The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-07-18
MISS STONE
is COMING
The WeIl-Kn0Wn Missionary to
Tell of Her Captivity.
Will Speak at the Opera House on
Thursday Evening,
July Path.

Miss Ellen Stone, the well-known
missionary, who was captured by
brigands in Macedonia, is in the
northwest and will visit Mankato,
coming here on Thurdsay, July oath
and speaking in the opera house that
evening. The Minneapolis Times in
speaking of her says:
Miss Ellen Stone, who for several
months was the most talked of woman
on two continents, reached Minneapo-
lis yesterday and addressed an inter
ested audience last night in Plymouth
church.
Miss Stone is the guest of Rev. and
Mrs. George R. Merrill, at 223 W.
Fifteenth street. She came to the city
on train holding many of the dele
gates to the National Educational as
ISOLATION, and friendly relations were
soon established between the secular
teachers and the missionary.
Miss Stone is success as plat
form speaker she has pleasing per
sonality. and an air of bon comraderie
which Immediately establishes friendly
relations with her audience. She
speaks quickly, and with intensity, of
her experiences in Macedonia.
She spoke first of the conditions of
brigandage still existing in Mace
donna, which Roumania, Greece, Syria
and Armenia have largely outgrown
The story of her capture by brigands
and the taking away of herself and
Mrs. Tzilka was graphically told.
The two women were taken from
their company and dragged from one
mountain stronghold to another for
172 weary nights and days, travelling
nearly always at night and all night
under most trying conditions.
At the beginning of their captivity
they had to witness the murder of a
traveller who had been too near them
when they were captured and had
fred on the band. The information
given them by the brigands after their
first twentyfour hours of captivity,
"We have taken you for money, "
gave them temporary respite and
hope, but when the amount Of the
ransom "a, 600 Turkish pounds, or
$110, 900, was named. Miss Stone
said to them:
cit is impossible; you might as we'll
kill us now"
: Several times when the amount
specified was not raised in the specif-
ed time, their captors were on the
point of taking their lives, but were
restrained by their desire to get the
money. They could not understand
why Mrs. Tzilka had been taken, too,
but were informed that as she was the
only married woman, she was needed
to chaperon Miss Stone.
One of the brigands was fairly kind,
and brought them some toilet neces-
stiles and cloth to sew. One of the
most pathetic incidents was the birth
of Mrs. Tzilka's daughter. The men
had a superstitious fear of q curse
falling on them if harm came to her
or the child. They came into the hut
and congratulated the young mother,
and drank the health of the baby.
After many perils the women were
released on payment of 500, 900 and
| raatOrod RI fhoi,. friopdo
Miss Stone voiced her gratitude tc
the Christian people who had remem
bered her in her dire necessity, and
said she stood before them as woman
ransomed by more than her weight in
gold. ....
She also said that she expected
nothing from her missionary board
which had repeatedly asserted tina
it would not be responsible in sucl
an emergency, and that the utmos
care must be taken.