Miss Stone Affair

The Miss Stone Affair (Bulgarian: Афера „Мис Стоун“, Macedonian: „Афера Мис Стон“) was the kidnapping of American Protestant missionary Ellen Maria Stone and her pregnant Bulgarian fellow missionary and friend Katerina Cilka^[1]^[2] by the pro-Bulgarian Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization.^[3]^[4]^[5]

^ In her memories about this event Cilka is described as a Bulgarian by birth. For more see: "Born among Brigands; Mrs Tsilka's story of her Baby", "McClure's magazine", New York, vol. 4, August, 1902.
^ In the biographical book about her life Richard M. Cochran, Ph.D wrote: Katarina Stephanova was born in Bansko, Macedonia, in 1870, of Bulgarian parents. For more see: Richard Cochran, Katerina Tsilka, Institute for Albanian and Protestant studies, 2014, р. 16.
^ Marcel Cornis-Pope, John Neubauer eds., History of the Literary Cultures of East-Central Europe: Junctures and disjunctures in the 19th and 20th centuries, Volume 2, John Benjamins Publishing, 2006, ISBN 9027293406, p. 361.
^ Initially the membership in the IMRO was restricted only for Bulgarians. Its first name was "Bulgarian Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Committees", which was later changed several times. IMRO was active not only in Macedonia but also in Thrace (the Vilayet of Adrianople). Since its early name emphasized the Bulgarian nature of the organization by linking the inhabitants of Thrace and Macedonia to Bulgaria, these facts are still difficult to be explained from the Macedonian historiography. They suggest that IMRO revolutionaries in the Ottoman period did not differentiate between ‘Macedonians’ and ‘Bulgarians’. Moreover, as their own writings attest, they often saw themselves and their compatriots as ‘Bulgarians’. All of them wrote in standard Bulgarian language. For more see: Brunnbauer, Ulf (2004) Historiography, Myths and the Nation in the Republic of Macedonia. In: Brunnbauer, Ulf, (ed.) (Re)Writing History. Historiography in Southeast Europe after Socialism. Studies on South East Europe, vol. 4. LIT, Münster, pp. 165-200 ISBN 382587365X.
^ On 21 August 1901, Ellen Stone, an American Protestant missionary based in Salonika, and her Bulgarian colleague Katerina Stefanova, who was the wife of the Albanian pastor Grigor Cilka, were kidnapped by the cheta of Yane Sandanski between Bansko and Gorna Dzhumaya (now Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria). For more see: Stone, Ellene (Kidnapping off); an article by Raymond Detrez (2014) in Historical Dictionary of Bulgaria, Edition 3; Rowman & Littlefield, 2014 p. 469, ISBN 1442241802.

[1] In her memories about this event Cilka is described as a Bulgarian by birth. For more see: "Born among Brigands; Mrs Tsilka's story of her Baby", "McClure's magazine", New York, vol. 4, August, 1902.

[2] In the biographical book about her life Richard M. Cochran, Ph.D wrote: Katarina Stephanova was born in Bansko, Macedonia, in 1870, of Bulgarian parents. For more see: Richard Cochran, Katerina Tsilka, Institute for Albanian and Protestant studies, 2014, р. 16.

[3] Marcel Cornis-Pope, John Neubauer eds., History of the Literary Cultures of East-Central Europe: Junctures and disjunctures in the 19th and 20th centuries, Volume 2, John Benjamins Publishing, 2006, ISBN 9027293406, p. 361.

[4] Initially the membership in the IMRO was restricted only for Bulgarians. Its first name was "Bulgarian Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Committees", which was later changed several times. IMRO was active not only in Macedonia but also in Thrace (the Vilayet of Adrianople). Since its early name emphasized the Bulgarian nature of the organization by linking the inhabitants of Thrace and Macedonia to Bulgaria, these facts are still difficult to be explained from the Macedonian historiography. They suggest that IMRO revolutionaries in the Ottoman period did not differentiate between ‘Macedonians’ and ‘Bulgarians’. Moreover, as their own writings attest, they often saw themselves and their compatriots as ‘Bulgarians’. All of them wrote in standard Bulgarian language. For more see: Brunnbauer, Ulf (2004) Historiography, Myths and the Nation in the Republic of Macedonia. In: Brunnbauer, Ulf, (ed.) (Re)Writing History. Historiography in Southeast Europe after Socialism. Studies on South East Europe, vol. 4. LIT, Münster, pp. 165-200 ISBN 382587365X.

[5] On 21 August 1901, Ellen Stone, an American Protestant missionary based in Salonika, and her Bulgarian colleague Katerina Stefanova, who was the wife of the Albanian pastor Grigor Cilka, were kidnapped by the cheta of Yane Sandanski between Bansko and Gorna Dzhumaya (now Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria). For more see: Stone, Ellene (Kidnapping off); an article by Raymond Detrez (2014) in Historical Dictionary of Bulgaria, Edition 3; Rowman & Littlefield, 2014 p. 469, ISBN 1442241802.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]