The Saint Paul globe., 1902-02-09
FATE OF MISS STONE
IN THE CAPTURED AMERICAN
MISSIONARY
HOW THE BRIGANDs WORK
Consider Americans a PusiIIanimous
Race, and Act Accordingly
Drastic Measures Necessary
to Change Their Minds.
Special to The Globe.

Special to The Globe.
VIENNA, Feb. 8.-The question Of tn,
release of Miss Stone, the American
missionary, has probably caused more
comment here than in any other of the
great continental capitals.
The unfortunat te woman is not. OF
course, in the hands of a gang of low
criminals or there is no telling what her
fate might have been long ago.
The men who have captured her belong
to the average type of Roumanian OF
Bulgarian brigand, and if ever taker
alive will be found to be broken-down
gentlemen engaged in revolutionary poll
ties, brigandage and perhaps, by deputy,
while they are away, running farms of
their own, which do not bring them in
enough for a living
The Bulgarian brigand is generally an
improved article, gotten up to meet a
sudden necessity or to take advantage of
peculiarly attractive opportunity He
IS an actor who assumes the role for the
time being, much as an ordinary citizen
in America becomes a politician of a GER
tain stripe in order to help out the mea-
ger income from his business by pIunder-
ing either the public or the public treas
ury. The offense is looked upon by most
people in the Balkan states much as
the politicians crime is viewed in the
United States.
There are, no doubt, hundreds of per-
sons who know or have known all along
where Miss Stone and her companion
were and are; but they would no more
think Of ''peaching'' on the brigands than
would an ordinary New Yorker think of
giving away" the secret of the poll
tician's graft.
The community in these countries is, as
a rule, against the law, which explains
this anomalous condition Of things.
There could be nothing more calculated
to cause national rejoicing in Bulgaria
than the fact that Alfred c. Vanderbilt
John d. Rockefeller. Joe Letter or some
other American millionaire had decided
to make bicycle tour of Bulgaria. BY
the time the distinguished gentlema N
had arrived thousands of pairs of eyes
would be on the alert and intelligence
bureaus organized all along the pros
pective route.
all these accomplices that makes it dif-
1cult to close negotiations without ex-
acting the full amount of the original fee
IN Miss Stones case.
AuStrianS are seldom f ever disturbed i
In any of these countries because the
Austrian government would not hesitate
for an instant to take drastic measures,
II its subjects were interfered with
barry state today have been in the same
position that he was twenty years ago
had not American warships given the
Moorish piraes taste of what could be
done to enforce his rights A similar
lesson should be in some way convened
to the Bulgarian brigands or no Amari-
can will ever be safe in the country The
fact Is that these people consider Amerl-
cans weak and pusillanimous race who
can easily be bled and who have no fight
in them.
No one here doubts that the captors
Of Miss Stone are in collusion with the
authorities and that the plunder will be
shared by the very persons paid to ex-
terminate the brigands-the military. In
addition to paying the military police
the brigands will have to make hand
some presents to the church, for these
men are extremely orthodox and Woul1
never think of committing a murder un-
less they could do some thing handsome
for their faVorite saint.
1t is quite possible that Miss Stone
was seized as the means by which money
could be raised to pay up the briganis
church assessments or they may have
made vow to burn so many candles ac-
cord1ng to the amount of booty collect
ed. The larger the ransom obtained the
more they will be able to glorify' their
church, and, consequently, the larger lat
itude will be left them for the commit tai
OF other crimes with fmpunity. The
Turks in the gang will, of course rem
der their obligations to the saints who
flourish under the banner of Allah. The
Bulgarians, who follow a demoralized
form of the Greek religion, viii hang
up their plunder, If they get it, before
their holy pictures or elkons and thus
wash one hand with the other.