From: Krasna, Bessarabia
8 January 1931

Dear Editor Brendel:

It started raining on December 11 and continued through December 18, when the cold came covering everything in a sheet of ice. Trees broke either entirely or lost branches from the weight of the ice. Phone and telegraph wires fell. No one will know the exact damage until spring thaw when we can inspect the crops, vineyards and orchards. Even the older people have no memory of such ice. On December 20, snow fell on top of the ice making walking hazardous.

On December 21, we hung our new church bell where the old one used to be; it cost 55,000 Lei. The entire population was there and watched. The bell has the same pitch as the last one, only sounds clearer.

The following people were elected at the community meeting on December 29: Edmund Gansky was re-elected custodian again with a salary of 2,000 Lei/Mo. The custodian also receives 6 hectares of land with his salary. Sotzki position for the upper village went to Joseph Kopp, no salary; Sotzki position for the lower village went to Joseph Bunikovski, no salary; Hunter Georg Joseph Paul receives 800 Lei/Mo. Night watchmen Alexander Meer, Benedict Tschissmack [Tschischmak] and Jacob Joseph Paul are each paid 700 Lei/Mo.

The church board was re-elected, the members are: Michael Koch and Heinrich Mueller. Candidates are Joseph Klemens Folk and Maximilian Haag. The boys’ youth leader is Raimund Schaefer; the leader of adolescent males is Joseph Lorenz Riehl. The girls’ leader is Michael Wingenbach; the adolescent girls’ leader is Kaspar Soehn. The choir leaders are Kasper Gedak and Eusebius Herrmann. May they perform their tasks to the benefit of the community!

Eduard Ruscheinski, a former seminary student of Saratov, sends greetings to Mr. Brendel. He tells me that he often visited your store to buy books, and that he still has these books. He was very happy to hear that you are the editor of a German newspaper in America. He last saw you when the Bolsheviks took over in Saratov. He sends his best wishes for the New Year and wishes you great success with this publication. (*Editor: Please give my regards and my thanks to Mr. Ruscheinsky - J.B.)

When the ground is icy, hunters love to go bird hunting. The tasty birds are not able to fly well with the ice on their wings so these hunts are usually quite successful. The hunters spotted four large birds, but as they came closer, they noticed they were not cranes, but eagles. Heinrich shot one and threw him into the wagon before taking his seat up front and lighting a cigarette. He noticed then that the bird began to struggle. He tried to push the eagle farther away. In doing this, the eagle grabbed his hand with his talon and pierced his ring finger. Heinrich still wears his bandage The eagle grabbed his jacket with the other talon, and the hunters had their hands full to get the eagle off of him.

Greetings to our readers here and there, and to the editor and staff.

Best wishes for the New Year.

Joseph Braun