Page 7, Die Welt-Post, Thursday, January 12, 1922

Colony Huck, 12 October, 1921

To Philipp and Oswald Koch

Lincoln, Nebraska

Dear Brothers:

  Today on our Kerb (stoop, curbstone) we take up the pen to answer the letter from brother Philipp. Cordial greetings to everyone from me your Brother-in-law and your sister and we are grateful that you have not forgotten us.

  The general situation among us Germans here is so bad that one can hardly describe it. Things are also going deplorably in our new government. The harvest was so bad that one no longer knows how to save oneself. In fact, many people have starved and many more will yet starve. Everything as it was written in Revelations 6 is literally being fulfilled, that the people will die from hunger. In verse 7 and 8 it reads thus: "And there the fourth seal was opened and I heard the voice of the fourth Beast say: Come! And I looked and saw a pale horse and the one sitting on him was named Death and Hell followed after him. And they were given the power to kill the fourth part of the earth with the Sword and Hunger and with Death and the Beasts of the earth." This is being fulfilled today before our very eyes.

Now a little about our family. Our son, your godson, had completed his 4 years of service as a soldier and returned home. But at the outbreak of the war he had to go back again and served throughout the war until the beginning of the Revolution, the he came home again. Jacob, our second son, had also served for the old government for a short period but during the war he only served under the new government and never came under fire. He was eventually taken prisoner by the Whites on the Ural Front. For 1 1/2 years we heard nothing from him and thought he was dead. Then we got a letter from Tzaritzen saying we should come there to see him.

  At that time the Reds had again re-taken Tzaritzen. Your godson and my brother's son took two horses and traveled to Tzaritzen to visit him. It will soon be 2 years past and they have not returned and we have had no news of them. Jacob however, still serves in the Army and is in the city of Grosneau "an der Linie" (referring to a line of settlements in the Caucasus) close to Baku. The other Brothers-in-law are well and also still have their children at home because none served as soldiers

  Lastly, I want to again point out that things are very hard for us, and we ask you for a little help.

  Live well and do not forget your "Blutsfreunde" (blood friends??) who find themselves in great distress.

                                   Jacob Niederhaus and family