Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1916-10-09
RUMANIANs HAD A
HARD TIME TAKING
THIS TANGLED NAME

bSzekely-Udvarhely proved as hard fol
the ROumanians to capture as is ths
mastery of its pronunciation for Amer.
leans the latest entrants into the
world struggle achieved quite victory
recently, when, according to despatch.
es from news sources of the Entente
Allies, the Transylvanian town was
occupied.
Concering this interesting town near
the head waters of the Great Kokel
River the National Geographic Society
gives the following information in a
war geography bulletin issued from
Washington:
Most of the 5000 inhabitants OF
the thriving little industrial town OF
Szekely- Udvarhely, the capital of a
county of Pennsylvania, are Seekers,
one of the many kinspeoples of the
Magyars about whom there has been
heated controversy for years. Szekely-
Udvarhely is in the heart OFF the
Seekers, 100000 of whom are closely
settled in the mountainous region ex-
tending from Kronstadt on the south
near the Roumanian border, to Maros-
Vasarhely to the northwest.
Cae From the Huns.
According to the traditions of the
/ Szekely- U lyarhely citizens themselves,
the Seekers are descendants from a
| part of Attilia's Huns who settled in
this part of Hungary after a reverse
of their leader, perhaps, following his
great defeat by Aetius and Theodore
on the Catalaunian plains, near the
fighting was variously estimated at
French city of Troyes, on which occas-
| ion the number of slain in one days
from $4,000 to 10000. But much more
Interesting accounts of the Seekers
origin and one which awakens in them
more responsive chord of patriotism
is that they were Magyars who were
transplanted to this rugged region in
the 18th century to act as a frontier
guard against the constant encroach-
ments of the Pechenegs and other
savage tribes that threatened the king
dom of Hungary. Ladislaus / is cred
tied with the scheme of this frontier
guard, and it was only one of the many
acts during his region which made him
the most widely beloved ruler of his
country during the middle ages ALI
Hungary was plunged into mourning
for three years after his death, which
occurred in 1895, and he was worship
ed as saint long before he was form
ally canonized.
"Szekely- Udvarhely is As miles north
OF Kronstadt and about the same dis
lance southwest of the Gyimes Pass,
one of the rocky, northern gateways
between Roumania and Pennsylvania.
The important Saxon town of Sages-
var, pronounced Sheggesh-var, but
presenting fewer lingual difficulties if
designated by its German name OF
Schassburg), is only 30 miles by rail
to the west. 1t was near the latter
city that the great Hungarian lyric
poet Petoh fell in battle with the Rus
SLAMS in 1849. His body was never
found and it is assumed that the youth
Che was only &c at the time of his
DEATH was buried in the common
grave of the Honveds Hungarian sol
diers) in the nearby churchyard of
Feheregyhas.
Twelve miles to the east of Szekely-
Udvarhely are the Baths of Homorod,
chalybeate springs popular for their
medicinal properties.
"One of the traditions OF Szekely-
Udvarhely is that the town derives it's
bifurcated name from the fact that at
one time Attila was wont to hold his
court here, Udyarhely meaning place
of the court"
American Citizens