44th National Táncház Festival & Fair • 4–6 April 2025
Issue:
Starting page: 31
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Savanyú Józsi – the last Bakony outlaw. Part 4 of this chronicle on the life of one of Hungary’s legendary outlaws, tells about his capture, sentencing and death. Savanyú ’worked’ in western Hungary in the so-called Bakony region. His last robbery was in [Balaton]akali in February of 1884. He was finally captured in May of the same year. His trial was held in Szombathely in May of 1886 and he was sentenced to life prisonment with eight days in a dark cell for his disrespectful behavior in court. In probably 1906 at the age of 64, he was released and went to live with his brother near the village of Tótvászony. In 1907 his health declined as a result of frostbite gotten during his outlaw days, and there was talk of having to amputate his foot. Then on April 9th he tied himself to a chair and shot himself in the head. Local talk had it that his suicide was partly because Savanyú found it so unbearable having to report in weekly to the police. By Vas János „Panyiga”