New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-10-05
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
OUTRAGES IN BULGARIA..
AMERICAN MISSIONARIES MALTREATED.

AMERICAN MISSIONARIES MALTREATED.
NEED OF CONSUL AT SOPHIA TO PROTECT ANhhr
CAN INTERESTS.
To the EDITOR Of The Trtb"ne'
SIP: On the 18th of January last, in the town OF
sistoff. my house was forclbly entered oy the put
oarian Government, contrary TO law. school hela
therein. of about forty scholars was closed contrary
TO the Treaty of Berlin Two of the BULGARIAN
teachers. who protested against the unlawful ac-
ton of the Government were arrested ana thrown
into nrison We went TO Sophia (the capital to get
pcrmission of the authorities to reopen our school,
Init they refused on the ground of local opposition
The local opposition had all been stirred up oY
Government officials One of them had gone from
house to house t signers to PeO'ion
AGAINST the reopening of our school. vi couTSe
nearly all the Pravo.Slavno Greek Church, were
ready To sign II because On officer brought IT,
Tn February our mission school for girls was
closed in Loftcha. because it was claimed we nau
not gwen lawful notice of its opening thongh lucy
were unable to show us any law we had ho' co'i'-
piled with In April following three or Iour men
came 10 the American School building III Loitcn''
where Mr. Jones, one of the American MISSIONARIES
,yos STAYING They called him out, threw him down
on the ground beat him and tired 10 choho hiii'
With the help of some friends, he got back into the
some Of the windows. At last they were arrested
b,, the noIice who mad been called by one OF our
beIpers They were held tor short time ana then
released and az far as know, nothing more mas
been done about the matter.
This persecution did not begin until the Russians
had gained controlling influence in the bulgarian
Government OF course, do not know no" iar
Russia is responsible for the actions OF her agents
IN Bulgaria The most charitable view ot the case
is that she does not fully understand them' Az "o
have no American Consul in Bulgaria, we nave
tried through the English Consul 10 nave our
schools reopened lie has done what he couIu' Dut
I'M to the present time we have not succeedeu' "o
might appeal to General Wallace the American
Minister in Constanunople but Whatever ne u'u
would have to be done through the turkish uoY
eminent, and for that reason would tend to emolt-
tsr tine Bulrarians toward us, for they bate the
Turks with deadly hatred
What is needed is that Mr. Schuyler, who Is the
American Agent nj Arhens and Bucharest, be ap-
nonted to act also at Sophia The Bulgarians 1eel
rnder more obligations to him than to any other
American. He would. therefore, have moro intu-
,co tI,a, any other agent who could be appointed.
cannot see why the interests OF American ulisaIOu
ar,es shou Id not be protected We a. OF Amrrlc ~
merchants IL affairs are allowed 10 go on IN nls
u,v for another year no doubt the schools OF tue
AuerIcan Board" az SamakoY VIII also DC Closet
and American mlsslO larleS VIII De ieSdIoe a5 tu
Iagifrmate victims of drunken mobs ana bigOted
rcclrsIastIcs who continually gaming more ID
Guruce In the Bulgarian Governments
Educated Bulgarans, who are now IN amlnorlYln
the Government, are surprised that America uoeS
nothnr 10 urotcct her citizens agaInst the IN uts
beaprd upon Them by the majority They do not
| understand all the circumstances which Keep us
.Iil ana set there ~ nc valid reason why buIRala,
where there are twenty Americans eAPehuIhR
! from twenty 10 thirty thousand dollars yearly
| srouId not have an American Consul as well -
| Grerce and Roumanla. 49,,
| HouIpg that YOU will make such use OF these
! facts AZ to accomplish the object IN yIew' am'
Yours very truly,
American Missionary Of the NJ. Z. Board Foreign
| Missions.
| E,yichuk BalJqria. Sept. g, 1883.