The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-01-10
KossUTH.

- AAss'AAyJ yO'
The following advertisement ap.
pears every now and then in the
Corriere iii Torino:
Lessons in German, English, and
Hungarian given at moderate rates.
by L. KossurH,
164 Strada Nuova.
The advertiser is none other than
the once celebrated dictator of
Hungary. He is now almost utter
" forgotten, even in Hungary. He
has grown very old, and il now 20
poor that he will gladly give you .
lesson for q single franc. This
would seem very humiliatinR for
him, and yet he is proud Of his
poverty.
| He says:
Three years ago my friends at
home, in Hungary, offered me .
present of SO, 900 forms. I reject
| ed the offer, and never have regret
ted it, even when I was hungry,
and had no money to pay for .
FIRE"
had occasion, the other day, to
call upon him. ] was no stranger
to Kossuth. Twenty years ago he
had given me, in London, great
deal of valuable information for
fmy book, Hungary in 1849." I
found him in q very small room, in
the fourth story of dingy old
building. He sat alone in an easy
chair, poring over an old volume.
When I entered he did not recog
nize me. I recognized him, and
was shocked. Whata change these
twenty years had produced in hia
once handsome and interesting face!
His hair was entirely white, his
cheeks wan and hollow, and his
eyes utterly dimmed. His form,
once erect and proud, was now
painfully bent. He almost groan
ed as he raised himself to bid me
welcome.
He was deeply moved when I
informed him who I was. His face
frightened as he warmly clasped
my hand.
sNOh, yes; oh, yes," he said in
German, IL know you now. Every
body forgets me; NO one calls upon
me: no one cares any more for me.
Why should I remember those who
once were my friends?"
To this I objected. I asked him
how he could be forgotten when
his friends in Hungary wanted him
to return to his native country,
and take again an active part in its
affairs.
Kossuth smiled very bitterly.
"Oh, yes" he said, ''return to
Hungary dishonored, with an oath
of allegiance to the Hapsburgs who
murdered my friends and kinsmen,
who set . price upon my head. I
am neither q Deak nor an Andras-
sy."
I asked him how he got along.
"Well," he said, sadly, 'were my
good children and my poor wife
alive yet, I would be happy. even
in my old age and poverty But
they are all dead, and I am very
lonesome. That is what renders
my exile here, where people are SO
kind to me, SO distressing. 1t
would be no better in Hungary. !
have no kinsfolk anywhere but in
the New World"
"Why, then, not 60 to America
again, where your name is still re-
vered?" l ventured to say.
"Oh," he replied, Il have often
been sorely tempted to go to the
United States, but there are two
obstacles in the way. In the first
place, it would cost more money
than l have to spare; and next, ]
am almost sure that, in my enfeeb
led condition, I would be unable to
bear the sea voyage
All this was very melancholy, and
I hastened to change the subject o1
our conversation.
I showed him the proof sheets o.
the chapter on Andrassy in my
new work on Austria. He put on
his spectacles, and holding the pa
per in his trembling hand, read
carefully what I had written.
Meanwhile I had time to lool
around in the room. Against tn,
; rear wall stood . narrow, plain bed
On the walls hung portraits o
Mazzini, Bixio, Kisz, and, strange
" enough, Of Losis Napoleon. Oh
the book shelf by my side l noticed
Victor Hugo's .sAnnee Terrible,
Kinglake's "Crimea," and ten o,
twelve we'll worn grammars. On [
table, close to the bed, lay q loaf o
bread and plate of dried meat
{ To my dismay I found that m.
glancing around the room had at
J tracted Kossuth's attention.
"Yes' he said, with q smile, 'syo,
see for yourself now that ! am yer,
poor; and yet when I left Hungar.
in 1849, I was charged by all tn
mean organs of the Hapspurg
! with having enriched myself ct m.
country's expense: Do you know
: what my whole income was las
year! Within q fraction Of so,
lire!' Less than 5000
; I shook my head sorrowfnlly. III
, told me what he thought about tn
! chapter on Andrassy, gave m
} plenty of valuable and interesting
information on the subject ant
then dismissed me, saying that j
was time for one of his pupils t