The San Francisco call., 1901-10-09


the money, afterward settling with Turkey.
The Turkish authorities have made numerous
arrests among the Bulgarian population, with
been put torture in the hope of abstracting
information A prisoner named Dimitri said an
understanding existed between the Protestants
and the Macedonian committee, and that Miss
with the view of obtaining funds for a POLITICAL
religious propaganda- These declarations,
wrung from Dimitri under torture, are value
less What is certain is that the captain Of the
place In proximity to the Roumanian frontier,
which proves that he hopes to escape the Turk
ish police, and that the Bulgarian police do not
cause him anxiety.
This condition of affairs is shown by the fact
that five or six bands of brigands of twelve or
Strumitza and Kuprli that the officials Of the
Oriental Railroad have requested the Turkish
military authorities to reinforce the troops
guarding the track and bridges.
CONSTANTINOPLE, Oct. s.-Mr. Has
kell, the American missionary at Samo-
kov, Bulgaria, is opening negotiations
with the brigands with the view of reduce
for the release of Miss Stone.
Efforts of Missionary Board.
HARTFORD, Conn, Oct. S.-An inter
esting feature of the opening session of
the American board of commissioners for
the board of foreign missions, which be-
gan here this afternoon, was the response
by DR.. Capen, president of the board, to
the address of welcome delivered by Rev.
=. ". T.
Capen said:
We are in great anxiety over the fate of
Miss Helen Stone so greatly beloved. who is
to-day in the hands of the bandits with the
sentence of death hanging over her 1t is a
comfort in our tears to know that our Gov
ernment is doing everything that is possible
to be done for her rescue. Saturday Secretary
Roosevelt and Assistant Secretary Adee in
conference on this matter If Miss Stone were
a member Of his own family Mr. Roosevelt
POnld hardly IN
her rescue We must thank God thai although
President Mckinley is gone there is in Presi-
dent Roosevelt another man of God who will
see that American missionaries under the flag
possible protection It may be necessary tina
a ransom shall be paid, but that will not close
the incident. 1t will be but the beginning of
the chapter.
w. Acheman of Oregon have been named
as members of the committee on nomina-
tions.
After devotional exercises at this even
ing's session of the American board,
President Capen read the official report
of the board concerning the captivity and
ransom of Miss Stone. The report fol-
lows:
Miss Helen Stone in the hands of brig
ands, 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 Government authorities at Washing
ton have been at work using every possible ef-
fort to secure her release. These have been
days Of deep anxiety for the officers Of the
board. We have been in frequent communica-
ton with our representative in Constantinople.
Last Thursday received dispatch from
Washington that told us how increasingly
grave the situation had become. On the re-
ceipt of this telegram a meeting of the pru-
dental committee was hastily called to meet
the following day at u o'clock. The committee
came together and discussed the situation most
thoroughly. On the one side was the life of d
dearly beloved missionary; on the other side
was the fact that If we yielded to this demand
for ransom it was putting premium upon the
life of every missionary of the American Board,
and not of our board only, but missionaries OF
every society in the world The question was
even broader than the case of missionaries; II
practically concerned the safety of any and
every American citizen. Recognizing the full
gravity Of the situation, the committee without
dissenting vote. decided that it had no right
| to pay a ransom and establish precedent that
would be sure TO be dangerous in all the future
Furthermore, we were restrained by the fact