As I was writing, I found an article in the paper published in Csaba. The date was April 11, 1945. The paper was falling apart - it was yellow. This was a special edition, in which I had two ads. In the legal section, there was the announcement of my return to legal practice, with my address on Apponyi Street no. 4. Under the missing persons' section, was my search for Jenő Lindenfeld, the blind pianist, who was at the Swiss Embassy Building with his friend, back in January. He has not been heard from since.
Something else is legible in this crumpled newspaper. "Tolbuhin's Troops are now in the center of Vienna. The battle is on the famous Ringstrasse. The Russians have occupied the Parliament, the City Hall, the Opera, the Police Chief's Headquarters, the Post Office and the Castle...Four thousand soldiers have been taken prisoner. Malinovski's army has taken several positions south of the Danube. The Russians were moving in to the west and have encircled Vienna, cutting off the Germans' last line of retreat. In Slovakia, the Russians have taken four communities, Pozsony (now known as Bratislava) and in the west and south. The Moscow radio assured the Austrian people that their independence is guaranteed by the Allied Powers...
There is an article about the ceremony which was held at the Kossuth statue for the Citizens of Békéscsaba celebrating Hungary's liberation.
The officers and soldiers stood in formation at the Kossuth statue. The Workers' Glee Club opened the ceremony. In a speech from the state, Colonel Lóránt Lőrinczy expresses his overwhelming gratitude to the Russians for liberating Hungary and its peoples. The Colonel said: "For six years humanity has been ravaged by a world war never known before in the history of mankind. We Hungarians are a mere fragment of this incredible destruction. Its leaders were the guilty ones, aligning themselves with those who were the cause of the suffering and torture of its peoples. These leaders were promised fame and glory - they were the lowest of the low. They propelled Hungary to war...The Soviet Union stopped the fascist plunderers and dealt them such a blow, which brought about their hasty retreat. Ten thousand soldiers perished because they were lead to this war by such cruel and merciless creatures. The soldiers were too exhausted to hold back the conquering Red Army...We praise the great Soviet and are grateful to them and their glorious army for having rescued Hungary from a firry destruction. The despicable enemy, who devastated our native land pushed us to the brink of disaster, has departed..."I should mention that Colonel Lóránt Sztachó Lőrinczy had been Horthy's field officer. There were many tributes in praise of Dr. József Domokos, who will never be forgotten. He was a lawyer born in Békéscsaba, a communist who supported Mátyás Rákosi. Domokos is a courageous man but in frail health. His clients were confident of his commitment. Some who pursue the legal profession do it for their livelihood, but there are others who are dedicated. Lőrinczy was on the brink of poverty. Criminal lawyers extract huge sums from their clients. His fee was a mere 100 pengős. When defending a case, he prepared a fantastic plea and had an audience of colleagues and judges. Töreky, Szemák, Kreyzel were renowned for their rough manners, but they controlled themselves in front of him. They were afraid of his reaction, his knowledge. They respected him for his honesty. This man saved thousands of lives, a persevering fighter, who defended his clients. Detectives watched his and his clients' every move. They tapped his phone and they knew that he had underground connections which they could not prove. The tribute goes on and on.
This man later became involved in Community welfare and even after this tribute was written continued to function in positions acceptable to his high standards of justice.
I was reading this article while in the company of Domokos' wife and his friends, on the terrace of the Hotel Csillag. The author of the article, Zsigmond Zsille did not know whether Domokos was dead or alive. Actually, he was at the Mauthasen death camp.
Going back to my ad in the paper, in drops Jenő Lindenfeld from Gyula, it was the morning of April 14. He "made" it back. He was Gyula's only survivor. He seems to have recovered from those days in Pest among the ruins appeared quite relaxed. Its good to chat with him. He promised to get Éva's piano back and I was to accompany him to the town's Soviet administrator. At first the department refused to co-operate. But we kept going back and Jenő entertained them with his piano playing. Finally we found out that it was a Viennese piano - not Éva's.