The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1874-01-15
KOssush ina Poverty.
From the Frankfort Gazette

N From Inc FRANKFORT Gazette.
f The following advertisement az
pears every now and then in the Coz
riere di Torino:
Lessons in German, English, an,
Hungarian given, at moderate rate
: by et L. KOSSUTH,
164 Strada Nuova
The advertiser is none other thai
the once celebrated dictator of Hun
gary. He is now almost utterly for
gotten, even in Hungary. He has
grown very old, and is now SO poor
that he will gladly give you a lessor
for a single franc. This would seen
: very humiliating for him, and yet he
is proud of his povera.
He says: 5 "
'"Three years ago my friends at
home, in Hungary, offered me a pres
ent of fifty thousand forms. I re-
jected the offer, and never have re-
GREETED it, even when I was hungry
and had no money to pay for fire" /"
| had occasion, the other day, to
call upon him. I was no stranger to
Kossuth. Twenty years ago he had
given me, in London, a great deal of
valuable information for my book,
Hungary in 1649." I found him in
very small room, in the fourth story
ofa dingy old building He sat alone
in an easy chair, poring over an old
volume. When 1 entered he did
not recognize me. I recognizedhim,
and was shocked. What change
these twenty years had produced in
his 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 groaned as he
raised himself to bid me welcome.
He was deeply moved when I in
formed him who I was. His face
frightened as he warmly clasped my
hand. ...... ..- ..- .4r..
"Oh, yes, oh yes" he said, in Ger
man, Il know you now Everybody
forgets me; no one calls upon me;
no one cares any more for mel Why
should I remember those who once
were my friends?"
To this I objected. 1 asekd 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 Hun
gary, dishonored with an oath of al
legiance to the HapsbnTgs who ,mur-
dered my friends and kinsmen, and
who set a price upon my head. l
am neither Deake nor an Andrassy."
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. It would be
no better in Hungary I have no
kinfolks anywhere but in the new
world"
"Why, then, not go to America
again, where your name is still re
verel?"' I ventured to say.
"Oh", he replied, II have often
been sorely tempted to go back to
the United States, but there are two
obstacles in the way: In the first
place, it would cost more money than
I have to spare; and next, I am almost
sure that in my present condition, I
would be unable to bear the sea voy-
age"
All this was very melancholy, and
I fastened to change the subject of
our conversation.
I showed him the proof sheets of
the chapter on Andrassy in my new
work on Austria. He put on his
spectacles, and, holding the paper in
his trembling hand, read carefully
what I had written.
Meanwhile I had time to look
around in the room Against the
rear wall stood narrow, plain bed.
On the walls hung portraits of MAJ
zini, Bixio, Kisz, and, strangely
enorgh, of Louis Napoleon. On the
book shelf by my side I noticed Vic
tor Hugo's "Annee Terrible" King
lakes "Crimea,' and ten or twelve
well worn grammars. On q table,
close to the bed, lay loaf of bread
and plate of dried meat.
To my dismay I found that my
glancing round the room had attract
ed Kossuth's attention.
eyes" he said, with smile, "you
see for yourself now that I am very
poor; and yet when I left Hungary
in 1S49, I was charged by all the
mean organs of the Hapsburgs with
having enriched myself at my coun-
try's expense. Do you know what
my whole income was last year?
Within fraction of eight hundred
ire!" LESS than two hundred dol
lars.)
I shook my head sorrowfully. He
told me what he thought of the chap