BARON WHO RISKS DEATH

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 39, 9 November 1937, Page 9

BARON WHO RISKS DEATH

He Gambled His Life for Two Kingf An atmosphere of searlet dispatch boxes, the frou-frou of Edwardian silken skirts, intrigues rouiid tottering thrones, a story of spies and shots in the dark — all these were conjured up in drab Bow street recently. In the dock stood grey moustached Colonel Waynagh-Demko, a political refugee accused of failing to register as an alien. "Two months," said Mr Fry, the magistrate, "and recommended for deportation. ' ' The erect military figure lieard what was virtually his death sentence without moving a .muscle, bowed to themagistrate, walked qiiickly to the cells below. Behind this incident lies an amazing, romantic story of an Hungarian aristocrat's poiitical intrigue in the Balkans. Sotae of the details were given to a reporter by the Colonel 's. son. "In 1920 during the revolution in Budapest," he said, "my fathef was.a staunch 'White.' With his friends he was captured by the Communists and thrown into a dungeon. By briberj , he and another officer managed to escape on horse-back although they were fired at as they rode away. '"For twenty-four hours they Tode towards Yienna, where they knew they would find a-refuge. Hiding by day in the woods, they rode only at'night, and eventually crossed the frontier. My father 's "real " namo is Baron Kolonan Belanszky. He had large estates in pre-war Hungary. Most of these have been cpnfiscated and only a small portion xemain. - » 1 "For some years my father was actively engaged in political battles in the Balkans! There was a plot to remove King'Boris 'of Bulgaria from the throne and .reinstate ex-King Ferdinand. The plot was discover ed, and mj father only' escaped capture by minutes. ' • "Here again matters were, made mucf worse when* a shipload of arms aho ammunition was discovered. Wounded.. blown up, and' scarred by flames Colonel Demko lived in constant fea> of eithersthe assassin's bullet or a'fir ing squad sind wandeted about the' capitals of Europe for years. "When I'was nine- years of , age I was with my father. in a house when the windows were shattered by revolvei jjullcts. "We escaped, how I do not quite re tnember. All I know is that I was ter rified. We came to England, where I remained in the caTe of friends while my father once more went abroad. "Wandering about Europe he eventually returned to England 18 months ago. Even over here there have been several in.cidents which • clearly show that my father is-still a marked man and hated as well as feared by foreign extremists." Colonel Demko 's tall son paused, visibly moved. •"I shall do allf I can," he went on, " to pr&vent my fathef from being sent back to a country where death, awaits him. " ' ' Mr Kersteiii stated in court that ' Colonel Demko kad been engaged in an attempt to xestor e to the throne of a certain European country a fofmer monarch * and if he was deported * he . would have to faee a firing. squad, The magistrate stated: "If the defendant had any grave reason to put forward why the deportation should not. be carried out it was "a- matter for an application to the Secretary of State."