Washington sentinel., 1854-02-03
From the London Times.

An American Clergyman In Austria.
The Rev. James Cook Richmond, an Ameri-
can clergyman, gives the following account Of
his treatment by the Austrian police while tra-
yelling in Hungary:
"FELEGYHAzA, Dec. 28.-This morning, be-
tween four and FIVE o'clock, o gendarme in
truded into my bedroom, ordered me up, and
in violent snow-storm compelled me to leave
Keckskemet in jolting wagon, over frozen
roads. / arrived only two hours before the
midday train, by which had voluntarily pro
missed to leave, and so exhausted that | could
not continue my journey.
"Dec. 29.-Last night / hoped to rest Three
gendarmes, by order Of the hussar littmeister,
Herr Won Falkenhayn, Of Felegyhaza, broke
down the door, which was split into two pieces, J
and threatened to shoot me dead if did not
instantly arise / arose, showed the word
America in my regular passport, and told
them that you had declared that the rights Of
an American citizen should not be violated
with impunity but should be reverenced
throughout the world. With brutal, coarse,
and disgusting minuteness and violence, they
proceeded to examine my Dress thrusting
their dirty hands into my bosom, and riaed my
pockets Of my papers and money. They told
me had never fallen into the right handsobe-
fore, and they would teach me that my obsti-
macy lin refusing to answer their insulting
questions) would soon be diminished, &c. The
officer of the three then declared me under mr.
rest, and, taking me at one o'clock in the morn
ing through another snow-storm, showed me o
soldiers dirty bed in the guard-room, saying
There's good bed at your disposal.
meantime, as they had forgotten to look un-
der the pillow in the room where | was arrested,
/ had asked permission to take what they had
left, with the understanding that l was not to
be searched again. then took out my watch
and paper money, which did not suffer them
to see. As soon as ! reached the guard-room,
the officer, who had before commanded the
gendarmes Ito feel for letters sewed under my
clothes,' undertook to examine me again. On
my manifesting surprise, he said to one of the
soldiers: Cock your gum (spann den hahn
He then thrust his hands into my pantaloons
pockets ritled them of my paper money, mis-
counted it, and put it away. Without undress-
ing, lay down upon the bed, a prisoner, while
the gendarmes in the guard room playedat cards,
drank, quarrelled, and swore during the re-
mainder Of the night / asked permission in
the morning to telegraph or write to the Amer
lean ambassador at Vienna. Refused. Alto,
a. m, / was taken to the Littmeister (comman-
der of hussars,) Herr Won Falkenhayn, who
meantime had become alarmed by the possible
consequences of these proceedings executed
under his orders. / must confess that the ac-
cused and the judge rapidly changed places;
and, on his questioning me, | replied the mat
ter was now out of my hands, and must be set
tied between the Austrian empire and my
country. He promised to restore my papers
and set me at liberty if would Immediately
depart. reminded him Of the declaration Of
the Apostle Paul, they have beaten us openly
and uncondemned, being Romans; and told
him it was easier to arrest an American citizen
than to set him at liberty.
1T was finally resolved, on my part, that
should demand satisfaction from Austria
through the American ambassador; and, on
his, that should remain under police obser-
vation till the answer came down from vi
emma. This last was only snse to alarm me,
for in an hour my papers and passports were
sent to me with wish that should leave the
place. This ! shall do as soon as it suits my
convenience. | have not been invited to pay
for the broken door.
at is absolutely necessary that this occa-
sion should be used to teach the Austrian gov
ernment that an innocent American traveller,
whose papers are almost more than perfect,
(my passport is covered -Swith signatures Of
Austrian ambassadors, from Baron Hulsemann,
through Paris, Italy, here, &C., cannot with
impunity, between Christmas and December
20, be searched, ordered out, violently arrested,
imprisoned, and twice minutely searched again,
with exposure to an hourly and childish repe-
tition of these capricious and dangerous pro-
ceedings. They must learn that there is an
important difference between their subjects,
exposed without remedy to all their whims,
and freeman from the United States. Not
doubling that the President will take imme-
date and decided steps in this important mat.
ter, remain, with the highest regard, as be-
fore, &c. j. C. r.