From: Krasna, Bessarabia
30 July 1912
The weather in this area during the threshing period was opportune for the farmer, but not for beets and potatoes. If it does not rain soon, then there will be no harvest of these. Most farmers in Krasna finished threshing on 27, 28 and 29 July, but unfortunately could only store a few kernels.
On 24 July such a heavy rain came down in our neighbor colony, Tarutino that the water here washed up pumpkins, young pigs, boards, beams and just about any imaginable items.
Recently the 68-year-old widower Anton Wiegenbach married the 65-year-old widow Eva Fleckenstein. These folks in their high age surely did not make a mistake with this step, because the young usually abandon the old people. So now one can wait on the other as far as their strength allows, especially since there are no shortages of resources at the Wiegenbachs.
For general amusement, and to replace the more difficult reading matter with easier ones, I will this time tell the reader circle a little funny story. Maybe they will like it. As it often happens time and again that girls without thinking will hurriedly enter matrimony. Then after a short time they will find out, that instead of a decent man they married a drunkard. That’s also how it happened in this story. I could precisely mention names and the location where this story took place, but it should suffice if I just makeup names.
So then, Theresia, a fine picture perfect and decent girl married a certain Gottlieb. In her rashness she believed that she possessed the best man in the world. Just a few weeks had passed since the wedding when Gottlieb started to visit the tavern. He soon found great pleasure in these visits so that after a few years he would not leave the inn before midnight. Perhaps Gottlieb would have stayed even longer in the tavern, if his stomach would have allowed him to. But since the later was not satisfied with schnapps and wine alone and longed for something else, Gottlieb had to go home.
When Gottlieb got close to home, his wife heard him already groaning from far off and knew that soon a difficult hour for her would arrive. Soon Gottlieb would enter his home and then with terrible cursing always called for his wife with the following words, “Where are you? Bring the food!”
Hardly had the poor woman served his demand, when he started to continue cursing and assaulted the poor creature with heavy blows of his fists. That is how Theresia lived for a long while without telling anyone about her sad fate. She endured the mistreatments by her husband with patience. Once, however, Theresia was so cruelly violated that she could not bear it any longer. She decided to confide her sorrow and deprivation to a friend, a woman well known to her. But when Theresia visited this woman, there were four other women present. She was disappointed and intended not to mention anything about her sad fate. But the way it is when women gather and talk about a lot, so here too and when similar cases like Theresia’s were talked about, she aired her overpowering feelings. The women listened in awe to poor Theresia’s tale of woe and offered their help. The women inquired about when the mistreatments took place. Theresia told them that she experienced that scene every night.
The five women decided to meet at Theresia’s place in the evening. They agreed to hide in the corners of the room until Gottlieb’s arrival. And the moment he mistreats his wife, she should drop down on her knees and shout, “You Holy Five Virgins, come to my aid!” As agreed, the five women surreptitiously strolled to Theresia’s home in the evening. When the time of Gottlieb’s arrival approached, the five women covered themselves with white sheets and hid in five different places in the room. As usual, our Gottlieb entered the room groaning and grumbling. With blasphemous cursing he started beating his wife with his fists. Theresia was thinking of her help, fell to her knees and called out, “You Holy Five Virgins please come to my aid in my misery and distress.” The words were hardly spoken, when ‘the Holy Five Virgins’ shrouded in white sheets stormed with their clubs over Gottlieb and beat him without mercy until he dropped to the floor and did not show a sign of life anymore. Within seconds the Five Holy Virgins disappeared again and left the saved Theresia alone with her husband. For the time being Theresia was rescued, but she asked herself how the situation would turn out when her husband regained consciousness again? Would he mistreat her even more than ever before? With teary eyes, the poor wife paced through the room undecided as what to do, thinking about how she should excuse herself for calling on the Holy Five Virgins.
Half an hour had passed which seemed like an eternity to the poor woman when finally her husband raised his head and looked around completely bewildered. When his eyes fell on Theresia, he looked at her dumbfounded not saying anything. Theresia was frightened by her husband’s wild and disturbed look and sank onto her knees and begged him to forgive her for calling upon the Five Holy Virgins. Gottlieb, however, instead of starting to rave again, started to weep bitterly. He hugged her and said: “My dear wife, Theresia, I thank you a thousand times over that you only called the Five Holy Virgins. You could have called upon the Holy Monika for help with her eleven thousand virgins. In that case I surely would not be among the living any more.
Immediately Gottlieb also promised his Theresia not to ever enter the tavern again and never to mistreat her again.
(Comment by the Editor: Should there be women among our reader’s circle, we certainly do not hope so, who have a similar life like Theresia, then we would like to make the comment, that they should not adopt Theresia’s recipe with the belief that it will help in every case. Because all men are not named Gottlieb and not all would thank their wives for not calling upon the Holy Monika with her eleven thousand Holy Virgins, because many men are not afraid of the Holy Virgins. It could happen in this case that matters reverse, and then the esteemed story writer would reap a lot of ingratitude).
Ever since, Gottlieb and Theresia now live happily and in peace together. I hope that he will keep his promise and remain a sober man for all time.
In closing, I greet all friends over here and there, the entire reader’s circle, and the newspaper editorship.
Respectfully,
Romuald Dirk