From: Balmas, Bessarabia
14 February 1931
Dear Staats Anzeiger!
Finally, today the weather has changed. Until now it was very cold with a lot of snow. Milder weather started melting the snow, which rapidly disappears. Since the ground is still frozen solid, however, the water does not soak in, but flows into the valley. Our vast valley has the appearance of a big lake.
On 8 February, the recruits here were called up for duty. Since during that time unusual extreme cold weather prevailed, and since it is a popular custom among Russians and Moldavians to drink heavily on such occasions, two recruits froze to death.
From our village four fellows had to don the King’s uniform, namely; Anton Mathern, son of Martin Mathern; Ludwig Müller, son of Nikolaus Müller; Franz Hettel, son of Vinzens Mack.
Married recently were: Paulus Mathern, son of Martin Mathern, and Josephina Hettel, daughter of Dionisius Hettel; Aloisius Nagel, son of the deceased August Nagel, and Marianna Gross, daughter of Andreas Gross from Emmental; Thomas Volk, son of widow Marianna Volk, and Karolina Sali, daughter of Michael Sali, both from Larga. Isidor Plotzki from Emmental was engaged to Martha Schäfer, daughter of the deceased Alois Schäfer.
The status of health around here is not the best. The flu is rampant among people. Almost in every home there is one or more individuals sick and down in bed.
With a hello,
Sebastian Moser
From: Krasna, Bessarabia
1 March 1931
Dear Staats Anzeiger!
The last few days have been very nice here. The frost is out of the ground, and we assume that in a few days spring will set in. This is needed very much by many people, because late in the year everything was sold in order to obtain the bare necessities. But now there is a shortage of fodder for the horses, and some people have no seed. The prices for grain are still as low as they were months ago. Whoever has to buy and does not have the required money, for him the prices are certainly high. Oil fruits cost one third more than a month ago because of a lack of supply. This is proof that the producer again was cheated, and therefore must bear it, because he was forced into rushing while selling.
The state of health by far cannot be called good in our village. The influenza or flu, as this disease is commonly called, causes a great deal of trouble for the people. Lately, there was not a home in which several family members were not sick. Often there was no one left to take care of the sick. During February, seven older people and several children died from it. Weak children and also old and otherwise frail people usually succumb to this treacherous disease. But also several really healthy children, who caught the flu and developed pneumonia on top of it, could not be saved. Now that almost all the people in the village have suffered with the disease, it probably will soon disappear.
The following adults have died: Konrad Volk, 55 years old; Michael Mandernacht, 70 years old; Rosalia Ternes, widow of the deceased Jakob Ternes; Theresia Gross, widow of the deceased Daniel Gross, 80 years old; Ottilia Furch nee Erker, 24 years old with heart trouble; Jakob Koch, 62 years old; and Katharina Volk, widow of the deceased Anton Volk, 87 years old. The latter two were buried on the same day. May the Lord grant them all eternal rest!
Not far from here, near a Moldavian village, a horde of gypsies resided, whose grandfather had died. The gypsies had a casket built for 800 Lei in which they laid the deceased. Now they turned to the local minister and asked him to come along to preside over their grandfather’s funeral. The minister agreed under the condition that they would pay him 500 Lei up front for the funeral. But the gypsies insisted that they could not give him more than 300 Lei and that they did not have one Bani* more. The minister stood firm with his demand, whereupon the gypsies left, lamenting. The next morning the casket with the deceased was setup in the minister’s yard. The gypsies had struck camp and had disappeared without a trace. By the time the minister had moved the deceased from his yard and had buried him, his billfold was lighter by 400 Lei. While the minister was burying the grandfather, the gypsies were sitting in a pub in a neighboring village and enjoying their funeral meal with the 300 Lei that the minister had refused.
Mr. Georg Ternes, son of Adam Ternes, asked me to rectify the report by Mr. Severin Becker, appearing in Edition #57 of the esteemed newspaper. There it is mentioned that the named Georg Ternes, while in a fight with his Uncle Wendelin Ternes, stabbed Basilius Steiert who wanted to breakup the fight, multiple times with a knife. This is not true. Neither is it true that Georg was taken to Akkerman with his hands cuffed behind his back.
Further, it is not true that forced auctions take place daily in Krasna. Until now there were none of these. Collections by court order were made already, because of nonpayment of debts. Nevertheless, it did not come to auctions. Subject matters could always be taken care of by other means.
In reference to the story about Mr. Georg Ternes and Basilius Steiert, I will not report what Georg Ternes told me about it, but instead what is accepted as the truth in the village. True, Georg is a hothead. After the first argument they went to the widow Eugenia Ternes, Georg’s mother; there the argument broke out anew. That’s when the two uncles, Basilius and Wendelin, without further ado threw Georg out. Georg’s yard is adjacent to his mother’s, and therefore it is understandable that outside, Georg thundered about. That is when Mr. Seifert went outside to restore peace.
He entered Georg’s yard and hit him with a stick. Georg, however, got hold of the stick and since both wanted the stick they pulled it back and forth. The lower end of the stick had a sharp point, which ended up in Basilius’ mouth and tore his cheek wide open. Being good friends before, Georg immediately took Basilius into his house to provide first aide. But the wound was too large, and Basilius was taken to the hospital in Tarutino the same night.
The next morning the police picked up Georg and took him to Police Headquarters in Tarutino. From there he was transported to Akkerman the next day for the purpose of further investigation, but all of this without chain and shackle. After a one-day stay in Akkerman, he returned from there. Now they await the ruling of the court.
One is of the general opinion that nothing further will become of this story, but that the lawyers who were leading this process will fill their pockets a little at the expense of their clients. This is not a unique event and occurs almost daily. It is hardly of any interest to anyone. Therefore, I did not want to lose any words over it.
Until now there was never a fight with knives in Krasna, and therefore it is necessary to refute what Mr. Severin Becker has reported based on hearsay.
Greetings to everyone,
Isidor Leinz
* 100 Bani = 1 Lei