From: Emmental, Bessarabia
31 July 1912
Worthy Staats-Anzeiger!
Even though I haven’t written for a long time and I still have little news to report, I ask your forgiveness. During the time of harvest one rather rests on the bed instead of at the desk. Hopefully, I will be able to catch up with the reporting during the winter. In fact, many letters have gotten lost so that one is looked at by the editorship as a lazy person even though one has written a lot. (*Editor: We assure you that of the reports from correspondents who put numbers on them like from B.J. Hobbacher in Sarata and Otto Lehmann in Alexanderfeld rarely any get lost.) I will now start to number my letters so that the editorship will know if letters from me do get lost. I don’t want them to think that I am lazy in writing or that someone else was writing in my name. I am referring to your report from 5 May in Issue #94. That was not the case. I wrote the report myself and I am surprised that you didn’t recognize my bad handwriting. (*Editor: Today’s letter was written by the same writer, as was the one on 5 May… Earlier Zachaeus Kopp’s handwriting was different. Or are there two people by the same name in your village?)
You certainly have heard already that in Germany and also in America, a committee has been formed to collect money for the refugees from Russia. Such a committee has also been formed here but only for people who fled from Rumania since they did not want to be under the harsh laws of the Rumanian government. But here no one has done anything for them, and hopefully won’t do anything for them.
A few days ago Pope Benedict IV remitted the sum of 65,400 lei to Bishop J.A. Kessler in Krasna, Bessarabia for the support of the refugees from Russia. The money is to be distributed to all people no matter what their religious beliefs are. The bishop sent this money to Kischinev to the refugees committee. Hopefully, it will soon be in the hands of the poor and give them comfort. They really need it badly.
We are done with the threshing. The yield is very small so that many people have to buy the seed for the next year. Last week we had very hot weather. Today a nice rain is falling. The temperature during the last few days was 38 degrees Celsius. That is very rare in Bessarabia.
Today the open land was auctioned off here. It sold for 280 to 400 lei per dessjatin (2.5 acres). That is a very high price since on top of it one needs seed worth 400 lei, and if you have a failed harvest the farmer is going to say, “There is going to be a lot of crying and grinding of teeth until everything is paid for.”
A few days ago, Edmund Huettel received a ticket and also some money. He is thinking of leaving here soon for the New World. May he arrive there happily. His grand-father is already waiting longingly and will welcome him happily.
A certain Stanislaus Lutz from Austria who came to Bessarabia during the war and still resides here is looking for his brother W. Lutz and his sister Anna Wengscheniak. Both of them were in New York in 1911. They are being asked for their addresses. He is also looking for his Uncle Johann Kischetschkofski who was a machinist with the railroad and used to live in Przmysl, Austria.
Perhaps it would be possible for the Staats-Anzeiger to provide for better postal connections in Bessarabia. Recently, I witnessed that our mailman gave an issue of the “Courier” which was addressed to Thomas Kopp to a Russian living by the mill. They had torn the envelope into little pieces, but I still found out about it. I am going to sue him. But what difference will it make?
That’s all for today. I am going to report more in a few days. Now with this report I am starting with #1 and I will continue with numbering all reports.
With a greeting to everyone, Zachaeus Kopp