From: Larga, Bessarabia
3 May 1920

Valued Staats-Anzeiger!

On 1 May, the first selected recruits from Bessarabia, age group born 1898 had to start active duty. As one hears, they have to serve for 2 years. Soon after this group, a second group is supposed to be inducted. As long as it does not hit older age groups, it may be the turn of correspondent “A Farmer” and then his “old lady” once again could lament and beat her hands together above her head.

Now I would like to direct some words to Mr. Kasimir Reis. I received your letter on 1 May and I will make every effort as much as I possibly can to fulfill your wishes. But only as much as it is possible for me, because nowadays one can only do so much. You know that we are situated only 22 werst (about 15 miles) from Bendery and that the Dniester River is the border, which is heavily secured. This makes it impossible for us to get to Selz, Baden, Kandel and Strassburg.

I have a married son in Baden. All of Larga and Balmas have relatives and friends in the mentioned colonies. But no one has succeeded in getting over there. A year ago it was still possible that now and then somebody could sneak across and sneak back, but now the border is too tightly controlled. In our country there still are people from the Cherson area. In Larga there are still the following people: Peter Volk, Michael Kupfer, Anton Massin, Vinzens Volk, Wendelin Föth, Sebastian Duthenhöfer, Franz Volk, Jakob Kunnanz, Anton Föth, Michael Sahle, Emanuel Duthenhöfer, Jakob Föth, the widow Christina Sahle, Stephan Sahle, Paul Duthenhöfer, Thomas Baumann, the widow Marianna Volk, the widow Josephina Baumann, Franz Kunnanz, Johannes Nagel, and the widow Franziska Baumann. All other Larga residents are Russians or Moldavians. The German people, who lived here before, besides the ones mentioned above, are gone. Some to America, others back again to the Cherson region, their old homeland.

Georg and Joseph Bosch are also residing in Kandel for a long time already. Your stepfather Joseph Haberlach and your mother are still alive. Soon things will improve for the better with the border blockade. Rumor has it that the border closure will be lifted. This should be a joy for all friends over there.

During the war the German residents left the small village of Bikus. Most all of the men were inducted for military duty and by the time they returned their wives and families had left Bikus in all different directions and their homes stood empty, but not for a long time. Soon there were Russians who moved into the vacated homes. Now that the Germans are returning, they want to move back into their homes. This they can no longer do, because now by law a resident of a home he occupies cannot be expelled, regardless if he obtained the house with his own resources or not.

The following Germans are still living in Balmas: Johannes Bulach; Andreas Roth; the widow Schell; Nikolaus Müller; Johannes Ring; Mathias Ziegler; Lambert Keller; Ludwig Schmalz; Lorenz Bulach; Ludwig Mack; Martin Mattern; Joseph Böhler; Rochus Schmidt; Lukas Bachmann; Markus Geilfuss; Sebastian Schell; the widow Bender; Johannes Jochim; Joseph Wagner; Michael Glass; Joseph Reiter; Konrad Kunz; Johannes Ziegler; Michael Tielman; Aloisius Schäfer; Nikolaus Schmidt; the widow Nagel; Georg Hinz; Johannes Moser; Xaverius Schell (he is still a prisoner of war); the widow Bulach; Joseph Maier; Franz Bulach; the widow Strubel; the widow Hättel; Johann Merk; the widow Black; Nikolaus Sänger; Zachäus Plotzky; Sebastian Mack; Christian Wagner; Anton Schell. Also two or three other people I don’t know. The changes in Emmental and the names of the people who still reside there I will mention in my next report.

Daily I have visitors who want to inform their friends in the New World about how they are doing. But seldom do these visitors bring a sheet of paper along. When I am going to the post office many people will assail me with questions and assignments concerning their relatives and friends in the New World. Unfortunately, however, I cannot keep all the promises because the paper shortage is getting worse daily.

Recently the editorship informed me that my old colleague Anton Jochim was still alive and is still excited about the paper as before. But I am astonished that I have not found anything from him in the Staats-Anzeiger, although a long time has passed. Most likely age is a hindrance. (*Editor: Because of the shabby delivery of the newspaper you probably did not receive the editions, which contained the reports by Mr. Jochim, else you should have found several of his reports in the paper.)

Kajetin Allwinger from Emmental sincerely greets his brother Pankrazius Allwinger in Krupp, Sask., Canada and asks him to please order for him the Staats-Anzeiger for 1 year.

I sincerely greet my children Ignatz and Amalia Gross and all my many friends over there and all the readers.

Romuald Dirk