Emigrants And Exiles: Book Three, Volume Two: 2 - Softcover

Fischer, Henry A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1456743708 ISBN 13: 9781456743703

Publisher: AuthorHouse, 2011

Synopsis

The isolation the Children of the Danube experienced from the upheavals of history in the rest of Europe would no longer hold true in the second half of the 19th Century and beyond. At the outset, Emperor Francis Joseph's attempts to preserve the position of the House of Habsburg in the face of the rising power of Prussia among the German states would inevitably lead to a disastrous war. Austria's defeat set the stage for the rise of the German Empire and the struggle for supremacy in Europe among the major powers resulting in the catastrophic wars of the next century which would destroy the only life the Children of the Danube had ever known.

The agricultural sector was in a shambles in Hungary during the last decades of the century which had repercussions for the Children of the Danube among whom the landless were the fastest growing part of the population and among whom poverty had become a way of life. Land was expensive and simply unavailable. As in the past, the only remedy was emigration. The first wave of emigrants from Swabian Turkey sought their future in Slavonia recently opened for colonization. It was just the prelude for the massive emigration movement soon to take place to the New World.

Some of the surviving emigrants and exiles will meet in a railway station in a small town in Canada as the final phase of the Schwabenzug takes place and the Children of the Danube transplant their roots in their new Heimat.

About this title

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

EMIGRANTS AND EXILES

Book Three, Volume TwoBy Henry A. Fischer

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2011 Henry A. Fischer
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4567-4370-3

Chapter One

As soon as the staccato rattling drumbeats could be heard this far up the Arma Gass' both Catharine and Elisabeth Frischkorn joined the other excited children running in the direction of the crowd assembling around the Klein Richter, Georg Steger. He paused and positioned himself out on the street in front of the Reihl's house and waited for some stragglers to join the others before he was prepared to make his announcement. He straightened his black three cornered hat and brushed aside some dust from the jacket of his blue uniform with its gold epaulets on the shoulders that were symbolic of his official position from a bygone age. By the time the two little sisters reached the large gathering of murmuring villagers they could sense this was not exactly what they had expected.

The grave looks on the faces of the adults throughout the crowd indicated this was not a celebration of some kind after all and although the children failed to understand most of the words that the man spoke they realized that what he said was not good news. They noticed many of the women were crying, others clutched the arms of their husbands and covered their mouth with their handkerchiefs while older women dabbed at their tear-filled eyes with their aprons. The men, both young and old, at first looked determined, then serious and eventually stern as they listened to the Klein Richter reading the County's authorized version of the Emperor's mobilization decree. Several of the older men placed a hand on the shoulder of the young men next to them. None of this meant very much to the girls and like some of the other children they drifted away from the solemn crowd and retraced their steps back home.

Approaching the gate to their house they saw their father waiting for them holding their youngest sister in one arm enjoying a Saturday afternoon at leisure now that all of his work for the day and week were done. He had abandoned his jacket and was wearing only his black vest over his open collared white hemp shirt because of the sweltering heat typical of these first days of August. He did not bother to wear his felt hat either and yet beads of perspiration appeared on his brow that he wiped away with the back of his free hand. Heat of this kind was not something Elias enjoyed especially after two years of working with blast furnaces in Steelton. He exchanged little Caroline from one arm to the other while at the same time offering a warm wet kiss on her chubby cheeks as she giggled happily. He then waved to their neighbour, Konrad Ehl, who lived across the street and stood at his gate and called out to Elias in response.

"What do you think is going on down there Eli?"

"Most likely something about the fuss down in Serbia,' Elias replied without giving it much thought as he glanced at the crowd that was beginning to disperse.

"What was the Klone Richter telling them, girls?" Konrad Ehl asked smiling broadly at Catharine and Elisabeth who had just reached home.

The two girls looked at each other uncertain how to reply. As the oldest, Catharine felt she needed to speak for both of them.

"We don't know what he said but the people didn't like to hear it," she answered.

"Some mothers and Fraaches even cried," Elisabeth added for good measure.

Elias felt a cold chill run down his spine. Just yesterday he and the Becht Lehrer had been discussing what they had read in the Kaposvár newspapers about the ultimatum and declaration of war against Serbia. The expectation was an imminent surrender on the part of the Serbs in the next few days. From the look on Konrad Ehl's face it was evident he too was unsettled about what the girls had said.

The Klein Richter began to beat his drum again and proceeded up the street towards the Reformed Church with some children running ahead and behind him while the sombre crowd he left behind huddled together talking in small groups and then hurried home to their families with the news. Elias opened the gate to allow his daughters to come inside the yard and then hurried towards the kitchen door calling out to Elisabeth.

In answer to his shouts she appeared at the door wiping her hands in her blue apron that bore evidence of the flour she had been using making dough for some Mehlspeiss.

"What is it Eli?" She asked thinking something had happened to one of the girls.

"I'm afraid it sounds like bad news. The Klone Richter is coming this way," Elias replied as he raced up the stairs and handed Caroline to her. On impulse he paused and caressed Elisabeth's cheek with one hand. He gazed longingly into her amber eyes before he kissed her tenderly and then ran towards the gate. Elisabeth and Catharine climbed the stairs to join their mother. Both sensed something had upset their father and seeing the apprehension on their mother's face they instinctively clung to her skirts acknowledging a fear they did not understand but felt deep within.

Hugging her youngest daughter, Elisabeth listened intently and could hear the drumbeats becoming louder as Georg Steger approached their house. She eventually saw him pass by with groups of people hurrying after him while others were streaming out of their yards from up and down the street in the vicinity of the Reformed Church from where he would be making his announcement again. Her feet felt like they were rooted to the spot and she could not move. She closed her eyes and prayed fervently this was not the news she had been dreading ever since Elias had told her about the events in Bosnia and what some of the newspapers were saying about a coming war.

As the villagers formed a noisy circle around the Klein Richter, Elias joined a group of taller men on the fringe of the crowd standing next to Konrad Ehl and young Heinrich Welter who was his neighbour's Knecht. He looked across the crowd and nodded in the direction of young Johann Kaiser. Only two weeks before the young man had received permission from the Tefners to marry their youngest daughter Caroline and Elias could easily imagine what was going through his mind. Other men and women acknowledged Elias in the same way with a nod, a hesitant smile or a slight wave of the hand. The crowd became hushed once Georg Steger stopped beating his well worn drum. He did not begin to speak until there was total silence.

"Hear now one and all! By order of His Gracious Majesty, Francis Joseph, by the Grace of God Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary; be it known that all men residing here in Bonnya in Somogy County who were born in the years 1878 through to 1893 and without regard or exception are hereby ordered to report for active duty at the military headquarters of the Archduke Albrecht 44th Infantry Regiment in Kaposvár no later than noon tomorrow," the Klein Richter intoned now for the third time that afternoon. He paused for a moment and could sense the feelings of apprehension among those gathered around him before he continued knowing full well how they were feeling since his own two sons were affected by the mobilization order.

"We are now in a state of War with the Kingdom of Serbia and also with any who would come to their aid, who We will also regard as enemies of the Empire. Anyone not reporting for duty as ordered will be considered guilty of the crime of desertion and pay the price for their disobedience. Your Divinely Appointed Emperor is calling upon you to take up arms and undertake the Holy task of upholding the honour of the Empire in the face of this grave peril. The Fatherland is calling on all of its sons to come to its defence placing Our confidence in the Almighty and trusting that because of the justice of Our cause We will prevail over Our enemies who seek to destroy Us. This decree was given on the 31st day of July in the Year of Our Lord 1914 AD at Bad Ischl and authorized by the Administration of Somogy County for its immediate publication and dissemination."

Following the announcement Georg Steger made his way through the crowd and when he had, he proceeded up to the Reiche Gass' and began beating his drum once more and was met by another group of boisterous and curious children who followed after him.

Men paused to speak to one another in small groups and in hushed tones while women commiserated with one another as they made their way home unable to imagine what lay ahead for all of them with most of them thinking the worst. Konrad Ehl was relieved because he was a year older than those included in the call-up but he knew his young twenty-four year old Knecht, Heinrich Welter, would be leaving him and he now had to make other arrangements to bring in his harvest that would have to begin within the next two weeks. Elias was far more concerned about how Elisabeth would deal with his absence; how his older daughters would react to his leaving again and what arrangements he needed to make to secure the welfare of his family while he was gone. Neither man was alone in his thinking. Their concerns were shared by many other men in light of their own circumstances and family responsibilities.

"Well you know Eli it could be worse," Konrad Nethling mused trying to console both himself and Elias. "How long can little Serbia really hold out?"

"That may be true," Elias agreed with his tall young neighbour who had returned from Steelton two years earlier. Then he added, "But the Emperor warned us that others might join in on the side of the Serbs and fight against us."

"Like who?" Konrad Ehl wondered out loud. He was a man who knew everything there was to know about agriculture and life in Somogy County but nothing of the world beyond.

Everyone around them looked to Elias to answer.

"Russia," he said swallowing hard. "I'm afraid Russia could easily come into this."

"But why would they?" Heinrich Welter asked totally confused by everything that was going on.

"Because Russia claims to be the protector of all of the Slavic people," Elias replied.

"Well it's one thing to make a claim like that, it's another to actually do it," Johann Bitz commented joining in on the conversation.

"I hope and pray you're right," Elias replied as he stepped out of the circle and went home to bring the news to Elisabeth and the children and start to plan for what lay ahead for all of them.

Because the Tefner house was located at the entrance into Bonnya and the beginning of the Arma Gass', it was also the last homestead on the way out to the new railway station and depot. For that reason, Heinrich Tefner and his wife Elisabeth witnessed the steady parade of young men, some with friends and families, who were on their way to catch the early Sunday morning train for Kaposvár. They stood at their gate along with their daughter Caroline while their son Johann took farewell of his wife Anna Maria and their young eighteen month old son, Johann, in the privacy of their home. Both of the Tefner's sons-in-law, Elias Frischkorn and Stephen Oppermann, future son-in-law Johann Kaiser and their only son Johann were all part of the mobilization that was now underway all across the Empire. This war seemed to be touching the Tefners on all sides, right from the very beginning and who knew where it would all end? Those were the kinds of thoughts and concerns that passed through Heinrich Tefner's mind as he watched young men whom he had known for most of their lives steadily pass by on their way to war. He disciplined himself to pray a silent prayer for each of them entrusting them to God's care in the face of the perils each of them would be facing.

He was struck by the different impressions various men made as they paused and took leave of him and their native village. Fun-loving young Johann Holzapfel gave the impression going off to war was just a lark and a welcome break from his tedious life working on his father's farm. Heinrich Lehr and Johann Stoss were both wearing their reservist uniforms and had red, white and green ribbons, the national colours of Hungary, pinned to their regulation infantrymen's caps to demonstrate their patriotism. From the expression on Heinrich Tippel's face his apprehension about what lay before him was palatable and his young pregnant wife clinging to his arm was the obvious reason for it. The Felder and Reinhardt brothers were rather rowdy and simply offered a hasty wave obviously looking forward to leaving and participating in something beyond the limited confines of life in Bonnya. Michael Ehl was much more sombre in mood while Andreas Koller tried to cheer him up as they walked along and placed his hand on his friend's shoulder consolingly after waving to the Tefners.

When Johann Kaiser, their future son-in-law, approached the gate Caroline ran to him and threw herself into his arms. The startled shy young man simply surrendered to the moment and found himself kissing her with half the village looking on not to mention her parents. Tears came to Heinrich Tefner's eyes and he felt his wife Elisabeth's hand in his own as she fought back her own tears. The two young people clung to one another and then finally Johann took her hand and led her to her parents and took off his cap to bid them farewell. Heinrich Tefner embraced him and held him tightly until the young man relaxed in his arms and felt his own tears mix with those of his future father-in-law as their cheeks rubbed against each other. He was then welcomed into his future mother-in-law's arms and surrendered to her parting kiss.

Looking up after, he noticed their son Johann had joined them also wearing his reservist uniform and holding his giggling young son. His wife, Anna Maria, stood next to him unable to hide how upset she was and little Johann beamed when he saw Johann Kaiser and reached out to him extending both arms. He had spent a lot of time with him and his Aunt Caroline and often accompanied the young couple as their chaperone when it was thought by the family that they needed one to avoid talk. The youngster kissed Johann on the cheek while he caressed the toddler's cheek before handing him back to his father.

"Eli and Elisabeth are coming," Caroline remarked as she held on to her fiancé's arm.

They were bringing the three girls with them as they had arranged earlier.

After a brief but tearful farewell, Elias indicated they needed to leave in order to catch the train because they were among the last to be leaving the village.

The three young men removed their reservist's caps and stood before Heinrich Tefner as he bowed his head and prayed that God would watch over them and protect them and return them home safely to their families. As he prayed the bells in the tower of the Reformed Church began to toll. There was no dry eye among them and a few of the men still coming down the Arma Gass' had also paused to pray with them.

"Promise me that you will look after each other," Heinrich Tefner said and then took the hand of each young man and pressed it firmly. His wife kissed each in turn and surrounded by their four grandchildren they waved to the departing men as Johann went first with Anna Maria clutching his arm; Elias and Elisabeth left next followed by Johann and Caroline. Catharine and Elisabeth began to cry after their father and that seemed to affect little Johann who began to sob just as much as the girls really unaware of what was happening. Only slumbering little Caroline was oblivious to it all because she was safely in her Herrche's arms, where she always loved to be.

"Don't cry my children. Your Votr will come home to you as soon as he can," their Tefner Fraache said trying to console the older girls. "But he promised we were a family now and he would never leave us again," Catharine almost wailed.

"Yes he promised Fraache. He promised," Elisabeth joined in sobbing loudly.

The two grandparents did not know what to say or how to explain what was happening in a way they would understand. They simply felt the pain and despair of the children that very much matched their own. They looked down the road for as long as any of them were still in sight before they took the children into the house and began to prepare for when the others would return and they would all leave for church together.

On that Sunday over one hundred young men from Bonnya set off for war, many of whom would never return. That still lay in the future as each man prepared to face his fate as a loyal soldier of the Kingdom of Hungary in the service of his Emperor and in the defence of their Fatherland.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from EMIGRANTS AND EXILESby Henry A. Fischer Copyright © 2011 by Henry A. Fischer. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Edition details

• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1456743708
• ISBN 13: 9781456743703
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 688