Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1851-07-12
A Reminiscence of Kossuth.
BY Won KORN.


Whoever saw the sun-burnt faces of the
warriors who surrounded the bending form
of Kossuth, when he pronounced his farewell
words in the barracks Of Shumla-whoeeer
beheld the hot tears coursing down the cheeks
of his bearded Honveds, when Kossuth bade
them "lasos," adieu-will have been reminded
by the incident of the "Old Guards who re-
tanned their answering devotion to Napoleon
to the very latest moment. That moving
scene so often represented in pictures-"Na-
poleon's Farewell to his Faithfu''--was, on
the 18th of February, 1850, rehearsed before
my eyes in living colors.
They hung in silence on his every word,
that the echo of those wcll-beloved and in
spring tones might long linger in their souls.
Nor did Kossuth forget to gaze long and in
tently with his streaming eyes upon the coun-
tenance of each brave comrade there, to fix
the features on his memory. Profoundly ag-
tatod as he was, with a trembling voice he
spake these words:
"Brothers the first hard necessity of my
life, for me, was that to which was subjected
when constrained to abandon my native soil
and my noble nation; the second meets me to-
day, when behold myself obliged to bid a
long farewell to you, glorious remnants Of the
brave Hungarian army, and compelled by force
to depart from Europe to place where the
grave yearns for me.
'sYe are still strong and efficient-ye are still
permitted by fate to bear arms for our father
land, and to struggle for its freedom-a boon
no longer granted to me, for feel my strength
failing me with every day. l yield to the un-
aiterable destiny, and see myself doomed to
the same sad lot of exile which was meted out
To ,,,v nrodaoacS p to.7v
''Brothers! ye are yet young enough to see
our fatherland in the glory of her restoration
to freedom. Should ye be so blest as to wit
ness this, swear to me that ye will not leave
my bones to moulder in foreign soil, in the
land of the barbarian. This ye will promise
me, and this am convinced ye will fulfill"
Here Count Ladislaus Way, with uncovered
head, stepped up to Kossuth, and said aloud,
in strong and manly voice:
"Great man who standest there pure and
spotless before the eyes of the world, thou
whom the Hungarian nation honors to-day as
it honored thee when it chose thee for its re-
gent-thou wilt, thou shalt, thou must live
Not thy bones, but thy living self will we bear
back in triumph to our fatherland! This we
swear by the Almighty Godw
And all barred their heads while they uplift-
ed their hands to take the oath, and solemn)y
repeated, "Eskuzunk !" we swear it..
Kossuth kissed and embraced those who
stood nearest to him. All pressed towards
him to grasp his hand and bathe it with tears.
The Old Hussars strove once more to press
the hem of his mantle to their lips The whole
group was heart-rending to look upon; and
even the Turks-and this is saying much
were moved to tears at the sight.
The train then repaired to Count Casimia
Bathyan to bid him also heartfelt farewell.
The Count left many beautiful reflections Of
his noble soul in the remembrance of the emf
grafton.
Kossuth mounted his horse, and was borne
away That brilliant star of the armament of
Hungary, from which the nation had received
its greatest light gradually disappeared, until
it could no longer be seen in the whole circuit
of the horizon. The waves of the Black Sea
once more gave back reflection of its splen-
dor, and--a long night closed in upon that
too brief day.