The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1901-10-24
Held by
Fierce
Brisands
Dire Peril
Of Miss
Stone In
Mountains
Of
Bulgaria

To be captured by Bulgarian brigands
and carried off TO one of their noun
tain Businesses in the Balkans was the
NJ. Stone, the Boston missionary, in
: the early part of September.
The region where she was captured,
on the border between Bulgaria and
Macedonia, in European Turkey, is
where the infamous Bulgarian atroci-
ties" occurred which startled the world
in 1876.
Gladstone, the great English states
man, described these horrors as
wholesale murders, assaults, fortunes,
burnings and the whole devilish en-
ginery of crime"
A detailed account of the capture Of
Miss Stone has been received from
Mrs. H. c. Haskell Of Samokov, Bull
garia, to a relative in Kansas City.
The letter says Miss Stone had been
holding her usual summer school for
Bible workers at Bansko, Macedonia.
On Sept. 3 party of six students from
the college institute at Samokov, three
or four Bulgarian teachers, Mr.. and
Mrs. Tsilka, who had spent years in
America; Mrs. Coshera and Miss Stone
started for Djumiak, twelve hours
travel. From there they were to 60 to
their different homes.
At 4:30 o'clock that afternoon, as
they were resting in the mountains,
Miss Stone and Mrs. Tsilka being on
horseback and the rest ON teot, they
were surrounded by thirty or forty
armed men. These men were dressed
in Turkish costume, but were mask
ed or blackened. They ordered the
party to march and drove them up the
steep mountain side.
Miss Stone told the bandits they
were taking them away from the road
to rob and perhaps kill them. She did
not speak of capture.
After travelling an hour the brigandS
stopped and demanded their money,
taking what gold they had, but return
ing the silver.
When this was done, one of them said
to Miss Stone:
1--WE want you," and ordered her and
Mrs. Tsilka to go with them. Miss
Stone made no remonstrance. Mr.. Tsil-
ka made move to follow his wife, but
they forced him back.
A part Of the brigands kept watch on
those who remained to keep them from
hurrying to inform the government, but
next morning let them go.
The brigands murdered one Of the
men of the party before the eyes of
the captives to get his horse. They
took this animal as well as the horses
ridden by Miss Stone and Mrs. Tsilka.
The students went to Samokov and
wired DR.. House at Salonika, Miss
: Stones station. He Immediately went
70 the American consul and telegraphed
Consul General Dickinson, who knew
Miss Stone.
The news spread over Bulgaria like a
fash, for Miss Stone was widely known
and greatly beloved.
If the brigands are Bulgarian out
laws, as is suspected, their traditional
religion is the Greek church, all men,
bers of which in that region have bit
ter dislike to Protestant Christianity.
There is a possibility, however, that
this piece of highwaymanry has been
done by the bloodthirsty Bashi-Ba-
zouks, the professional assassins Of the
Turkish government.
The sultan of Turkey has denied all
completely in this affair and has prom
Used American Consul General Dickin-
son, at Constantinople, to send regular
troops to the rescue of Miss Stone and
her companion. Yet the sultan's prom
Use is often cloak for treachery.
The country where Miss Stone was
captured is the same as the Thessaly
Of the Scriptures, to the people Of
which the Apostles Epistle to the
Thessalonians was addressed. 1t is the
Thrace of Greek history. where Philip