Hopefully loyal readers of our blog still remember last week’s post. We wrote about the paprika uprising happening 100 years ago in December 1919 and mentioned that the case was closed only 5 years after.
Recalling the 1919 paprika uprising
The March 13th 1924 publication of the Délmagyarország newspaper already gives an exciting prediction of a main trial scheduled 6 days later: “On March 19, the Szeged Tribunal will be conducting a very interesting trial. Some paprika farmers from Röszke are accused of a crime committed by József Szánthó and his associates. The incident occurred in December 1919. At that time the French occupation army had authority to command Szeged city, but their administrative authorities had already tried ruling surrounding villages, including Röszke, who had just been liberated from Serbian occupation. However, their first attempts had failed…”
With the main trial happening in 1924, almost 5 years after the uprising occurred, the readers of the newspaper really needed to be reinformed about the exact circumstances in those days. In fact not every single happening was properly recalled, as the journalist had mentioned Röszke instead of Szentmihály. It is interesting to note this mistake of indicating the scene of the uprising, since the name of the Szánthó family was so obviously associated with Szentmihály at that time. However, the negative sentiment of the term “French occupation army” is clear. Especially considering the fact that in 1924 the embarrassing outcome of the Trianon/Versailles peace treaty was top of mind. Does the press maybe sympathise the defendants in this trial?
The adjourned trial and the pardon procedure
“There are so many defendants that they completely fill the courtroom. All are ordinary paprika farmers, in baggy clothes, only the Szánthó Brothers are dressed up for the occasion.
The building of the law court
The prosecutor then makes a motion for a hearing. Defense lawyer Dr. Richard Nékich calls for adjourning the main trial. The new paprika decree, he said, was still somewhat communist. The Jury President: „Do not criticize government orders!” Dr. Nékich: „But it was already repealed by the government.” President: „Anyway! It was a legal decree”. Dr. Nékich then requested that, pending the filing of this 5 year old case, the main trial should be adjourned until all proceedings are completed ….
Jury President Shepherd decides to adjourn the main trial, awaiting a pardon, but calls on defense lawyers to report on progress within one month … After that, all the 34 paprika farmers from Szentmihály quietly left the courtroom.”
Although the story seems rather open ended, its outcome can be interpreted without further knowledge. Both the prosecutor and the judge had to accept the outcome of the pardon procedure as final. We must ubderstand the paprika uprising erupted in a “communist-flavored” political environment, while Szeged was still falling under “French occupied” government. This probably also contributed to the pardon finally relieving József Szánthó and his associates.
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