Mr. Eddy to Mr. Hay.
Constantinople , December 13, 1902 .
Sir: I have the honor to inform you that, after obtaining the best advice at my disposal here in Constantinople, I have decided to send Mr. Feet (the missionary treasurer) and Mr. Gargiulo (first dragoman of this legation) to the frontier between Turkey and Bulgaria at a point near the town of Rilo, where, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the brigands have their headquarters.
These two gentlemen leave here this evening and proceed directly to the city of Salonica where they will obtain, through letters from the minister of the interior, the full and entire assistance of the vali of Salonica, who is in charge of that district in which their work will probably be confined. From Salonica they will proceed to Djumabala, where they will establish their headquarters for the time being. They will then come into touch with the brigands, being at a distance of only [Page 1014] ten or twelve hours from the latters’ headquarters. Should it seem necessary they will move still closer up to the frontier, and from that point they will endeavor to convince Miss Stone’s captors that there is only $66,000 to he paid for her release, and that this sum will be forthcoming directly they decide to accept it.
Messrs. Gargiula and Peet have instructions to gain the trust and good will of the brigands, to treat them frankly and openly, and to arrange that the exchange of the prisoners for the money will take place on the frontier, thus obviating the difficulties which were foreseen some weeks ago when the brigands insisted on receiving the money in Bulgaria, and surrendering the prisoners in Turkey.
Last night and to-day I have had long interviews with Mr. Guéchoff, the Bulgarian diplomatic agent in Constantinople, and have convinced him that we have only $66,000; he has signified his intention of spreading the certainty of this fact throughout Sofia on his own authority by means of letters and telegrams.
Dr. Washburn, of Robert College (who is sometimes known as the “Father of Bulgaria”), has gone to Sofia, and will endeavor, through his influence, to convince those in authority over the brigands that they will gain nothing by waiting longer, that the final amount will be only $66,000 whether it is paid now or next spring, and that the brigands by delaying arc only risking the chance of Miss Stone’s death, and the consequent loss of the ransom. * * * At the present time I am keeping it a close secret that Mr. Gargiulo and Mr. Peet are leaving this city.
This effort would seem to be the last thing which can be done without an increase of the sum at our disposal. We are not dealing with a case of ordinary brigandage. The whole matter is mixed urj with Macedonian and Bulgarian politics, the Iwo causes of Miss Stone’s capture being a desire to obtain money from the missionaries for the so-called “sacred cause” and to impress the world with the belief that Turkey has no real power in Macedonia, where the state of affairs is little short of anarchy.
In a conversation with the Dutch minister, Mr. de Weckerlin, the day before yesterday he stated the case very clearly. He said it was a case of fear on all sides. The Bulgarian Government is afraid of the present committee, the present committee is afraid of the old committee, the old committee is afraid of the leaders of the thirty-two brigands who abducted Miss Stone, the leaders of the thirty-two men are afraid of the men themselves, and the men in turn are afraid that they will not get their money for the work they have done and that their superiors will betray them into the hands of the troops. You will readily see from this the extreme difficulty of dealing with the case. There is such a vast number of persons concerned in it and it has become so much an international question that its far-reaching results and the universal distrust engendered render it almost impossible to take any direct line of action and to hold to it.
From the numerous conversations which I have had recently on this subject, with the object of obtaining the best possible advice, it is perfectly evident that the consensus of opinion gives but three possible solutions to the matter:
- (1)
- To pay the full £25,000 and then collect it in the form of indemnity.
- (2)
- To cause the troops to surround the brigands and cause the release by force.
- (3)
- To use coercive measures against Bulgaria, causing them to be responsible for Miss Stone’s safety. * * *
I have, however, thinking it to be the wish of the Department not to resort to extreme measures, adopted this plan of sending Messrs. Gargiulo and Peet to the frontier in order to exhaust every effort to settle the matter for the amount now in our possession. Up to the present time I have been unable to take any definite action, as the whole matter has been in the hands of Mr. Dickinson at Sofia; but now that the negotiations at that point have proved fruitless I am using every possible means to arrive at some definite result from this point, acting always on the advice of such of my colleagues as have had a long experience in this country and have profited by it.
I have, etc.,