The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1921-01-06
ALMA KJELLAND
WRITESLETTER
Trebizonde, Turkey,
October 21st, 1920.

Trebizonde, Turkey,
, October 21st, 1920.
! Dear AL.
received your letter yesterday and
was so glad that you are all we'll and
that you still found time to write to
me if it was Red letter. 1t did
seem like a Bolshevist-but even if
| you turned Bolshevist-I should still
! welcome your letters. do so want
to hear from all Of you at home. This
will not be regular letter as the boat
leaves in an hour and l must spin this
off by the yard to get through.
l came home crying yesterday aft
ernoon because l run across a great
number Of refugees who were hungry
and sat and cried for food. Our ap-
preparations have been cut down and
they are urging us to cut people off
the soup list until it seems also Grim
inal to walk about we'll dressed and fat
when there are people who have neith-
er. l have been working in the most
wretched looking district and the big
house which have been cleaning is
filled with 300 women and children,
twenty orphans, fifteen old grand
mothers and a number of old men who
/ have plenty of children and no moth
: ers. l have dressed them as we'll as
can, with a suit Of old pants and
blouse, but the bedding is problem.
Most who had blankets last year sold
them and are now destitute. 1t has
rained every day for over month and
has been so cold that I have had to
wear all my fannels and also knitted
stockings. How they exist without
warm things do not know. Yester-
day l dressed some of the old women
up. in warm outing flannel dresses and
hob nailed shoes sent over from
France where they were not used for
the soldiers. They weigh over six
pounds but they do certainly make the
women happy. Today took over a
lot of old rags for darning or mend
ing and asked for volunteers to care
for the orphans who live there. It was
:; royal of them the way they showed
up for all of them were willing to take
another kid to look after, so l gave a
: few patches, soap, and thread, thim-
BILE, and needles to these girls and
. came away happy. There were two
| little girls about twelve whom l gave
) things that had no one, but am going
to help them sew their things and
: clean them. One is beauty. Oh,
do love my work but l feel so dread
7 fully sorry for them now as it is SC
cold and we have to cut down so much
: 1t is such a hard thing to do to tel
: of the Bolshevists. Because even here
: we get contradictory stories. One day
l the people come and tell US things and
: the others they tell US different. The
people who come her from Russia
2 every day are rather sickly looking
5 and must have been undernourished
2 The Bolshevists are all over the
l streets and one never sees them work
They flaunt their banners and all wea,
bright red star on their heart. This
so long brought with it several wom
en- who were extra tough. They hac
their hair cut and were known as
Comrades" instead of wife or Mrs
They have law that the women must
take care Of their husbands if they are
= i'll. A boy of 16 may marry. They
: drink at the public gardens here ane
e when an order came to repeal the free
D drinks, all the shops and gardens
Y have been closed who sold drinks
5 And most of the Bolshevists left with
the exception of couple who arr
evidently looking for jobs with tn
i Turks as consufs. Now l have MOI
puite decided what l, shall do, but dt
not expect me home until this fall;
mean until next fall. I am going tt
stay here a little longer and l wisl
to be transferred later to the eau
:. causus mountains for work. l dom
know just how it will pan out but hope
it can be arranged.
l have received the films and thinl
that got them twice. But no song:
:. came through. I suppose they ART
playing them on some piano in Tur
key. If you will send all my mail tt
Constantinople, Near East Relief
Headquarters, shall be more certain
:, to get it. All mail sent to Trebi
zonde is apt to be taken off at Con
. stantinople, or if it finds it's wa!
through, it is taken off here and gone
over. However your letter came thru
Macdonald and Mrs. Showdown
: from England stopped here on thei1
way from the Mauscuas mountains
You know he is the socialist member
of congress from England and he look
ed exactly like some old farmer, wear
! ing overahs, of khaki. Mrs. Snow
down is some doll though and looks the
contrary to socialism. They were
very interesting and came back with
rather honest reports of the Bolshevist
and conditions in Russia. They say il
is not so bad as people say and aot
as good as most say.
Now I must close. hope my bo,
comes home alright and that you are
all well when this comes. It is {
sure enough rotten letter but writer
hurriedly.
Best of love to you all,
,: ALMA.
CONGO" WINS FIRST GAME