Decatur County Journal
July l6, l896

'SOME NEWS FROM HUNGARY'
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B.O. SPRINGER Receives an Interesting Letter from STEPHEN--Description
of the Country.
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Through the courtesy of D.E. GATCHELL, we publish below a clipping from
the Debreczen Ellenor, or as we would state it--the Debreczen
Comptroller, a newspaper published in the Magyar tongue at the city in
which MR. VARGA and his party spent most of their visit, while in
Hungary. We are also greatly indebted to our friend of New Buda, IGNACE
HAINER, for a most correct and explicit translation of the article from
the Magyar to the English language. The article is as follows:

A venerable, long and white bearded old gentleman, 80 years of age, in
company with a tall and powerfully built young man, arrived Thursday,
June ll, on the 4 o'clock afternoon train from Budapest, the metropolis
of Hungary, at Debreczen. From the depot straightway they drove to the
residence of Rev. Samuel Toth, professor of the High College, where the
lady of the house, Mrs. Toth, nee MARIA VARGA, as soon as she saw them,
in her joy burst into tears, and forthwith notified her husband, who was
absent on account of college examinations, of the arrival of the beloved
guests. With great rejoicing he received the guests--FRANCIS VARGA and
his son, STEPHEN, who came from the United States of America, State of
Iowa, City of Leon, to Debreczen, after a long and weary land and sea
voyage, to visit their native country, native town, and their relatives.

The old gentleman is the FRANCIS VARGA, who, in l848, the year of the
national uprising in Hungary, was a high county officer of the county of
Torontal, and later on chairman of the court martial at Szeged, and
after the loss of the national cause, being persecuted, succeeded with
the aid of a false passport to leave the country, and arrived safely in
Hamburg, the commercial metropolis of Germany. For a while he dwelt
there, hoping to soon be able to again return to his native country, but
being disappointed in this hope, with many thousands of others,
similarly situated, he departed for America, where he sought and found a
new home, and established himself at Leon, Iowa, where a large family
was born to him.

Forty-six years he has spent far away from his native country, and now
is an old man, but yet, full of vigor, he returned home to see the
Millennial celebration, and his native country once again. It is
certainly a real delight to hear the old gentleman who is very
intelligent and rich in experience, who though over forty years away
from his native country, speaks so beautifully and correctly our beloved
native Magyar tongue.

FRANCIS VARGA is the son of the long ago deceased professor of the
Debreczen Presbyterian High College, and later on pastor of the Church
at Szikizi, a small Hungarian town. There have been four
children--FRANCIS, ANTONY, LOUIS and ESTHER, married to Chas. Szuch,
minister at Nagy Leta. Louis, who was treasurer of the High college of
Debreczen, has two children--Geza, chief physician of the county,
already deceased, and Maria, wife of Professor Samuel Toth, at whose
home they were visiting. All the four were born at the parsonage in the
immediate neighborhood of the great Presbyterian Cathedral. Of his
parents' children, only FRANCIS VARGA survives. He, in the eve of his
life, came from far, far away across the sea, to see once again his dear
native land; shed his tears at the graves of his departed dear ones, to
delight in seeing his yet living relatives, and to hear yet once more in
life at home the sounds of his beloved native tongue.

FRANCIS VARGA was born in Debreczen, Hungary, in the year l8l7, and in
the year l850 he went to the United States of America. In the year
l858, he married a brave German girl, who, in the year l859, gave birth
to his son STEPHEN, and later on to six girls. STEPHEN married some
time ago, and has already an 8-year-old son, little FRANCIS, the
youngest scion of the VARGA family. Of the six girls, five are already
married. Some of them live in Leon, some have moved away with their
husbands. The sons-in-law are all highly respected gentlemen. EMMA's
husband is DAVID GATCHELL; ROSA's, BYRON HAMILTON; ESTHER's, FRANK
CODER; MARY's, FRANK SLADE; NELLIE's, ARTHUR DORN. The sixth, CLARA, is
not married, but stays at home with her old and lonely parents.

The old gentleman and his son, STEPHEN, follow the practice of law in
America. The old couple, the sons, the daughters, sons-in-law and
grandchildren, consists of twenty-one members, and it is a striking
picture in which they are all assembled together--the old hoary-headed
gentleman in the midst of the company.

FRANCIS VARGA could not hear, of course, in America much Hungarian talk,
and his greatest delight at his home in Leon consists in reading aloud
to himself and for himself, the letters written in the Magyar language,
which he occasionally received from the old country. His son, STEPHEN,
who knows no Hungarian and only a little German, is a thorough American,
and speaks but the English language.

For many years FRANCIS VARGA has been preparing to visit his native
land, but only this year he took the decisive step. Now, with tears in
his eyes, he tells his relatives: "Now, that I have seen once more, you,
my beloved ones, my worshiped native country I can return with
resignation to my adopted home, America, and be ready to die in peace of
mind."

Yesterday, Friday, June l2th, FRANCIS VARGA, first of all visited the
Presbyterian High School, from which, in the year l835, he graduated.
After spending a pleasant conversation with the professors and members
of the faculty, he visited several class rooms and was delighted by the
prompt, ready and intelligent answers of the young students, the living
hopes of the beloved home country. In these visits FRANCIS was always
accompanied by his son, STEPHEN. Yesterday, in the afternoon, the aged
FRANCIS tried by himself to find out, with assistance, the old house in
which he was born. He found it readily, and informed his relatives that
such was the case, with great joy.

This morning, Saturday, June l3, the party made an excursion to
Boszormeny, a large town of Hungary, near Debreczen. He went there to
visit relatives and also to view the graves of his mother and brother,
ANTON, who are buried there. Then they will go to Szikszo, another
small Hungarian town, where his father, STEPHEN VARGA, had been
Presbyterian minister, and where he now lies buried. Then they go to N.
Leta to visit the grave of his sister, ESTHER, after which they go to N.
Varad, a large city near Debreczen, to visit relatives.

After the completion of these family visits the VARGAS for a time yet
will remain in Debreczen with reltives, who, together with the whole
public, lovingly greet them. God bless the venerable old gentleman and
his family. May God's hand safely guide them all back to their adopted
country, into the midst of their beloved ones left behind, and may they
succeed in welding themselves to both beloved countries--the native and
the adopted.
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Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
 

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