Letter To Muenster Prison

Muenster prison

My lovely Mother 4/27/1940

Mom, I am writing for many reasons. first I hope that all is well back in bochum, Germany, I hope that you all escaped Hitler 's rath. Secondly I want you to know that I have done a grave thing. I angered the Nazis, I did not want to fight for them, I did not want to help them kill Jews. I am writing this letter in my prison cell waiting to face the firing squad. I lived a good life, from september 4, 1914 to what I expect to be april 27, 1940. We were Jehovah 's witnesses we were not Jews we were not in the holocausts. When the Nazis came and they wanted me to join them I refused. I believe that God 's laws are above Hitlers I told them that I should not kill. The army commandment did not like that, they arrested me and brought me to muenster prison. There I faced a judge, he decided that I shall die and sentenced me to death by firing squad on april 27, 1940. I write to you my dear mother because you have always cared for me even when times were tough. I will spend my last minutes thinking about you and the good times that we had in the past,

There was a lot of bad times, but do you remember the good times? Even though our home was getting searched we still held bible studies for the whole neighborhood. At times our house was the epicenter of our religious community. I also remember the times when we would have refugees in our house. I would come downstairs for breakfast and there would be four strangers sitting at the table with a glass of apple juice. I can 't forget about our patriotism, especially the olympics in 1936. I remember the relief that everybody felt as Germany was like it was before Hitler. I remember going to berlin and seeing everybody from all over the world in our country, that was amazing. These are the things that I will remember in my last