The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-11-04
A Russian Student Who Was
With Miss Stone
Is Convinced That She is No
Longer Alive.
COULDN'T STAND 1T.
Hardships of Winter in Noun
tains Too Severe For Her.
Consul Dickinson Still Blamed
For Failure of Negotiations.

| New York, Nov. 4.-The positive con-
viction that Miss Ellen M.Stone is dead.
| is contained in letter which has just
been received in Boston from Ivan
! Rudolf, a student, who was with the
American missionary when she was
| captured by brigands in Turkey togeth-
| er with Nine. Tsilka, says the Boston
correspondent of the Press.
According to this letter the snow IN
the mountains into which Miss Stone
and her companion were taken by their
captors was three feet deep. three
weeks ago at the time the letter was
written. Even in the summer time the
snow upon the highest SUBMITS of these
mountains does not melt. The first
snow fall usually comes at about the
middle of September and by the middle
of October the mountain passes are abb
solutely closed to travel
1t was the conviction among Miss
Stones friends in Samakov, Bulgaria,
three weeks ago that she could not
possibly have survived the rigors of her
captivity until that date. There was
hope that Miss Stone might have been
concealed by her captors in the mon
astery of st. Ivan of Sila. which is
near the Bulgarian Turkish frontier aud
on the Bulgarian side of it, So gre9k
was the anxiety of the Bulgarian gov
ernment to do everything ia it's power
to assist the United States representa-
tives in their effort to find the mis-
sionary that they adopted the exceed
fngly unpopular measure of ordering a
search of the monastery. This search
disclosed the fact that Miss Stone had
not been there. The discovery was dis
appointing to Miss Stones friends in
Samakov. According to the letter OF
Ivan Rudolf. Consul General Dickin-
son has retarded the release of Miss
Stone seriously. 1t is said that Mr.
Dickinson by his criticism of the Bull
garian government has antagoniEed the
government.
It is understood in Samakov, the
brigands who were in immediate charge
of the captive were under positive in
structions to take her life at the first
indication of the ability of a Sk1rm-
ish with the troops
The hitch in the negotiations for Miss
Stones release arises from two causes
United States Diplomatic Agent Dickfn-
son and Russian Minister Balxhmeteff;
second, the missionary and diplomatic
disinclination to accede to the brigands'
terms, though moderated says the Sam
akav correspondent of the Journal and
Advertiser. The relations between NJ
Bakhmetem and Mr.. Dickinson are
strained to the breaking point. The for
mer being friendly to Bulgaria, does not
want his agent to finish the final trans
action on Bulgarian soil. Mr.. Berth, a
Macedonian student at the American
Institute at Satnakov. one of the agents
sent to negotiate with the brigands. has
returned from Raslog. He reports that
the brigands consider Mr.. Dickinson's
money offer as too small. They say they
do not want to agree to terms that
would disgrace them with their brethren.
Discussing the amount of ransom.
Missionary Baird, purser ofthe Samakov
institute, says: IF the brfgands get a
quarter of what they still ask, bands
will spring up like mushrooms, Samakov
itself will furnish many and Bulgaria
will be ruined. The brigands began
negotiations with us by asking twice
Miss Stones weight in gold. Even a
fourth of this sum is preposterous. IL
the Bulgarians had either trackers, or
blood hounds, Miss Stone would not be
spending her sixteenth day with the
brigandS."
THIEF SET TO CATCH A THIEF
New York, Nov. 4.-According to the
Vienna Politische Correspondents, quo
ted by the correspondent of the London
Times and the New York Times in the
Austrian capital a well known Mace
DOMAIN brigand has been instructed TO
obtain information as to whether Miss
Ellen M Stone is still alive. Two other
brigands, well acquainted with tbs
country have been commanded by u. :.
Consul General Dickinson to try to get
in touch with the missionary's captors-
The prefect of the Sofia police has also
sent two messengers Miss Stones re-
lease is again represented as being i'm
r,aiporf