From: Emmental, Bessarabia
4 July 1911

Honored Editorship!

Today, on the 4 July, I had the luck to enjoy Edition #49 of your valued paper. Just now, I intended to write to my sons-in-law Eduard Richter and Ignatz Gross to find out how things are with the subscription of the paper. Right then, I received #49 in my name at the post office and also their letter. I thank you for the favor and will strive to fulfill your wish. Now, as a reader of your paper, I will report various things from our village and surrounding area about the weather conditions and other circumstances.

In Issue #49, I found out that my sons-in-law and all my closer friends are not readers of this paper. I am very sorry about that. It surely is a newspaper that should be read in every German household, because in it can be read about all incidents and occurrences in the world.

How often do I hear from people over here, having relatives across the ocean, “If they would just write us once!” And in this way one does not hear from one another. Become readers of this paper and correspond. Then one almost does not need a letter exchange, and one finds out through the newspaper how friends are faring; then you no longer have to yearn for letters. Many are probably embarrassed to write to the editorship, because they are not confident with writing; this does not matter. For that the editorship exists to ready submitted contributions for printing.

In Issue #49 of the paper, I reported that the weather here up to 15 May could not be called favorable, and every one pointed towards an upcoming failed harvest. But it does not always happen the way mankind thinks. During the last days of May, the crop lacked behind pretty much, but because soaking rains came down on the first day of Pentecost and several times thereafter, everything turned out for the better in a few days. And now we have a fairly good harvest. Welsh corn also has grown well now and if we do not get too many hot and dry days, then we can count on a good Welsh corn harvest.

I would have much to report from our village and will do so, once I am completely healthy again. On the 10 June, I was bitten on the left foot by a snake while I was mowing grass in the field, so that I had to consult the doctor for three weeks. This blood poisoning had not yet healed, when a black-colored blister grew on my right hand, which was worse than the snakebite. I have not as yet recovered from it and have to be careful with the hand.

A sad misfortune occurred in Emmental on 25 June. Johannes Baumann was in his yard sharpening a scythe when a horse, which was hitched to a hay wagon by his son, decided to join a herd of horses that just then was passing by on the street, and ran off with the wagon. The 67-year-old father stepped in front of the runaway, was thrown to the ground, and suffered a triple rib fracture and also several other serious injuries, to which he succumbed on the 27 June. On the 28 March, his son Johannes had said goodbye to him to leave with wife and two children for America. At that time the father was still completely healthy and wanted to follow his son to the Promised Land later on, but that was not to be.

The bazaar, established last year not far from Emmental in the Moldavian village Kainari, is steadily growing and well attended by buyers and traders. Because the place is not well situated, one believed at the beginning that the market would only last for a short time, but that was deceiving. It is especially well attended by the Emmentalers, because it is only 3 werst (2 miles) away. Between the two places is a hill that drops off steeply on the Emmentaler side. Now it has already happened that people who had too much alcohol would tumble down the slope, but so far this matter always passed without any harm.

With this I come to closing. I still want to write something about the hunter P. from Emmental and the wolf, but my hand hurts too much and I must postpone the story until the next time.

A sincere greeting to my sons-in-law Eduard Richter and Ignatz Gross and their families, to brother Jakob Dirk and family, and to my nephew Lorenz Dirk and wife, to Peter Januscheitis and wife, to my half-brother Anton Dirk and family, and to Lorenz, Joseph and Johannes Fenrich along with wives and children, as well as all readers.

Romuald Dirk