TAKEN PRISONER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 1 November 1901, Page 4

TAKEN PRISONER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Capture of Miss Stone by Bandits.

Kansas City, September 30. A detailed account of the capture of Miss Ellen M. Stone, the missionary in Turkey, has been received in a letter from Miss B. Haskell of Samokova, Bulgaria, f o a relative here. Her letter says Miss Stone had been holding her usual summer school for Bible workers in Bansko, Macedonia. On September 3rd a party, consisting of six students from the collegiate institute at Samakova, three or four Bulgarian teachers, Mr and Mrs Tsilka—who bad spent several years in America—Mrs Oshera and Miss Stone started for Djuma, twelve hours’ travel. From there they were to go to their different homes.

At about 4 30 that afternoon, as they were resting in the mountains, Miss Stone and Mrs Tsilka being on horseback and the rest on foot, they were surrounded by thirty or forty armed men. The men were dressed in Turkish costume but were masked.

After going an hour’s distance, the brigands stopped and demanded their money. They took what gold they had but returned the silver. When this was over some of them said to Miss Stone: “ We want you,” and ordered her and Mrs Tsilka to go with them. She made no remonstrance. Mr Tsilka made a move to follow his wife, but they forced him back.

A part of the brigands kept watch on those that remained, to keep them from going to inform the Government, but the next lot let them go. The brigands murdered one of the men of the party before the eyes of the captive to get his horse. They took this animal, as well as the horses ridden by Miss Stone and Mrs Tsilka.