The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-08-01
ad by giving 9 brief
Venty !. years !. which
lissi oary work in
rk mong the
for brigands.

20 .. .
for brigands : -.".- s.@.gea 81 as
conspiracies, TurA =.
the provincial Language
Miss Stone spoke in higl c.
Mrs. Tilka, the Albanian womaA-
was her companion during the IL.
days of her captivity for ransom
Mrs. Tilka was the young wife of al
Albanian minister who had been edu.
Gated in America, and had herself
spent seight years in the United
States, securing training as nurse
and in other lines, to prepare herself
for missionary work among her peo-
pie. u s..-.... 20.
Mrs. Tilka went ito see her mother
for the first time in nine years. and
met Miss Stone at the teachers, con-
venJion in the northern part of Mace
donia. 1t was when they started on
the return trip that they were cap
tured by sbrigands, on beautiful
Tuesday in September. The party
was a large one, composed of teachers,
bible women and --young students. al
most 1.-The entire party being females,
and not having asked for Turkish
guard, as experience had shown that
such guard was useless.
On being captured, the entire party
was rapidly forced up mountain
side where a Turkish merchant who
was afterwards wounded and captured
was stabbed to death almost in view
of the party. Then Miss Stone and
Mrs. Tilka sswere dragged away from
the remainder. of the party, placed on
horse back and taken away on long
night march. 1t was intended to take
an older married woman, but she was
taken sick shortly before the brigands
captured the party.
The brigands marched on foot, with
moccasins, in the dark hours of the
night, and were continually moving
from place to place to avoid detection
and the troops that were in pursuit.
They demanded $110, GOO ransom for
Miss Stone, and expected that she
would be ransomed for that price
within twenty or thirty days. The
captives were fed and lodged as we'll
as the brigands could provide, but
that was only the most miserable
kind One piece of toilet soap had to
tho
The brigands threatened to kill the
captives unless the ransom was forth
coming within certain time, and
they lived in dread of death during
the first part of the captivity, and one
day there was division among the
brigands as to whether or not to kill
them at once. The majority was in
favor Of doing this, but the counsels |
of the chief and others prevailed. AS
winter advanced the captives suffered |
from the cold, as they had been taken
in their summer clothes and none
other could be procured for a long
time. They were also taken higher up
in the mountains in winter Mrs. |
Tilka's baby was born Jan. 4th, and
the brigands showed some considera-
tion for her. The party had to travel
three nights later, and made three long
journey before the baby was seven
teen days old
At one time another band of
brigands attempted to CAPTURE the
captives, and an all-night., battle re-
suited. After awhile the guards began
to have dreams which they interpreted
to mean that they would lose their
captives, and they were willing to
take what ransom they could get, and |
finally accepted $50, 600. A good deal
of letter writing was necessary to
bring this about. The bandits we're
pursued so closely by troops that it
was three weeks before they could free ,
their captives.
IL was on Sunday, Feb. 23d, three
hours before daylight, that the cap
tives were left near village. They
were given 81. 40 each. A Moslem was
the first man seen, and he took them
to shepherds hut where they were
kindly treated and saw other women
for the first time since the beginning
of their captivity. They were then
taken to the house of preacher in an
adjoining city, where great rejoicings
were had.
Miss Stone thanked all who had