The Dickinson press., 1903-03-14
Bertha Haoen.

Bertha Hagen was born February IL,
1920, in celle, hanover. GERMANY.
She was married to- Francis Bei.igl, an
officer in the Hungarian revolution of
IS48, when kossuth and other COM
patriots were ovsrpowered by the com.
bined forces of Austria and Russia to
sustain m%onarchieal government in
Europe.
The treachery Of the Hungarian Gen.
eral Gorgey in delivering almost the en-
tire Hungarian army to the Russians
crushed the rebellion for republican
principals by the H%ungarians.
Many of the H~unEarians escaped and
fled to Turkey. Germany and England,
became exiles and from there fed to this
country.
Kossuth had been invited to come to
this country by congress as the nations
guest, by the president. At that time
Fillmore was president and Webster
secretary of state.
Kossuth was unsuccessful in getting
the government to intercede for the
Hungarian republicans, but his address
and Webster's foresight in seeing the
necessity of providing for the down-trod-
den OF Europe when they came to this
country caused the seeds to be sown for
the Homestead Act a few years there
after.
Webster's mighty influence in congress
caused this government I practically
give the Hungarian exiles a present of a
tract Of land in Decatur county, Iowa.
To this land Beisigl with many other
prominent men like Uhihazy. Madera1,
Vorga, Hanier, Compoty and other went.
The country was I wilderness, $50
miles from the railroad. and here this
handful OF patriots me, a greater Water
loo than the traitor, Gorgev, had given
them.
Hardship, poverty and priva,ions fast
thinned their ranks and here i, WAS that
Beisigl soon died leaving Bertha, his
wife, and the two little bows, GeorH, and
August.
The mother struggled amongst strang-
ers in a strange land for the maintain
ance of herself and the two little bows.
In 1870 the widow married John Hagen,
n old pioneer settIerin that part nf iowa,
who died in 1873.
In 1880 she emigr.t-d TO Nebraska,
following her two o n there, and then IN
1883 she again emigrated this time to
Dickinson, N. d., locating IN Il home-
stead n and a half mile from Dickinson,
where she toiled and bat;Ied in tn, strug-
gle for existence with her boys for some
fifteen years.
A constant sufferer tor many years
with rheumatism she. With her two ions,
went to different parts Of the country Tor
relief, but unfortunately for her none
was to be had, and tor m.;n, wears the
only offset to this terrible suffering wac
the 8 lace and rom!or: sf;+ ;...d in the
thought that the two little boys she had
battled for and brought up on corn bread
and milk, among strangers in a strange
land, in the early days of Iowa, often re-
duced to the utmost necessity. had be.
come str ng, honorable and successful
men.
Endowed with Il t ,nn,i.tion that her
two little boys, nov grown up, were an
honor to her and Of whom she felt proud,
her sufferings were always secondary
matters.
A woman of education, strong will,
wonderful memory to the time of her
death. A devout christian. yet scorning
the hypocrisy practiced by many preach.
ers and church goers.
She died at Baker, MIMI, March 9Th,
1903, at 7 o'clock p. NJ, at the ripe age
of 81 years and II days.
Her remains we're taken by her two
devoted sons to New Salem, N. d., where
a very interesting and appropriate fun
eral service was held in the German
language by her old friend, Rev. Schoen-
hut, pastor of the Evangelical church oil
that city. on March 7, 1903, at 4 o'clock
p. m.
After a short service at the grave the
body was laid to rest in the family lot, to
await the hereafter.