Durango semi-weekly herald., 1901-11-21

garia. The entire day was spent In
the search. The husband and the
father of Mrs. Tsilka, almost over
| come with grief and CONSERVATION,
pursued their fruitless search through
the next night. and as there were no
| further signs of the brigands they de-
cided to return TO Bansko and give
an alarm. Messengers We're sent to
notify the missionary colony af Sam
| akoff, but, strange to say, the news
of Miss Stones capture preceded
| them and was whispered about the
streets by Vaciloff and other Mace
| tonia revolutionists. who appeared to
know all about it. They also pre-
dicted the amount of ransom that
| would be demanded before anything
had been heard from the brigands.
IN fact, there has been but one de-
mand, which was contained in letter
written by Miss Stone in the Bull
garian language to the treasurer of
the local missionary board, and was
evidently dictated by some person Of
intelligence. The language and the
forms OF expression used We're very
unlike the literary style OF the cap
tive. There was no doubt. however,
of the penmanship.
That letter was thrown into tn.
window of the house of Missionary
Haskell at Samakoff during the night
and his daughter identified Vaciloff
IN the moonlight while trying to open
he window A local newspaper
friendly to the Macedonian cause pub
iished the important part of the con
tents of the letter before they were
made known by the missionaries. in
Guiding the amount of ransom de-
manded.
This and other circumstances make
It very clear that Vaciloff intended
or expected to be the medium of ne
gotiation for Miss Stones release.
and his failure is undoubtedly due to
his arrest which frightened him and
compelled him to deny all knowledge
of the affair. The missionaries and
the United States consul general
we're not allowed to question him or
communicate with while he was in
Jail. He was released by the order
of the authorities at Sofia upon the
offered against him, although no one
had been invited to present evidence.
No attempt was made by anybody to
secure evidence. The missionaries
and Consul General Dickinson were
not informed of the decision to re-
lease him, and they did not know of
his release until they saw the an
noncement in the newspapers.
The only inference to be drawn
from this unusual procedure is that
the officials and the managers of the
Macedonian revolutionary committee
realized the complications that might
ensue with the United States the
damage their cause would suffer be
fore the world and the odium they
would be compelled to endure If Vaci-
lofts plans We're carried out.
The energetic efforts and determin-
alton of Consul General Dickinson to
fasten the crime upon the Mace
donian committee ana establish the
liability of the Bulgarian government
have also been effective in causing
a profound silence where the best
sources of information should natur-
ally exist. 1t has been absolutely i'm
possible for the missionaries to OBJ
tain information concerning Miss
Stone from any source since her let
ter was received and Vaciloff arrest
ed, although there have been fire.
1uent rumors concerning her move
ments and those of Mrs. Tsilka, or
iginating among circles known to he
friendly to the bandits.
The presence of military force
which was ht to the neighborhood
ostensibly to capture the brigands and
rescue Miss Stone has also aided TO
defeat that purpose, because it has
prevented people who might have
furnished valuable information from
communicating with the missionaries
or lending them any aid. Every man
who has shown signs OF knowledge
has been arrested, imprisoned for
few days, and then released without
any opportunity having been offered
to the friends of Miss Stone to com
municate with him. These proceed
ings have terrorized the neighbor
hood and have baked every effort
made by the missionaries to approach
Miss Stone.
Another reason for their inability
10 open communication is their re-
fusal to offer money as ransom or for
information. The inhabitants of that
part of the country are very poor,
they are naturally avaricious, and
some time might have been persuad-
ed by the judicious use of money TO
defy the authorities and furnish in
formation and assistance. The mis-
sionaries, however, have been exceed
ingly scrupulous in refusing to appeal
to mercenary motives. From the be-
ginning they have declared that no
ransom would be paid, and all offers,
both to them and to Consul General
Dickinson, involving payments bf
money have been promptly rejected
The wisdom of this policy is serious
ly questiond by those who know the
Bulgarian character and the customs
of the country. Natives and foreign
ers in the neighboring country are