From: Brisbane, Morton County, ND
7 July 1912
First, best of luck to the paper and its new headquarters in Bismarck. We hope the readership doubles.
I would have written sooner as there were a few newsy items, but I had to get up the courage, since two of my letters from the spring went into the round file. Now that all is greening outside, the waste bin may be less hungry now than back in the winter.
Our weather is good. We have had rain off and on since July 4. The grain is standing full and tall. As long as we do not get hail, we should have a decent harvest. The flax is not looking good, however. Many people used seed, which had been freshly threshed. I think it had received too much moisture, and it lost a lot of germination ability. At least a lot of the seed did not open. People wait every day, nothing. But many farmers did not plant flax until June 20-25. So whether that sprouts remains to be seen.
We had visitors from Emmons County, namely Peter Jochim, Jakob Holzer, Wendelin Krämer, Franz Jahner, F. Gross, N. Theres [Nikolaus Ternes], Michael Braun and others. It was not quite as happy a get-together as it usually is when our Morton County people visit there, because all the beer is made in Emmons County. Here the prohibitionists are a tough lot and the stuff is scarce.
A man from Leith, North Dakota whose name I do not know wanted to get coal at the D. Petersons. Since the proprietors were absent, the man decided to dig his own. Apparently his conveyance got too close to the edge of the dig and it caved in. Horses, wagon and driver all fell 25 feet into the hole. The man survived but horses and wagon did not.
We had a lot of rain again yesterday and what a thunderstorm it was. Lightning hit Mr. Karlson's stable burning it down, but there was not much damage, as the building was vacant and the farm was untended. Karlson left the farm two years ago.
I had better quit now or my letter will end up in the hungry basket.
Greetings to Johannes Geisinger and Mathias Kunz, to the publisher and all readers.
Max Erker