Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-11
AS AN AVENGER
Justice Travels Hence to Far
Away Hungarians.
TWO EUROPEAN SUBJECTS
To be Tried for a Murder Done in
Clearfeld County.
LETTERS ROGATORY FORWARDED.
Consul Schamberg Aids in Bringing
Fugitive Huns to Trial.
TWO EUROPEAN SUBJECTS
LETTERS ROGATORY FORWARDED.
A MESSAGE OF DEATH GOES BY NAIL

The eastbound mail train last evening
carried a message of death, transmitted from
the District Attorney of Clearfeld county
to far distant Hungary. Two lives will pay
the penalty of numbering fellow creature,
the package containing letters rogatory,
considered complete evidence by the Hun
garian courts. The history of the crime for
which two Hungarian subjects stand ac-
cused is familiar to the readers of THE DIS
PATCH. On the 14th of last February the
friends of John Leging gathered to celebrate
his wedding at hamlet in Clearfeld coun-
ty. Hilarity lapsed into free fight, in
which Joseph Loksa received fatal injuries.
The guests scattered hurriedly, two of them
fleeing to Sceilvas Uzfalu, Hungary. Andrew
Ivan and Stefen Toma did not escape the
remembrance of the relatives of the mur-
dered man, and letters passed between the
two countries, finally resulting in the arrest
of Toma and Ivan by the Hungarian au-
thorities. They notified Clearfeld county
through Schamberg. His action in the case
had from first to last been based upon his
belief that extrsdition was sensational and
cumbersome. The Hungarian authorities
offered to try the case against the men, Toma
and Ivan, out of jealous
SENSE OF INTERNATIONAL HONOR,
thus avoiding the expense and risk of extra
dition, and with the further proviso that the
evidence would he as carefully weighed
there as if before Clearfeld county jury.
This handsome offer was accepted by the
Clearfeld county authorities.
After considerable correspondence be-
tween S. V. Wilson, District Attorney Of
Clearfeld county, and Consul Max Scham-
berg, in which the latter repeated with en-
phasis the motives of honor which had i'm
PEELED the Hungarian authorities to under
take the trial of their subjects, District At
torney Wilson commenced the preparation
of the Letters Rogatory," as the official
documents ars STYLED. The Clearfeld peo-
pie looked upon the matter in the light of a
very considerable sum saved to the county
treasury, as the cost of extrsdition of the
two men would have added great deal to
the usual expense of a murder trial.
Consul Schamberg received the letters
oogatory yesterday morning. They em-
braced a complete record of the crime, in
cluding an attested copy of the indictments
found against Toma and Ivan; afidavits of
the eve witnesses of the affair; several let
ters from Hungary attesting the fight of
Toma and Ivan from Clearfeld county, and
a number of documents in the, Hungarian
language having bearing upon the case.
BELIEVES THEY ARE CONVICTED.
The English portion of the document was
translated into Hungarian by Consul
Sehamberg's attaches yesterday. After a
careful examination of the papers Consul
Schamberg said: "The history of the crime
is very clearly presented in these documents,
and have attached my official seal to the
mass of testimony which constitutes the
letters rogatory."
will the Hungarian courts accept this
testimony as final?" was asked.
'Oh, yes. The home government of. course
accepts my Endorsement of the matter,
knowing that have familiarized myself
with the story of the crime. The evidence
is so strong that there can be no doubt that
Toma and Ivan will be executed. While
the summary administration of Hungarian
justice in this case is sad affair, it shows
clearly that the Austro- Hungarian Govern
ment is willing to go out of its way to aid
in the maintenance of the laws that govern
the relations of the two countries"
The letters rogatory were mailed last even
ing, and will reach their destination in the
course of a fortnight.