From: Larga, Bessarabia
15 March 1920

Worthy Staats-Anzeiger!

The more often the Staats-Anzeiger makes its appearance here, the more the old friendship gets back on track. Weeks ago I was thinking about the old friend and newspaper correspondent Jakob Sommerfeld, and if he was still alive living in Dowsunskoje, Caucasus. When I received Edition #55 dated 27 January, I found his report and read it with great interest. What sad experience the old friend had to endure during the time of war. (*Editor: Unfortunately the condolences for friend Sommerfeld serve no purpose, because the newspaper cannot as yet be sent to the Caucasus.)

Now I also have to cast a look onto Canada and check on my friends Lorenz, Joseph and Markus Fenrich. Yes Lorenz, for as long as you have been gone from Odessa, I have not heard anything from you. Others have already reported whatever I have found out. Eight days ago your brother Zachäus was still in the sickbed. He was sick for nine weeks. He has now recovered but he looks so emaciated that he has the appearance of a shadow. Before his illness he worked in wagon construction. Last year he set up a forge. He has a journeyman in the forge. He leased the blacksmith tools from me for 240 rubles per year. This is because when my boys returned from the military service, they went to the Cherson region and now I have the blacksmith tools on hand but no workers. I am hoping that the border will soon open again and that one of them will come and pick up the tools.

My Korbinian served in a telephone section, my Daniel as an assistant machinist with the railroad in the Caucasus and my Zachäus was the senior master in the Royal Cobbler shop. I do not know where they reside in the Cherson region.

After several nice days the weather turned ugly again. Yet I hope that by 16 March I will be able to take the plow to the field.

Hello to the readers,
Romuald Dirk

From: Larga, Bessarabia
16 March 1920

Worthy Staats-Anzeiger!

Yesterday, 15 March, I was in Kainari as a proxy to the court of peace. Our case proceeded as wished. People who pilfer in Rumania are severely punished by the court.

On the way to Kainari, I had the opportunity to visit friends and acquaintances in Emmental. In the evening of 14 March, I was at the home of Joseph Gross Jr., son-in-law of Kaspar Dirk. Mr. Gross told me that his father-in-law had died. He lived near Prussia, Saskatchewan, Canada. Mrs.Gross would like to ask her mother, Mrs. Anna Dirk, to let herself be heard from and to write a letter. (*Editor: Since the mail service to Canada has been re-established long ago, people can contact their relatives directly here and in Canada.)

Today Mr. Johannes Beierle from the neighboring colony of Tschebanowka visited me. He asked me to prod his friend Joseph Miller to order the Staats-Anzeiger for him again like before the war. Supposedly, Mr. Miller resides in Hebron, North Dakota. That is how almost daily people come to me asking to please influence their friends and relatives in America to order the Staats-Anzeiger for them.

On such an occasion the poor widow Elisabetha Pauli from Emmental told me that she had sons in America, but they do not contact her. She would like to ask the readers there that if anyone knows Joseph Pauli, who supposedly is living in Richardton, North Dakota, to extend to him the greeting from his mother.

Katharina, nee Völler, the wife of Wendelin Föth, a colonist in Larga, would also like to know where her brothers Michael and Nikolaus Völler and her brothers-in-law Jakob Schwan, Jakob Mildenberger, Jakob Saale, and Anton Kraft might be. The despaired hearts want to find consolation at least from one side after the war of five years. They would be very happy if their brothers or brothers-in-law would order the Staats-Anzeiger for them as a gift.

Friendly greetings to my children and the reader’s circle.

Romuald Dirk

From: Flasher, Morton County, ND
5 April 1920

Worthy Staats-Anzeiger!

A few days ago the farmers in our area got busy with the work in the fields, but it didn’t last long and the work had to be stopped again since the ground was frozen solid and the plows had frozen into it. I always look at the haystack and then again at the field. The haystack is getting smaller while the field stays the same. Some farmers have seeded already and are worried that the seedlings will freeze. I don’t believe that they will be affected.

On 29 March, the M. J. Schäfer family increased by a baby son. Mother and child are doing relatively well and the father is happy about the new addition. What is missing for him now is the Staats-Anzeiger, which he definitely should have, since it is the best paper for us Germans.

Yesterday I talked about newspapers with a man. We also talked about the Staats- Anzeiger. That’s when he said that since the Staats-Anzeiger wasn’t catholic he doesn’t want the paper. Thereupon I explained to him that the Staats-Anzeiger would never try to make a Protestant out of him, since it has not yet lead anyone astray. (*Editor: Indeed, this is a very childish opinion and can only be made by people who don’t want to read good newspapers or are fanatically petty. The Staats-Anzeiger doesn’t concern itself with either Catholicism or Protestantism, since it is a worldly, political paper. But it tries to explain the truth to the Protestants as well as the Catholics, without beating around the bush. Whoever loves the truth should read the Staats-Anzeiger being catholic or protestant.)

In closing I would like to greet my friend Adam Becker, who resides somewhere in Canada. He is a son of Gottlieb Becker. It would be nice if someone would send me his address, or if he is a reader of the paper he should let himself be heard from.

Respectfully,
Conrad Becker

From: Strasburg, Emmons County, ND
10 April 1920

Worthy Staats-Anzeiger!

Returning from my two month long visit and recuperation trip to Grant County, I would like to try and write a small report to the dear paper.

All in all the farmers there are not living badly. Indeed they are not leading a life of luxury, since they once had to endure three poor harvests. Also noticeable there was the lack of feed and one had to pay a high price for a ton of hay. The horses were brought from the prairie and put in front of the plow without feeding them first as it is usually done.

The land is very hilly and mountainous. As the roads occasionally lead us across Uncle Christian’s hill I was able to see all of North Dakota. I was told that if Uncle Christian was lacking rain all he had to do was hit with a stick at the clouds, which were hanging low on his mountain. A lot of land is still wild prairie, which is unusable for farming but well suitable for pasture. That is why the farmers there lean more toward raising cattle and make better use out of that than out of agriculture. Overall the land is still cheap and purchasable under good stipulations.

I also had the opportunity to drive by car with Mr. Philipp Erker from Brisbane to Carson, the capital of the county. Incidentally, Carson is still a small town and doesn’t leave a special impression. On the way home, we had to freeze terribly and a stiff drink would have been well deserved, but unfortunately a treat like that is no longer allowed in the land of freedom and enlightenment. “Guzzle water like the dear cattle and pretend it is liquor!” When Mr. Anton Gedak mentioned red wine in his last report, my mouth was watering and I was quietly wishing for some. I am greeting the editorship and all the readers.

Cyril Haag