PLEASE NOTE: This book contains graphic description ... - HUNSOR

He had just arrived home after three years of war. He was just about to take a bath and shave,when the partisans took him away.Because of the chaos and the bombing, Mihaly Radak, a 65-year-old teacher fromSzeged, had moved in here with Apczi. He was destined to die here on the bank of the Tiszaalso.71One of the victims of Adorjan had got stuck nearby in some roots under the water. IstvanBacskai, his body turned up in the Tisza six months later. He was identified from his leather belt.Of the fifty-six victims of Adorjan only one, Imre Csanadi was who could be regardedin any way as guilty. He had participated in the execution of the two dobrovoljacs and theJewish physician in 1941.Jurisics Miso, the commander warned Uncle Gyula to hide away. Gyula Miluticsovicsfollowed his advice, but when a partisan turned up looking for the farmer and was on the point ofshooting the snarling guard dog, my uncle Gyula came forward to protect his dog.Later we asked this commander why he had participated in the massacre. He replied thatif he had not, then he would have been executed too. The following year the commander of themassacre in Adorjan, Radakovics from Kanizsa, was accused of the massacre of 56 innocentmen. He was entenced to forced labour for twelve months. A rare example. One of his fellows,Knjezevic, got off with six months forced labour. That's how cheap the Hungarian lives wereworth.At the beginning of December, all young men over eighteen years of age were summonedbefore the recruiting commission in Kanizsa. From there through Kishegyes, we marched inranks of four accompanied by armed partisans towards Topolya to join the Petofi Brigade tofight for communist Yugoslavia.In Kishegyes, a young wife caught up with us bringing some food. She approached herhusband marching in the ranks and wanted to pass the food to him. A vigilant partisan shot her.I escaped from Topolya, because I didn't want to die as a member of the Petofi Brigade. Icrossed the Hungarian border at the end of December."Another man from Adorjan, remembering these events, says that in the high bank of theTisza the "holes" are now totally different from those of that time, because rocks have been putunder the bank against the ravine.As far as he knew, not everyone that lined up for execution received a mortal wound.Some were even able to jump into the water uninjured. The partisans, however, jumped downinto the tied-up and half-sinking boats and shot them from there No one was able to count howmany men from Adorjan were shot into the Tisza river.Only the postman in Oromhegyes (Tresnjevac) could provide any facts He had heard apartisan calling to his fellow in Adorjan,"We sent the birds to the Tisza."The partisan in Tresnjevac had asked,"How many birds were there ?"72