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APPENDIX XXIII

BLOODSHED AT ELECTIONS

Bresnitz von Sydačoff, in his sensational tract Die Wahrheit über Ungarn (pp. 70-71) quotes verbatim the following report of Mr. Julius Endrey, M.P., upon a bye-election at Maros-Vásárhely during the Premiership of Mr. Széll: —

To-day's election was stained not only by bribery and official pres­sure, but also by a bloodbath started by the gendarmes. The polling-booth, the school, and indeed the whole neighbourhood was thickly beset with gendarmes and military. Since the public could not, owing to the cordon, enter School Street, it collected in the neighbouring Louis-Kossuth Street, and cheered the voters of the Kossuth Party. Between midday and one o'clock, when the supporters of the Govern­ment party appeared and proceeded to vote, they were received with hooting by the crowd. Some children even threw snowballs at the carriages in which the voters of the Government party sat. A gendarme then seized a child and began to ill-treat it, by belabouring it with the butt of his rifle. Several persons in the crowd tried to intervene in the interest of the child. "Don't ill-treat it," said a townsman, "it is only an unripe child." The gendarme then let go of the child, which disap­peared crying in the crowd. In the next moment one gendarme raised his rifle: two others followed his example, and several shots fell in rapid succession. A fearful outcry filled the air. Several persons staggered to the ground covered with blood. Ten persons had fallen victims to the volley — among them three who were killed on the spot. These are Daniel Nagy, miller ; John Pipás, peasant, and Isaac Farkas, miller's apprentice. The seventeen year old carpenter's apprentice, John Simon, was brought into hospital in a dying condition. Six others were brought into hospital, several of them fatally wounded. The l est will be crippled for life. At the news of the bloodbath the voters of the Kossuth Party scattered, not daring to go to the poll. Thus the candidate of the Government Party was declared elected.

Witnesses state that there was absolutely no reason for the gendarmes using their weapons.

High Sheriff Arpád Mikó had received the order from the Premier, Mr. Széll, that the constituency must unquestionably remain in the hands of the Government party.