From: Brisbane, Morton County, ND
10 March 1913
We have nice weather and no snow. The haystacks, which showed “consumption” last year around this time, are looking much better this year.
For your entertainment, since there is nothing new to report from here, I want to write some funny questions and answers.
When is the best time to study the book of nature? When the wind in fall turns over the leaves. Why is it dangerous to take a walk in the forest in May? Because that’s the time the trees bud out. (These translations into English lose some of their meaning) What are some of the simple rules issued by a scholar by which to choose a wife? He advised young men to beware of girls whose corners of the mouth are turned down, because those girls would give them everything else but a happy home. At the same time he advised future husbands that lips that are turned up at the corners meant frivolity and one had to be also careful about such girls. Very thin and totally straight lips usually point to a quarrelsome character. A funny person usually has a strong upper lip with an indentation below the nose and upward pointing corners of the mouth. If the corners of the mouth are deep and dimpled the owner of such lips is a good talker and quick at repartee. Egotistical, ambitious and stubborn girls usually have a long thin mouth with sharply contoured lips, while cruel girls often have very red lips. Thick lips rolling to the outside mean the girls are easy. A large closed mouth indicates wisdom, while a strong round chin mostly indicates strength and determination.
I am sending greetings to my in-laws, Romuald Dirk and siblings and friends in the old homeland. As well as to my friends R. Gross, E. Gross, A. Gross, J. Leier, A. Fettig and to Johannes Gross in Logan County, North Dakota. Also to Ignatz Gross, Johannes and Benedik Buechler in Strasburg, Emmons County, North Dakota. All of them don’t write enough for the Staats-Anzeiger.
Hoping that these few lines stay out of the wastepaper basket, I am signing,
Ignatz Gross
From: Petrel, Adams County, ND
17 March 1913
I am beginning to like this paper more and more. It always comes regularly.
We had a big snowstorm March 13 and 14. Today, the 17th, it is raining.
Two of my foals fell into the neighbor's well. Now I am $100 poorer.
We had church services on March 11, so Martin Kunz went to Lemmon, South Dakota to fetch the pastor. As they were leaving Lemmon, the horses shied at an automobile and both were tossed from the wagon. They suffered painful bruises but no major damage. Martin hurt his head a bit, since the horses managed to drag him a little, but we did have our church service. When Mr. Kunz wanted to smoke, he found that his pipe was broken so Mr. Blotzki offered him a cigarette.
Martin has had bad luck these days. He and the family had gone to church leaving their thirteen-year old son at home. The son went into the horse barn and when he came back, he found the door open. As he entered the house, one of the thieves there was hiding behind the door, hit him over the head knocking him out. When the parents returned, they found their son near dead on the floor. He has recovered since.
Greetings to my brothers in Russia. I have no idea whether they are still living or not, since I receive no answers to my letters. Greetings as well to my comrade Anton Arnold, whom I ask also to subscribe to this paper as well, since he will enjoy it.
Greetings also to Romuald Dirk in Petrofka, whose reports are so well liked by all! Ask him if Jampel still lives in Petrofka. Greetings further to Zachäus Blotzki, Jakob Nagel, and Dominik Blotzki in the old homeland and to Michael Ternes as well as my brother Joseph in Strasburg, North Dakota.
I sign off with greetings to all.
Romanus Blotzki
From: Brisbane, North Dakota
22 March 1913
A businessman talks about his business, and a farmer about the weather, which is rough and cold and presented mother earth with a new white dress. We have not had weather like this all winter long.
Our community was just about ready to build a church from cement brick. Half the people had agreed to it, even the sand for it had been hauled. Now the plan has been rescinded, and they want to build a wooden church. There will still be a lot of strife before the church is finished. It is a shame, for peace nourishes and discord destroys.
My neighbor, M. Ruscheinsky has arrived happy and healthy in his new homeland here and I wish him much luck.
I read a letter from Peter Jochim in Issue #33 of the paper and was overjoyed to hear that there will be a phone line in the neighboring village. It is a good thing and will add much comfort. Here we have a kind of wireless telegraphy. One only has to let a neighbor know something and the entire world knows it before one arrives back home. Works faster than the telephone too.
I want to admonish the Romanians to write. Are they so very busy hunting that there is no time to write?
I have written to Mr. Tischmak twice, but received no answer.
Greetings to the readers of the paper wherever they are.
Max Erker
From: Haynes, Adams County, ND
24 March 1913
I received a letter from South Russia on March 19, but it contained only the text to a song, which is beautiful. It begins like this:
O Jesus, my life
My only solace…etc.
I love the song, and would like to know who sent it to me. If it is a reader of this paper, let me know!
What happened to the reports of Krasna that my old comrade Anton Gedak used to write? Dear friend Anton, let's hear from you!
I have written three letters to my cousin Hyronimus Ehli and mailed photos to Christinus Wingenbach and Raimund, but no sign of life. So, dear friends, are you still among the living? Perhaps they are readers of this paper? If not, then they need to subscribe to the Staats-Anzeiger. One gets attached to this paper and I know for a fact that Mr. Ehli and Mr. Wingenbach are avid readers and writers.
Greetings to my brother Peter Ehli in Canada and my cousins Valentin Herrschaft and Hyronimus Ehli in South Russia. Now don't be such lazy writers. We would love to hear from you!
Sincerely,
Thomas Ehli, son of Franz
From: Raleigh, Morton County, ND
28 March 1913
I am happy to sit down at my little desk and direct a few lines to the paper. This is my first attempt. If my scribbling does not end in the wastebasket, it will not be my last correspondence.
We really did have a LONG autumn, exactly until March 28. Then there came a snowstorm. It hit so hard, one could barely make it from the stable to the house. The weather is getting milder again. If this spring is as long as our fall, we shall not have any summer!
I read in Issue #34 that Romuald Dirk wants to know where some of the old friends are. Let me tell you. Mathias Nagel lives near Strasburg, North Dakota; Joseph Hinz, Mathias Winter and Maximilian Winter live near Brisbane, North Dakota; Philipp Nagel lives near Haynes, North Dakota, and Jakob Kopp and I are neighbors to his son-in-law Eduard Richter. He is an excellent machinist and threshes our grain here every year.
My old buddy Zachäus Kopp looked for me through the Staats-Anzeiger about a year ago. I wrote to him right away and sent my address, but haven't heard back. I wonder why he wanted my address if he is not using it. Or did he lose it again? Don't be mad, Zachäus!
Greetings to the publisher, all the readers of the paper and all my friends in Krasna, South Russia!
Stolanus Wingenbach