JOURNEYS Mennonite Stories of Faith and Survival in Stalins Russia, John B. Toews, 1998

lage they began to incarcerate the wives and sisters of the arrested men. Trucks drove from village to village collecting the women according to prepared lists. If someone like the grandparents remained behind, the chil¬ dren were left with them. If not, they were collected by a truck which followed. Take the case of my cousin Maria Sudermann. Her son, two-and-a-half years of age and already talking, was liter¬ ally torn out of her arms. The children were brought to the chil¬ drens homes in Halbstadt, Tokmak and Prischib. Only a sick, bed-ridden grandmother remained behind. She had lost her three sons and her son-in-law. Now her last treasures, her daughter and grandchild, were taken away. The women were first taken to Halbstadt, then Melitopol. Since the prisons were overfilled they were taken to a public swim¬ ming pool and housed on the cold cement floor. Things began to change after three months. Someone had written to Lenin’s wife, Krupskaja. Apparently she still had some influence and the women were released by groups. A search for their children ensued. Maria finally found her son in Tokmak. He had become a skeleton and could no longer speak. A few women never found their children. One day sister Maria informed me that Dr. Schmidt invited me to visit him. Everyone was convinced I was being watched and so we left via the backyard after dark. We crossed the pasture between Blumenort and Tiege and walked along the dam until we came to Dr. Schmidt’s garden. Rachel, our sister-in-law, was al¬ ready there. The house was dark but the room was filled with people. Rachel told me to remain calm, the doctor had screened 132 JOURNEYS the guests and no one would betray me. I nevertheless felt uncom¬ fortable. If news of this meeting got out we’d all be in trouble. They hugged and greeted me warmly. Then came question after question — had I seen any of their loved ones? I had to disappoint them all. Later we dispersed. There were no serious consequences. When I arrived home I learned that a certain Susan Dueck had asked about me during my absence. During my arrest and the house search she was called to the NKVD as a witness. All felt she was an informer. She was amazed that I was not at home so late in the evening and wondered where I might be. My family told her some lies, but she was not convinced. In the meantime I had to go to Melitopol to mail a parcel and visit the mothers of my friends. First, I met with Pauls family, Irene and her mother. The mother was very ill. She told me about the death of my dear friend Paul. He died of pneumonia in the camps. Irene walked with me to Victors mother. She too heard from the camp authorities — Victor died of pneumonia. She also told me my third friend Hans Pankratz was dead. A man came to her one day and told her the following story. Hans was working as a designer in a paper factory somewhere in Karelia. They came in each day under armed guard. One day