The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-10-11
REPORT OF AMERICAN MISSION
BOARD.
To PAY Demanded RANSOM
Puts Premium on Life Of Every
Missionary and Every Christ
ian Who Travels.

vOtiOnal exercises at this evenings
session of the American Board Pres
ident S. B. Capen, LID, read the Of
fetal report of the board concerning
the captivity and ransom Of Miss
Ellen M. Stone. The report was as
follows:
There is such universal interest in
the case Of Miss Ellen M. Stone, now
in the hands Of the brigands, that it
seems wise for the officers of the
board to make a brief statement of
the facts as they exist at the present
time. For several weeks the govern
ment authorities at Washington have
been at work using every possible eff
fort to secure her release.
"These are days of deep anxiety for
officers of the board. We have been
in FREQUENT communication with our
representative in Constantinople.
Last Thursday we received a dispatch
from Washington which told us how
increasingly grave the situation has
become. On receipt of this telegram
the members of the Prudential COM
mittee were called together and met
the following day at 10 O'Clock. The
committee discussed the matter thor
oughly. On the one side was the life
of a dearly beloved missionary; on
the other was the fact that if we
x;,1lo1 +o thic lnrpan1 for ransom if
was putting a premium on the life OF
every missionary of the American
board, not of our board only but on
the lives of every missionary OF
every society of the world. The ques-
ton was broader than missionaries,
it concerned the safety of any and
every Christian. Recognizing the full
gravity of the situation the committee
without a dissenting vote decided that
it had no right to pay a ransom and
establish a precedent which would
be sure to be dangerous in all the
future. Finally We were restrained
by the further fact that We had no
funds that could be employed for
this urpose. The government was
restrained from paying the money by
constitutional limitation and the
American board seemed equally re,
strained from paying a ransom.
''The solicitude of the committee
was such and their purpose to dc
everything was so strong, that they
sent a deputation consisting of the
president and one of it's secretaries
to Washington to meet President
Roosevelt and the officials of the
state department. The conference
was held last Saturday forenoon. Il
is impossible to over state the sym
pathy and interest of the president
the acting secretary of state an6
lengthy, during which time the of
ficials of the government showed
what steps it was taking and every
power of diplomacy was being usee
to effect the release of Miss Stone
Confidential details which, of course
is a breach of trust for us to give tt
the public were given but the friends
of the board and the whole nation
can be assured that everything posi-
BILE is being done to further the res
cue of Miss Stone. The heart ant
the persistence of the president il
this matter were most significant.
'They assured us that apparently
at the mollant, the only practica
method to secure her relief was t,
have the funds promptly at hand tt
pay the ransom. 1t was evidently tn
positive conclusion of the government
that this step was the first one t.
be taken, but it ought to be clearl,
understood that this is but one steI
that when she is released there vii
be a vigorous attempt not only t
obtain the return of the money blu
also to bring about conditions tina
such an outrage will be impossible il
the future. No one doubts that tn
government as at present organize
will not drop this matter until tn
rights of American citizenship ar
established.
Meanwhile a movement was BIZ
gun under the leadership of the fan
lily of Miss Stone to secur by popula
appeal the amount of the ransom an
circulars have already been sent on
announcing that funds could be sen
to Messrs. Kidder, Peabody & Co., c
Boston, who had consented to act a
~treasurers of the fund.
The Ransom Fund.
Boston, Oct. 8-No additional, stat
ment of money received for ransol