
La Salle was 51 years old and working as a mechanic when he kidnapped Horner. He was born on May 27, 1896, in either Illinois or Indianapolis. His extensive criminal record dated back to June 1938, when he was suspected of kidnapping and sex trafficking in St. Louis, Missouri, and included enticing a minor, indecent assault, bigamy, check fraud, assault and battery, statutory rape, and "desertion and non-support" of his second wife and daughter. He was also known by several other aliases, such as Frank Warner, Frank (or Harry) Patterson, Frank Johnson, Frank LaPlante, Frank Robinson, and Frank (or Jack) O'Keefe.(March 22, 1950). "Camden Girl Flees Kidnapper in California After 21 Months". The Courier Post. Archived by newspapers.com on May 28, 2023. Retrieved on October 4, 2023.On July 31, 1937, at the age of 41, La Salle married 17-year-old Dorothy May Dare in Elkton, Maryland, as 36-year-old Frank Fogg. Dare's father attempted to have La Salle arrested once he discovered his true identity, and that he was still legally married to another woman, but was unsuccessful. In 1944, La Salle was convicted for molesting five underaged girls the year prior, and Dare filed for divorce soon after. He was released from the Trenton State Prison on January 15, 1948, one year short of his five-year sentence.
=== Kidnapping ===
In March 1948, Horner was dared by her friends to steal a five-cent notebook from a local retail store. In doing so, she was caught by La Salle, who, pretending to be an FBI agent, threatened to have her sent to reform school if she did not obey his further commands. After several weeks, La Salle informed Horner that he'd been instructed by the "government" to relocate her to Atlantic City. Horner was to tell her mother that she'd been invited to a week-long vacation with a friend and her family, with La Salle posing as the friend's father. Ella reluctantly allowed Sally to go, feeling that she deserved the vacation that she herself couldn't provide.(March 22, 1950). "Sally's Mother 'Relieved'; Admits She Was 'Foolish'". The Courier Post. Archived by newspapers.com on May 28, 2023. Retrieved on October 4, 2023. Thus, on June 14, 1948, Horner kissed her mother goodbye and left for Atlantic City with her captor. Horner would write to and call her mother for six weeks, ensuring her safety, but on July 31, she wrote that they were headed for Baltimore and that she "did not want to write anymore."Any letters that she sent to Sally were returned by the post office.Her mother, growing increasingly worried, contacted the police and asked that they investigate the address on the letters. There, the police found the home empty, with only two packed suitcases and a never-before-seen photo of Sally. According to Horner, they were initially accompanied by someone by the name of "Ms. Robinson", who was allegedly La Salle's 25-year-old "secretary."(March 22, 1950). "Lived in Terror, Sally Says". The Courier Post. Archived by newspapers.com on May 28, 2023. Retrieved on October 4, 2023. On August 5, an eight-state police search began, with a warrant out for the arrest of La Salle.(August 5, 1948). "Hunted in 8 States: Seashore Combed for Girl, 11, and Ex-Convict, 56". The Courier Post. Archived by newspapers.com on May 29, 2023. Retrieved on October 4, 2023.(August 5, 1948). "Mother of Missing Camden Girl Wants One Yule Gift—Her Return". The Courier Post. Archived by newspapers.com on May 29, 2023. Retrieved on October 4, 2023.
Upon arriving in Baltimore, La Salle raped Horner for what would be the first of many times. La Salle, having gotten a job as a mechanic and was posing as her father, enrolled Horner into a Catholic school under the name "Madeleine La Plante". As his name began appearing more prominently in the news, La Salle fled Baltimore with Horner and arrived in Dallas, Texas in April 1949. They lived in a trailer park, where Horner often cooked and baked for them. According to a neighbor of theirs, the two "seemed happy and entirely devoted to each other." Horner had been enrolled into yet another Catholic school, now under the name "Florence Planette". La Salle repeatedly carried a handgun to dissuade her from attempting escape, maintaining that he was an FBI investigator.
Another neighbor, Ruth Janisch, had become suspicious of La Salle due to his strange demeanor and possessive behavior towards Horner. It would later be revealed that La Salle had also repeatedly molested Janisch's five-year-old daughter while Horner was at school. In February 1950, Janisch and her family moved to San Jose, California, and suggested to La Salle that he do the same, hoping to keep in touch with Horner.Janisch moved in search of better job opportunities for her and her husband. Before leaving, Horner confided in a school friend about La Salle's abuse over the last 20 months. She had reportedly began rebuffing his advances by this time.
After several weeks, while La Salle was out, Janisch invited Horner over and was able to pry the truth out of her, then allowed her to make a long-distance call to her family. She first attempted to call her mother but the line disconnected, due to Ella being unable to pay the phone bill. Horner then called her sister, revealed her location, and asked that she send the FBI. La Salle was arrested on March 22, 1950 by the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, before being extradited to New Jersey. Horner, then aged 13, was reunited with her mother on April 1, 1950 at the Philadelphia International Airport.(April 1, 1950). "Sally's Mother Waited a Long Time to Hold Kidnapped Daughter Again". The Courier Post. Archived by newspapers.com on May 28, 2023. Retrieved on October 4, 2023. On April 3, La Salle plead guilty and was sentenced to 30 to 35 years in Trenton State Prison under the Mann Act.State v. La Salle, 19 N.J. Super. 510, 89 A.2d 94 (App. Div. 1952)The Mann Act, also known as the White-Slave Traffic Act, is a federal law passed in 1910 that criminalizes the transportation of "any woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose."
===Aftermath and death===
Upon her return, Horner was viewed as a "total whore" by her classmates, as there was little to no sympathy for rape victims at the time.
In the summer of 1962, Sally and her close friend Carol Starts took a weekend trip to the Jersey Shore, where La Salle had first taken her in 1948. There, she used a fake ID to convince 20-year-old Edward "Ed" Baker that she was 17, and the two decided to go for a drive together. Then, just after midnight, the speeding car crashed into the rear of a parked truck, breaking Horner's neck and killing her instantly.(August 19, 1952). "Girl Who Was Kidnapped at 11 Killed at 15 in Auto Crash". The Courier Post. Archived by newspapers.com on April 23, 2014. Retrieved on October 4, 2023.(August 18, 1952). "Sally Horner Fatally Hurt; 2 Others Die". The Courier Post. Archived by newspapers.com on May 28, 2023. Retrieved on October 4, 2023. Several others, two of which were killed, were involved in the four-vehicle crash. La Salle reportedly sent flowers to Horner's funeral from prison, though her family insisted they not be displayed. She is buried in Cream Ridge, New Jersey.Florence “Sally” Horner (1937-1952) - Find a Grave Memorial
La Salle died in prison from arteriosclerosis on March 22, 1966, exactly 16 years after his arrest, at the age of 69. He is buried in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.Frank LaSalle (1896-1966) - Find a Grave Memorial
== Cultural references ==
=== Lolita ===
=== Other novels ===
==Gallery==
File:Sally horner 1.webp
==Notes==
==References==
Category:People