New-York tribune., 1920-04-11

day, the indictment, before
military court of honor
Of Stephen Friedrich, War Minister
in the (since defunct) Huszar Cabi-
net and leader Of the Christian Ma
tional party, for completely in the
assassination of Count Stephen
Tisza, War Premier Of Hungary and
one of the leading statesmen Of the
Central Powers.
To those who have watched the
career Of the soldier Of fortune
Friedrich, who within a few months
fought his way from obscurity to
the post of virtual dictator of his
country, the news of his fall does
not come as surprise. For Fried
rich is the purest possible speci-
men of the petty adventurer,
thrown by fate into an environment
much larger than himself, whose
only capital is hypertrophied will
to power plus the moral lethargy
of those around him and who lives
up to the slogan "the end justifies
the means" not wisely, but too we'll.
Friedrich's indictment was pre-
ceded by a violent campaign urged
against him, on the one hand, open
ly by the Hungarian Socialist and
Karolyist refugees in Vienna, and
clandestnely, on the other, by
some Of his own colleagues, notably
Premier Huszar, who, jealous Of
Friedrich's excessive popularity,
made a series Of attempts to elimi-
nate him from public life.
A Woman Steps In
There is evidence of the most
substantial sort to support the
charges brought against Friedrich; !;
nevertheless, it is highly likely that,
lighter of consummate skill and of
an almost superhuman tenacity that
ne is, he would have continued sue
ccssfully to defy his opponents but
for the appearance of a mere wom-
an. This woman is the Countess
Denise Almassy, member Of the
highest Magyar aristocracy and a
close relative of the murdered
Count Tisza She was present in
the Tisza residence when it was in
vaded or that fatal afternoon of Oc-
tober 81, 1918, by group Of en-
ragged revolutionary soldiers. Try
ing to shield the Premier with her
own body, she received three
wounds; Tisza himself was hit by a
shower of bullets and died instant
ly. 1t was this same Countess
Almassy who took upon herself the
task of prosecuting Friedrich as the
instigator of the assassination. Evi-
dence proving his completely is en-
bodied in a memorandum presented
by the countess to the government.
The charges will be enumerated be-
low.
To understand the intricacies Of
tho Friedrich case, without doubt
the most lurid political scandal of
the Old World since the affair of
Bolo Pacha, it is necessary to set
its central figure against the back
ground of counter-revolution
Hungary. Since the collapse of the
Communist regime of Bella Kun that
country is in the throes of a White
Terror Of unparalleled ferocity, ad-
ministered by gang of junker
politicians and royalist officers of
the old Austro- Hungarian army
and aiming at the restoration of the
Hapsburg monarchy and at war of
revenge against Hungary's victori-
Gus neighbors.
Six Thousand Slain
The methods by which this double
goal is pursued are those of mass
murder, torture and pillage, and it
is estimated that up to last Decem-
Der the "White" troops, oficered
mostly by young aristocrats, have
hanged, shot, bayoneted, fogged or
otherwise tormented to death over
six thousand persons whose only
crime consisted either in belonging