The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-06-02
FIGHTING THE POLISH
ITERROR-AN NARRATIVE
By s. KAEMRAD.

| from her letters. Her letters are more
than personal, their significance is
that of human documents of great
power and interest. In order to
counter the dangers of the post CEN
sorship, Vera wrote her letters in
the language of Aesop:
"What shall l write about myself?
l am living as before, Life rolls by
and / taste of it with eagerness and
enthusiasm. Now as before l am
tremendously happy, but side by side
with the happiness there is pain, so
much pain. The circumstances of our
existence are so hard, so strict! Lit
tie consideration is paid to the plans,
intentions and wishes of individual
people. Life has become terrible diff
ficult. The emigration which was al
ways considerable has now taken on
a tremendous degree. Those near to
us and those far away are going, re-
lations and friends are amongst them.
They are going in groups and as in
dividuals. 1t is particularly pain
full when whole groups go at one
time. Life then becomes much more
difficult
1.-THE emigration is particularly
strong amongst the youth. With the
energy and activity of youth, it is
particularly difficult for them to re-
main inactive and wait for better
times. They therefore leave US, prob
ably for long time
"For the present l have no inten-
ton of leaving myself, With all my
energy and my hunger for life
want to overcome the unpleasant ex-
terror circumstances. l want to live
just where will, and to do that that
I want to do. Well, we shall see -"
1t is not difficult to understand
that with "emigrants" Vera means
those comrades who have been ar
rested. And that she is referring
to police raids and arrests and other
misfortunes so well known to all those
who have ever worked illegally.
The Polish secret police were
searching for Vera for a very long
time. They were only waiting for
the opportunity to settle accounts
with her.
AS though she had presentiment
of her coming capture she wrote in
a letter:
"Our life is now more stormy and
joyful than ever before. Our days
count for months and the months
for years. Not according to their
length, but certainly according to the
fulness of the events contained in
them. Think of it, we are already
in August 1925. You know what
that means. And in this month of
August am writing you letter. !
can hardly believe my eyes and ears.
How beautiful How splendid, I'M
expected and UNUSUAL"
The following month of September
proved fatal for Vera. The wave Of
arrests which swept over West White
Russia in the fall of 1925 drew her
too into the vortex. Vera had to go
not there where she wanted to go,
but there where she was sent by
the Polish secret police, in prison.
But even there, behind thick prison
walls and surrounded by living wall
of bayonets she retained the fresh
ness and the laughter of youth. The
agents of Pilsudski could not take
that away from her no matter how
bad the conditions of life in the pris-
on were.
On the contrary: "The prison is
bagatelle", she writes in letter
to friends outside. ut not only fails
to achieve its aim, but it works real
wonders in strengthening US all in
our determination and bolshevism."
She writes further: 81 am happy,
/ don't know what boredom is, but
l do know what both pleasure and
anger are. Sometimes l could grind
by teeth in fury. But that is newt
able, and is quickly compensated for
by deep pleasure. The thoughts and
| dreams for the future are dazzling.
But in its way the present is also
beautiful. am living this life and
love it as it is, it seems to me more
than 1 ever loved life before"
Thus writes a girl who has spent
almost three years in prison. Vera
has been sentenced to years i'm
prisonment in a trial which has al
ready taken place and in the trial
of the "133" she is threatened with
! further years.
And despite this prospect of spend
ing the best years of her life in
prison she still can find courage
enough to joke:
"How l long to see you all again,
if only for a moment. Just one little
glimpse, but that will come, of that
there is no doubt! The time will
come and we shall be all together
again. / dream of that moment when
we shall all meet again and my face
is suffused with a great happiness.
And then the disturbing thought in