From: Krasna, Bessarabia
17 July 1912

Today I received Edition #50 of the Staats-Anzeiger and was very happy to see that the new machine is making the reading enjoyable for everyone. It is too bad that right now is not a good time to really enjoy the paper the way it should be enjoyed. If the paper arrives on a weekday and one wants to scan it briefly, the wife stands right behind you saying, “Is today a day to read the paper? I would like to read it just as much as you do but time doesn’t allow it!” If one wouldn’t care about the wife as much, one would probably not get away from the paper until every little detail had been read without getting in trouble. But that is how it is with the dear wife - just like Mr. Friedrich Weininger announces in Issue #50 of the paper. – The woman is a sweet evil, a heavy and yet a light burden. She reminds me of an onion, you cry when you peel it but you still enjoy it!

Many thanks to my dear colleague Anton Jochim that you still are and always will be the man who fights to the last drop of blood against falsehoods, also in the new world. That is how I have known you from a young age until your mellow age. I noticed in your article in Edition #50 that in that respect you tell the truth not just about me but about everyone. That is my good dear colleague Anton! Everybody can use you as an example in case charity and truth have gotten lost. All honest and conscientious people, whether they are low ranking or high-ranking, certainly agree with me on that. Where charity and love of truth live in the heart, God’s blessings are upon you. With this I don’t mean earthly blessings, but a God who is blessing you and stands by your side to protect you. The person who still has a conscience like that can call himself lucky. But where this godly light is extinguished, it is wretched and the person that went astray walks on paths which are not exactly strewn with roses. The conscience is such a precious gem, that because of it you can buy yourself the largest riches in the world, but if the light extinguishes then the human being is blind and all happiness is gone.

Dear colleague Anton, I have to cut my story short, otherwise certain people will be offended even though nothing has been said that could be successfully criticized. I am greeting the Mr. Colleague and his life companion, as well as all the readers of the paper. We are living intrepid and healthy but poor on earthly goods and rich on peace of the soul.

Krasna, Bessarabia
18 July 1912

At the beginning of the harvest, the weather was very inopportune. If not here then some place else it rained daily. The work in the fields was hampered and work could only be done part of the day. Now the weather has changed. The harvest is completed and the people are halfway finished with the threshing while enduring tropical heat. It almost looks like they might finish with the threshing without rain.

We are happy to read something on and off from our dear children Eduard and Eugenia in the Staats-Anzeiger, even though they complain that they have a hard time with the writing. Now, with a little practice and good will, all difficulties can be overcome.

Why have Ignatz and Amalia Gross in Morton County, North Dakota not written? Why don’t they receive the paper? It is high time for them to join the reader’s circle.

I am heartily greeting everyone and also the reader’s circle.

Romuald Dirk

From: Arzis, Bessarabia
22 July 1912

I am just a reader of the paper, not a regular writer. Once in a while I think a word should be said. (*Publisher: Thanks much and feel free to write to your heart's content!)

Our weather varies a lot. Daily downpours interrupted some harvesting, but we should have a good threshing time, as we have had nice dry weather since the beginning of it. It is almost a tropical heat, so the threshing ought to go on uninterrupted. May God grant it so!

Should we have bad luck threshing on top of a poor harvest, we would really be in poor shape. The harvest looks average, which will provide bread and seed. I receive the paper on a regular basis and love reading it. Everyone seems to feel the same way, so it should not be a surprise if readership soared. What is there not to like? There is news from all over the world, the cost is reasonable and there are bonuses! (*Publisher: This year we have wall maps and calendars as bonus gifts. Please check the pertinent advertisements.) If I were trained as a philosopher, a scientist or educator, I would love to function as a correspondent! Your articles are always interesting and very well written. (*Publisher: Not everyone can be a philosopher or teacher, but do not let that deter you from writing, let us hear from you frequently!) I can only recommend the Staats-Anzeiger to all Germans. It is a treasure for any family! May God bless the paper so it may bloom and grow!

Finally, I want to greet my brother Peter Januscheitis in Brisbane, Morton County, North Dakota. I am not sure whether or not he is a reader of the paper, since he is silent. Would be nice to see a sign of life! (*Publisher: He is not listed as a subscriber in the Brisbane region.)

I am glad to see that my sibling’s child, Eugenia Richter sometimes writes. I am asking her and all friends to continue to write; as such reports are of great readership interest here!

Greetings to here and there!

Thomas Januscheitis

From: Krasna, Bessarabia
25 July 1912

My Dear Mr. Editor!

I have often thought about writing to your newspaper, but until now only the educated people would do so. But recently, I found out that your paper accepted reports written by farmers in their dialect. I have been waiting for a long time for this to happen. If this is true and the newspaper accepts my writing then I want to empty out my heart and write about how things are here in Krasna.

On Saturday, 7 July, the village bailiff announced throughout the village that on Sunday, the following day right after the Vesper Service, everyone had to attend a community meeting. I was pondering about what could be so important that the community had to assemble on a Sunday. – Well ok, on Sunday following the Vesper Service, we all gathered. Since none of the officials had appeared as yet, questions were asked among the crowd about what could possibly be on the agenda for this day. But nobody knew. Suddenly the officials appeared on the steps. The senior mayor declared, “Citizens, I had you assemble today because of the secretary and the sexton. They want to know if they will be rehired.” We agreed that we needed a secretary and a sexton, but not under the prior year’s circumstances. A year ago one had assumed that the booking office would be moved from Posttal to Krasna and then the secretary, because of the increased workload decided he could no longer work for 700 rubles and had to have a raise. At that time the community considered the circumstances and concurred to give the secretary a raise of 200 rubles. However, so far the booking office has not as yet been relocated, but the 200 rubles have been pocketed without hesitation. Based on this, the assembly now voiced an opinion, “Sure we will hire him again but not under last year’s conditions. If he agrees to work for 700 rubles then he may stay. If he doesn’t agree then we will hire someone else.” That concluded the discussion about the secretary. Now it was the sexton’s turn. He too wanted a raise in the amount of 50 rubles. But the assembly did not agree with that and stated that if he wanted to work for the previous wages then he may serve, if not, then we would hire someone else. If one wouldn’t wise up to the facts then they would connive a 100-ruble bill one after another from us to the point of losing one’s mind.

And that’s how it is everywhere. When we go into the village to Antoni’s tavern we find the same situation. Should someone drink a container (oke) full of wine then he will not receive the full amount but only 3 liters. And if somebody drinks on credit then Antoni will write down 2 rubles instead of 1 ruble. That would be all right. As it is however, should someone stay in the tavern a bit longer and drink a little more then Antoni will run around throughout the village and tell the people how many “oke” someone had downed and along with that how many sausages and herring someone had eaten while drinking. That is not a proper way for a tavern owner to act. The results of such behavior will be that nobody will patronize his bar anymore. That would only be right. The women would find out about things like that, and if men get into arguments with their women because of that, then the situation at Antoni’s will come to an end. Then he will find out that everyone is staying away from his place and going instead to Haefner’s or Sempfer’s tavern. Then Antoni will wonder where the rubles will come from.

For now I want to stop writing and look forward to finding out if you, dear editor, will accept my article. Should you accept it, then I intend to emply out my heart and write everything in great detail about how things are here in the school in Krasna.

A Farmer

From: Brisbane, Morton County, ND
16 August 1912

We have rainy weather, which may be good for late flax and the plowing. It also gives me time to write. We had already given up all hope for precipitation since there has been no rain since July 10. On August 11, it rained north of here, but unfortunately, it hailed as well. The hail damaged several thousands of acres of grain. It is a great loss for the affected people. Some are now busy cutting that grain with the mower.

Unfortunately, a few of our Russians, who already had a poor harvest six years in a row, were hit hard by that hail In 1907 and 1908 there was the failed harvest in Russia. Most of the local South Russians came here in 1908 and 1909. 1909 was a good year, but many had just gotten their land and by then it was too late to sow. Add the crop failures of 1910 and 1911 and this year the hail loss, it is indeed sad. But one shall never give up hope.

We had a sad mishap here on August 14. Pastor Ambrose of Ft.Yates came August 10 to read mass. He was scheduled at St. Gertrude on August 11 and on August 15 at St. Filtigar. So Johann Vetter, Pastor Ambrose and Johann's three-year-old daughter took the motorcar to visit Peter Löb. They had planned to continue from there to Michael Volk's place to bring some church business to order. Mr. Vetter was supposed to stay with Peter Löb until they returned. Vetter wanted to ride in the motorcar so badly, so Pastor Ambrose took him along. They were just a half mile from Peter Löb's farm, where the road goes through a creek when a rubber tire burst and the motorcar rolled several times. All the passengers were quite shaken. Vetter's little daughter lost consciousness due to her injuries. They managed to bring her back once, but then she just gave up the ghost. The funeral was August 15. Our condolences to the parents! Pastor Ambrose was also visibly shaken by the tragedy.

Greetings to Peter Jochim and his family, and to publisher F.L. Brandt as well as all the readers.

Max Erker