New-York tribune., 1885-03-08
ON KOSSUTH'S ERRANDS.
AN AMERICAN AS A REVOLUTIONARY AGENT

AN AMERICAN AS AREVOLUTIONAkf A1EHl
MIR. w, j. sTrLLMAN's ADVENTURES IN VIENNA AND
PEsrH-rHE TRAGIC DEATH OF A REvoLu-
ZIONIST.
COPYRIGHT 1885.
When Kossuth visited America for the purpose OF
organizing a movement in aid of the suppressed
Hungarian Republic, was among the NUMBER VI
those carried away by his extraordinary eloquence
and magnetism. and my enthusiasm resulted In INV
Offering self for service in the work OF the reVo
luton which Kossuth fully expected to renew at no
distant period. / was accepted and orderea W
report at his quarters in London immediately aiter
his return thithcr.
On reaching London / applied directed 10
Pulsky, Kossuth's secretary, for my directions
Kossuth himself living in the outskirts OF Lcndon,
very quietly, almost obscurely, and he assnred
me- all his movements and those of every person
who called on him being followed by Austrian spies
went to him therefore at night by devious ways
and found him surrounded by precautions against
any contingency-a loaded revolver on the desk
before him and faithful Hungarans in the ante
room. We discussed various plans and contin-
gencies Of the revolutionary movement. and IL was
decided that | should go to LOmbardy and dis
tribute o proclamation among the Hungarian
regiments in garrison there charging them. II an
insurrectOn against Austria broke out, not To nre
on the people, Mazzini preparing ithe move
ment that resulted in the abortive rising at M!lan'
and though in the opinion of Kossuth the move
men, was premature and one In which, for that
reason. he could not actively participate as MS
people not ready. he made such dispositions
that the Hungarian troops who might be opposed TO
the Italian movement should not aid in suppress'ug
il. The proclamation he prepared to this effect IT
was to be my duty to carry to every hungarian
regiment in Lombardy.
Before my preparations were complete. however.
a change in his plans turrei me in another direc-
tion. The crown jewels of Hungary. including the
famous crown of st. Stephen, with which the King
of Hungary must be crowned to secure the ale
glance of the Hungarian people. had been hidden
in the latter days of tho struggle OF Hungary
against Austria and Russia that IT would not fall
into the hands of the Emperor of Austria, and It's
hiding place only known to KOssuth and
Zsemere, his colleague in the Ministry, and Kossuth
had become aware that emssares of the Emperor
in secret negotiation with Zsemere for the
disclosure of the hiding place. This determined my
destination and the proclamation was intrusted to
another emissary. Kossuth prepared complicated
cipher dispatch describing the locality of the
hiding place and che marks TO trace it by with such
mnuteness that the seekers need not be puzzled
to find il, and this dispatch divided into three
parts tue first containing only the 1st, +tb, sth.
l2th etc. letters of the entire dispatch the second
the I'd, 5th. 9th. 18th etc. while fourth gave the
key of the cipher. OF these | to take two.
one for myself, one FOR certain Macy Joseph of
Pesth. and the other two were to be sent via Con-
stantnople, intrusted to a Hungarian resident
there. and the other to a second messenger who
would leave London after me. l was enioned IL
make my journey in roundabout svay as 20
.if nd q, arrs,r in,
month after departure from England. At Vienna
was to find a substitute for a person who bad
recently been Kossuth's agent there and Who had
died under the most terrible conditions. He was
the only channel through whom kossuth had any
communication with Vienna, and 10 him were
known all tue conspirators and threads Of the
spiracy. The chief hal sent TO hun emis-ary in
whose memorandum book among numerous
addresses put down at random and of people IN no
wise connected with the conspiracy that Of the
Vienna agent. The emssary was caught IN fay-
rdnto deiictu. and every person whose name
founl In his book was arrested aud thrown into
solitary confinement. The Vienna agent not know
ing or what ground he had been arrested and foiT-
ing the worst aud that his imprisonment would be
followed by torture to compel hun To criIniDate his
associate, aud having other means of suicdc,
wrapped himself in his beicothes and set fire TO
burned beyond any healing he tore of his clothes
and gave an alarm He charged the keeper who
answered the alarm to call the military council
he had revelations to make. and when II had
assembled in his cell he said tauntingly: IL is
true that am a consprator. You have caught me,
but there are two hundred more whom you have
not caught. and two hundred thousand behind
them and one day nv chief will come and he will
mako il all right. shall tell you more and all
the tortures you can infict will be no worse than
suffer at my own hands" and 50 he died mute 10 the
last.
It was to replace him that | was tn select some
good republican OF Vienna. and thus addresses were
cunningly concealed in my address book. How 10
get at them withoat exciting the suspicion of the
police was the problem. | settled il on arriving at
Vienna by going TO the hotel aud after filling
up the police report, and without waiting
even to dine took "a cab and drove to TIE street
where lived the fist on whom l would wait. and
then went To lis house foot He was Il riband
manufactures and before the police knew that was
IN Vienna had made hs acquaintance and such
arrangements as would enable us to communicate
even after the police were my track. We met
again. as if casually. in the street. the only other
man who, Of those indicated TO me, was in Vienna.
a Hungarian merchant He was sound. but declined
to accept any kind of mission confidence. My
ribandnaker. on the contrary, was overioycd with
the confidence Kossutn Lad rcposed in him. and TO
show his delight took me at once to his house and
introduced me to his wife aud four daughters as a
friend and agent of Kossuthl
This extraordinary indiscTetion threw me into the
greatest perpicxity-four women in possession Of q
secret whose disclosure meant an Austrian dungeon
and utter failure OF my mission! spent ten days
in Vienna In state Of great nervous
tension. as can be easily imagined. but tho
women were stanch aud I had no annoy
ance from the police, and getting n ria
for Pesth, then not an easy thing, as Hungary was
still under martial law. entered on the graver part