The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-06-23
Still Celebrating Reunion

in the Hebrew, German, Russian or
Polish tongues.
Still Celebrating Reunion
One from The Banner motored
out to the Greenberg homestead,
Wednesday afternoon, and discovered
the family is yet celebrating the Joy.
ful reunion Sam was not on the
premises when The Banner man ar
rived there, but he came shortly
thereafter, bringing with him on his
motor truck two of the finest looking
calves in the county BY way of
depression, let it be understood that,
although the Greenberg land is pro-
ductive, Sam is not giving much time
to crops. He prefers the cattle busi-
ness TO soil harvests and is said to he
one of the most prosperous live stock
dealers in southern Vermont. His
home surroundings indicate this to be
fact.
Returning to Mrs. Greenberg and
the children. They make up an ex-
ceptionally bright group. The chill
dren are remarkable for their good
looks, which they inherit from the
mother, even ii Sam does deny IT,
Sam and the wife Of his nephew, who
with her husband live with the
IGreenbergs, were interpreters Tor
the occasion,
Mrs. Greenberg said she had passed
through war experiences that we're
trAe hotter than an orthodox Presby'
terians idea of hell, FIRST the Ger
mans came into her district and what
they left there wasn't worth carrying
away. The Germans were followed
by the Bolsheviki forces and when
they had departed only desolation re-
mained. And then came Polish
army and little bit OF real hades
In the meanwhile all the aged peo-
ple. never used to ordinary comforts,
| but unable to endure the depriyat!ons
occasioned by the war had died. A
vast majority Of the babies and little
children. too, had suceumbed And
those who we're able to withstand the
military outrages and the consequent
starvation were not too thankful that
they were alive.
| DeSOldtlOn RlOHc hCtNdiiS
Mrs. Greenherg said the Bakia reg.
ion is one of the worlds most produc-
tive wheat areas, in normal times
But there's no wheat there now, nor
Iany immediate prospects for a yield.
Because every farming tool ana
horse has either been destroyed or
taken away from the district, There
are no cattle there, either. The only
means of farming nowadays is with
the spade. White bread in that part
of the world at this time is an un'
known luxury. And the price OF
black. or rye, bread is literally be.
lyond the means OF the peasants The
money in circulation is worthless
The mark before the war, says Mrs
Greenberg was worth so cents IN
American money. An American dol
lar today is worth 800 marks. "Thc
German mark now isn't worth more
than an American cigarette paper, is
the way she expressed it, through the
INTERPRETER. However, some one over
there must be protiteerng with thai
worthless money Mr.. Greenberl
says he regularly sent American
drafts to Mrs. Greenberg, and she
says the drafts were cashed at face
value, but paid to her in marks. Thus
they we're doublecrossed at botl
ends of the line.
Upon the arrival Of the Germans a
Bakia Mrs. Greenberg says boys ant
girls of all ages were conscrlpred t(
dig trenches. Little Yetta, now onl!
16 years, earned a diploma at tina
lob. She says she often had to ge
out of bed at midnight to help dil
trenches. And one time, eXtendinI
over period of weeks, after thei
home mad been demolished by Ger
man bomb, the family had to live il
the woods, subsistng upon whateye
they could find in the forest. Mrs
Groenberg relates an incident where
in she purchased few pounds o
growing rye. This she harvested an,
ground by hand and made int
bread. Before the bread had coole,