From: Krasna, Bessarabia
30 October 1931

Dear Editor Brendel:

We had frost on September 28 and October 2, which did damage to the vegetable gardens bringing the vegetable prices way down.

Death List: September 27, Georg Schreiber died at the age of 53. He leaves behind his widow and children. His wife inherits his 115 hectares of land and a nice farm. His money was distributed among relatives. – Mrs. Peter Bachmeier, daughter of Philipp Hein, died at the age of 39. Her nickname was Rufe. She leaves behind her husband and six children. – On October 11, the 80-year-old widower Gottfried Bunikovsky died. – On the same day, Filizia Koch, daughter of the late Sigismund died. She was not single and had been ailing for some time. She was 29 years old. – Another old man, Heinrich Schulkowsky, age 73, widower, died on October 17. All his children are taken care of. He has many relatives in America. May the Lord give them eternal peace.

Weddings: Eugenius Ganzky, son of Edmund, and Katharina Spitznagel, daughter of Joachim, October 6. - Elias Pantschenko, son of Gabriel and Anastasia Paul, daughter of Joseph, October 20. – Peter Marte, son of the late Albert and Elisabetha Ternes, daughter of Martin, October 28. Best of luck to the new couples!

Johannes Volk was kicked so badly by his horse when he tried to harness it, that his recovery is doubtful.

Our highway construction crew is comprised of Germans and Russians who are in a road camp. Thimotheus Fenrich lost some sheep and suspicion fell on the workers. The mayor investigated. The Russian workers said they had no idea what happened and that they did not steal the sheep. The mayor then addressed a German suspect from Krasna, speaking German. A Russian misinterpreted the German’s hand signals and confessed they stole the sheep with the help of the German dividing the sheep among themselves. The thieves were fined 500 Lei.

A friend sent me a copy of the D.F.P. (Dakota Freie Presse), Sallets newspaper which had run my report and the one I had sent to the Rundschau. How did that happen? My reports are exclusive to the Dakota Rundschau. I don’t think that other newspapers have the right to use my material. How can you allow such a thing, Mr. Brendel? (*Editor: We did not permit them to use your material, but there is no law preventing another newspaper from copying material as long as the source is mentioned. Several other papers use Rundschau material, but we do not object, unless the source is not clearly identified.)

Not much trade going on right now considering that in American money I only earn about 13¢ a day. My income depends on the sales at the cooperative store as I mentioned in an earlier article. One cannot change it, so one has to be happy just to be alive.

On October 25, two little boys set fire to widow Katharina Hebrich’s [Habrich’s] straw pile. The fire lasted for two days. There was not much damage, but it could have gotten serious if it had not been contained quickly.

The farmers are done with the corn harvest with a result of 100 Pud per desjatine. Grain prices are rising a little; barley is at 33, flax at 60, oats at 32, corn on the cob at 10, rapeseed 45 and Hedrich (?) 28 Lei/Pud.

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

Joseph Braun

From: Prelate, Sask., Canada
21 November 1931

Contributed by Kasper Marte

Winter is firmly entrenched here. We had snow on November 6. It melted and then it snowed again on the 16th, a total of 6 inches and here to stay. The thermometer reads 18 degrees; it’ll be a long winter.

On June 22, the wife of Joseph Kintz died leaving behind 17 children, two of which are married. The family is from Rosental in the Crimean.

The wife of Pius Sehn, who arrived with her family from Rumania two years ago, spent two days in the hospital. Gross had the misfortune of breaking two ribs as he worked on his well and spent four days in the hospital. This message to his mother in Krasna.

Marriages: The son of Martin Haff and the daughter of Frank Kisling, both from Russia; The son of Vincenz Fleckenstein and the daughter of Joseph Fehnrich, both from Krasna.

Judging by the break my old neighbor F. Wanner is taking from writing, he must be busy drinking his wine since it is even cheaper in the west than it is in Krasna as Mr. Braun reports. Heartfelt greetings to both of them.

I am enclosing a check for $4.75 from Joe Rietz, Prelate, Sask, $2.00 for John Rietz in Krupp, Sask. as a new reader, $2.00 for Alo Finger, Prelate, Sask, $.50 for the Welt and $.25 for the Hinkender Bote (limping messenger) calendar.

Kasper Marte