excerpt from Cornelius Friesen's Escape to Freedom, Episodes from 1921-1927. Abridged and edited by Lora Sawatsky,
submitted by Hugo Friesen.

I must tell you of another episode that I experienced with my father. In fall, it was our custom to travel by horse and wagon in order to take sunflower seeds to an oil press about 25 km. away. Our seed resulted in five gallons of oil, which was our family's oil supply until the next harvest. The evening of the second day of our journey, we, as well as the horses, were tired so Father decided we would carry on slowly till we would arrive safely at home. About halfway home, Father noticed I was getting tired and sleepy and so he suggested that I lie down in the back of the wagon on the empty sacks. It was a clear, moonlit evening.

Five kilometers from home, we had to pass through a village of well-to-do Russian farmers, a number of whom were well known to my father. When we approached the first house, a sentry stepped out of the darkness and ordered us to stop. I awoke and sat up to see what was going on. The sentry was only one and a half strides away, aiming his revolver at us and swearing loudly. He checked us out while we stood with our backs against the wagon, hands held high. He inspected the wagon, too, and with much swearing remarked that these awful Germans traveled unarmed at night. The robber then took my last coat and father's last pair of shoes. He hit Father with his fist when he refused to take off his shoes. Then he ordered us to follow him to the centre of the village where his captain sat on a horse with his revolver ready, shouting out his orders and punctuating them with shots into the air to underscore his authority and to let the local people

know that he was serious. The bandits intented to rob a rich widow. They had taken her harvest wagon and harnessed her three horses to it and were now taking the large Russian chests which contained her best clothing, blankets, sheets, towels and other valuables. (My grandmother had such a chest too, which every young bride was expected to bring to her new home.) The robbers also took 5 or 6 sacks of flour that were intended for the family's use through the winter.

I knew the man who held us captive and addressed him by name. "Ted, be decent and let us go. After all we are from the nearby German village and I am employed as the secretary of the village council and we know each other."

Ted swore vehemently when I spoke to him and then I realized what an awful mistake I had made in acknowledging that I knew him. After all, I would now be able to report the whole gang to the higher Soviet authorities. The robbers had no alternative but to do away with us, and so their captain ordered us to fall in behind their wagon. Father and I both realized what this meant. I was not yet converted and not ready to die. The robbers were soon ready to leave the village with their booty and we were forced to follow with our horses and wagon to our destiny.

The villagers from the other end of the village began to shoot over the heads of the robbers. The captain ordered three horsemen to stage a counter-attack and he himself shot into the air every so often. As soon as the wagon ahead of us started moving off at a trot, the three horsemen turned and rode back to hold off the villagers and we were left alone for a few minutes without any guards. Our horses were very tired, but father had the presence of mind to whip them. As they sprang forward, he pulled them sharply to one side entering a nearby yard, and guided them behind the house. We both jumped off and fled for our lives. I was as quick as he to hide in a low dark chicken coop. There we lay next to each other trembling, trying to hear whether someone would come looking for us. We heard the robber wagon drive on and soon the three riders galloped past, not knowing that we had fled. When all was quiet, we slowly came out of our hiding place and were soon recognized by the men from the house who'd seen all that had happened. They helped unhitch the horses and put them into the barn. Since it was very early in the morning, they took us into their house.

To God be the honour, thanks, praise and glory for saving us from possible death at the hands of murderous robbers.