From: Krasna, Bessarabia
8 December 1930
Honored Editor Brandt!
Although I am not a registered reader of your highly regarded newspaper, I still would like to send a few lines, so that the people from Krasna in America will have a little news from the old country.
Two or three years ago, several families from Krasna, among them farmers who owned land of half a farm, and also some who learned a good trade, immigrated to Canada and Brazil. Here in the village inconsiderate people at that time made comments about them, “These careless and negligent ones certainly will starve to death over there! They would not have had to immigrate had they worked here and saved.”
But nowadays these braggarts are totally quiet because they are in for it now. Banks and the Jewish money hawks demand their money back. They don’t have a sense of humor, but proceed with authority. Almost daily bankrupt sales occur in the village. Anymore, there is no laughing or finger pointing when the federal court appears in some yard and takes over a farm to cover debts. The village’s biggest landlords have given up farming a long time ago and try a different way to make a living.
The cause of this economic ruin is the miserable low prices for grain. A Pud (36 lbs.) of barley sold for 14 Lei (10 cents). A few days ago, the price of grain climbed a little. For a Pud of barley one pays 20 to 23 Lei again, for corn just as much, and for wheat 38 to 40 Lei. With such low prices, it is no wonder that economically we are going to the dogs. Taxes are high and profiteering is blooming. The Jews take an annual interest rate of 70 to 80 percent.
In earlier years, when a crop failed and one or the other farmer was in need, then the richer farmers helped out. The Ternes family stood out especially in this respect. But this year their gentle hand went limp also, and they found themselves in a dire situation.
This becomes evident with the following occurrence. Young Georg Ternes, son of Adam Ternes, borrowed several loads of chaff from his Uncle Wendelin Ternes. On 2 December, young Georg and his Uncle Wendelin met in Basilius Steier’s home, where they got into an argument over the loaned chaff. Of course, both had a little too much to drink. Before too long, the young Georg attacked his old uncle and beat up on him.Basilius wanted to break up the fight, but he had a bad going, for the young Georg grabbed a knife and delivered several serious stab wounds to Basilius’ head and body. Basilius had to be taken to the hospital in Tarutino immediately. One feared that he would die of his wounds. Within the hour, as the young Ternes rejoiced in his victory, the police arrived, handcuffed him and rushed him off to Akkerman where he was handed over to a tribunal.
Such clashes are the result of the bad times and the overindulgence of wine. But also robberies are the order of the day. About these I will talk some other time.
As bad as the times are, so is the weather. Since July, we have not had any soaking rain. That is why we could not plant any winter seeds this fall. Some seeding was done into the dry soil, but there is little hope for it to grow, since we already had a hard frost. Last night the first rain fell and amounted to 3 inches. With a kind hello to my good friend Anton A. Söhn and his family. I want to inform him that I received his letter on 5 December. I was very happy to read that he and his family are in good health.
In case that some of my friends could get the Staats Anzeiger to me, I would send news items more often from here.
In closing, I wish all readers and friends, also the esteemed editorial staff, much luck and God’s rich blessing for the New Year.
Severin Becker