From: Krasna, Bessarabia
8 January 1929
Dear Staats-Anzeiger!
We don’t hear anything anymore about the wolves that visited our village during one night in December and killed 20 sheep. But we hear about two-legged “wolves”, who during the holy Christmas night, when all the people were in church, stole all the chickens and heating fuel out of the stable of two unmarried young women, namely Dorothea Steiert and Lydia Rueb, who shared a house.
The thieves certainly did not come from Paris or Tarutino to Krasna during this night to rob these poor orphans, but they were people from our village, who knew about the situation.
The health conditions leave a lot to be desired. Several old people in the village are seriously ill. Among them are Bertha Koch, nee Steiert, wife of Kornelius Koch; Margaretha Leintz, nee Koch, wife of Philipp Leintz and Georg Wuitschik, son of Lorenz. The conditions of the aforementioned are worrisome.
I send a friendly greeting to Barnabas Steiert and his wife Aurora in Prelate, Saskatchewan, Canada. I received your letter dated 30 November on 24 December, and I was very happy about it.
I also greet Melchior Gedak and his wife and children. I am very sorry that his wife has to suffer so much due to illnesses. May God soon give her back her health! Her mother Margaretha and her siblings are all doing fine.
Where is my old friend Joseph Foeth in Brazil keeping his reports? Is he no longer alive? Should you, Mr. Foeth, read these lines you are asked to let me know if there are other people from Krasna living in your area. Perhaps you know where Philipp Soehn lives, who hasn’t written in more than a year.
In closing, I greet the Editor Brandt and his assistant C. J. Haag and all the readers.
Anton Gedak