The Fate of Western Hungary 1918-1921 - Corvinus Library ...

Austrian gendarmes had released the Hungarian hostages, with the exception of
the priest, József Horváth, and that there is no word of the whereabouts of the
notary from Ágfalva, István Bősze. There was gunfire during the night in
Darázsfalva, Cinfalva and Kismarton. A delegation arrived to the Commissariat
from Répcesarud, a Croat-populated village, and stated “on behalf of the
village, they protest in the strongest terms against the annexation of Western
Hungary.” 346 The carrying off and attack on the Királyfalva priest, József
Horváth, had become an international incident to which not only the Entente
Mission but Chancellor Schober devoted their attention. The Hungarian
ambassador in Vienna, Szilárd Masirevich, telegrammed the following to the
Foreign Ministry in Budapest at 20:00 hours on September 3: according to a
report made to the chancellor, “the Hungarian rebels sent a message to the
Austrians that, for every day Horváth is kept a prisoner, an Austrian gendarme
will be hung.” Schober asked for immediate action to prevent this. Masirevich
saw a connection between the capture of 12 gendarmes and four customs
officers in Rábakeresztúr and the priest’s situation. The Hungarian ambassador
urged the release of the parish priest, to which the chancellor replied: he cannot
arrange it in his jurisdiction as the issue belongs in the Justice Ministry’s
sphere. It seems Horváth is being charged with posting a reward on the heads of
the Austrian gendarmes. At that, Masirevich commented that “the charge is
clearly without foundation, at first glance.” The chancellor finally made it
known to the ambassador that the National Assembly representative and
Evangelical Dean, Ödön Scholz, has been freed and is presently in Agendorf
(Ágfalva), where he has met with Robert Davy, appointed head of the
Burgenland province. 347
The next day, September 4, the Austrian embassy in Budapest interceded at
the Hungarian Foreign Ministry, of which Minister Bánffy notified Baron
Villani in Sopron and Count Sigray in Szombathely in identical telegrams.
They were instructed to “do everything in their power that the captured
gendarmes come to no harm.” Baron Villani’s telegram report of 13:00 refuted
Chancellor Schober’s information of the previous day: the 16 gendarmes and
customs officers were captured not in Rábakeresztúr but Rábafüzes, on territory
the Trianon Treaty left as part of Hungary. Baron Villani also disclosed that an
agreement has been reached with the Entente generals in Sopron. Hungarian
authorities will hand over their 16 captives to Austria in exchange for József
Horváth in Gyanafalva, in the presence of the Entente sub-mission stationed
there. This was supposed to take place in two days’ time, on September 6, but
was prevented when a 200-man volunteer rebel group showed up at the
appointed time and demanded that, until the Austrians hand over the body of
one of their fallen comrades, they will prevent the exchange. Finally, the
prisoner exchange took place on the 7 th without a hitch and the parish priest
could return to his flock – reported Count Sigray to the PM’s office the same
346 Ibid, p. 362.
347 Ibid, pp. 356–357.
132