ALLEGED SAND-BAGGING

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 4002, 26 September 1929, Page 3

ALLEGED SAND-BAGGING

••• MYSTERIOUS AND SEN’S A - TIONIAL HAPPENING AT NYE’S MILL.

WOMAN EXPERIMENTER HIT OVER THE HEAD.

A mysterious and sensational affair is reported to have occurred at Mr. Nye’s flaxmill on the rivorbank at about 10.30 o’cloelk yesterday morning when a woman, a stranger to the town, Mrs. Hedberg, of Christchurch, was allegedly sandbagged. Mrs. Hedberg accompanied by M.r T. S.. Evans, came to Ftoxton about five weeks ago to carry out some experiments in connection with the flax industry, it being claimed that Mrs. Hedberg had a secret process for bleaching flax and converting the fibre v into silk. They obtained the use of Mr. \V. Nye’s old mill which has not been in use for some time, and which is situated on a lonely part of the riverbank at the extreme southern end of the borough. , •Shortly after 10 -o’clock yesterday morning the police received a telephonic communication to the effect that Mrs. Hedberg had been struck over the head by some assailant while working in her room at the mill. The doctor and police were not long in arriving on the scene and Mrs. Hedberg was removed to her hotel where it was discovered that her injuries consisted of a swelling on the top of her head several inches long over the right eye.* She was also bleeding at the nose.

Detectives Quhike and Russell visited Foxton yesterday afternoon to carry out investigations, but the result vof their inquiries have riot been disclosed.

VICTIM INTERVIEWED. Interviewed by our representative at her hotel last evening, Mgs. Hedberg said that this was -the second .attempt that, had been made on her life iby some unknown assailant who was determined to wrest her secrets from her. Six months ago die was savagely attacked by a man in her factory in Christchurch and badly knocked about. Her fonnnulae were not stolen as they were carefully hidden, but a quantity of prepared hemp and silk was removed from the factory. The police failed to discover who her assailant was despite the fact that she was able to describe him and that he was seen decamping from the factory on a bicycle by two of the directors of the company. She had also been warned to get out of Shannon when carrying out her experiments in that locality some weeks ago. She had not taken any notice of the threat hut had come to Foxton as she wished to carry out experiments here. Yesterday morning she went down to the mill about 10.15 o’clock with her manager, Mr. Evans. She carried her nine inonths old baby down to her .workshop and on their arrival there Mr. Evans left her to superintend some work Mr. Prentice was doing lor them on the river bank and incidentally to call Mr. Prentice -to have a cup of tea which they had brought down for him in a thermos flask. Mr. .Evans said that she went straight to her workroom which is located just off the engine room. 'She -was carrying a small attache ease with some rubbish jn it to burn. After unlocking the room she placed the -baby in its chair behind the door and put the case down nearby. She then decided as was her usual habit, to go outside and gather some chips to start a fire but she had no sooner put her foot across the threshold than she was struck a violent blow across the forehead. All she canremember is seeing a hand and a grey sleeve and feeling the stunning blow. Dazed and bleeding at the nose she staggered outside where she screamed and Sailed ito Mr. Evans for assistance. Her assailant in the meantime had disappeared. 'Mr. Evans and Mjr. Prentice who by this time were just inside the mill, came running out. Mr. Evans called to Mr. Prentice to , Q look after her and stripping his coat off dashed around the mill and piade a search of the locality but without seeing anyone. Mrs. Hedberg said that only about live or six seconds elapsed aftelr she called out before the two men arrived on the scene but even so- there was no trace of her assailant. He may have had a car or motor hike waiting on the main road nearby and driven away after his cowardly attack.

Asked what the motive would be fotr a man to attack her in such a manner, Mrs. Heiberg said that someone was determined to get her secret processes from her. That morning she had had a premonition that something untoward would happen and had carefully hidden the formulae away before leaving the hotel and instead of. taking them with her as was her usual custom she took an attache case of rubbish to burn at the mill. No doubt her assailant thought she had the information in the case but evgn so he did not get it because she had placed it behind the door of her workroom. He had evidently been aware of her habits and knew’ it was usual for her to go ,to the door of the workroom and stoop down and pick up chips on her arrival, but yesterday morning she decided to go a little further afield for the kindling wood and consequently did not stoop down as she left the door and the blow caught her on the forehead instead of the back of the skull as intended. The skin of the scalp was not broken as this would go to prove that a sand bag must have been used. Mrs. Hedberg claims that her uncle was killed during the ’3o’s while carrying out similar experiments to those

now occupying Mrs. Heiberg’s time. Who perpetrated the crime it wasnever discovered. .He simply disappeared and nothing more has ever been seen of him. Mrs. Hedberg said these brutal attacks ■would not prevent her from carrying on her work and she claimed to be on (lie threshold of success. Mr. Chrystajl, of Christchurch, one of ’the directors of the company in which Mrs. Hedberg is connected, was in Foxton last week and everything is now practically in readiness for the final experiments in connection with converting hemp into silk. Mrs. Hedberg says that it was this process that she was engaged in in Christchurch when she

nearly lost her- life six months ago. The police discovered on that occasion that her assistant in the factory had been bribed to get the secrets and to try and do awfty with her. He had not been connected with the assault and the police failed to locate those concerned.

Mrs. Hedberg said that yesterday she had her hat on at the time she received the blow and this greatly deadened the effect. -She said that yesterday she noticed two suspicious characters loitering around the mill.

When interviewed, Mr. Evans corroborated Mrs. Iledberg’s statement and said that although he lost no time in carefully searching the locality ho could find no trace* of the man who had attacked his partner. In connection with' Mrs. Hedborg’s experiments, Mr. C. Barni-c-oat, Government .Chemist from the Dominion Laboratory, -Wellington, visited Foxton yesterday for the .purpose’ of investigating the processes, but owing to the above mysterious happening was unable to do so. It is likely that he will return to Foxton at an early date to prosecute his enquiries.