Washington County Historical Society version (1965)1
Nov. 20—As I stood at the window two men rode up. One was Fritz, and oh, what joy! All the women of the neighborhood came over. At midnight Julius came and said they would have to leave immediately. Fritz didn’t want to leave us alone again, but I knew his danger and insisted that he go.
The Arkansas Historical Quarterly version (1947)2
Nov. 20
I was standing by the window and saw two men on horseback. I feared they were returning robbers. But what joy—one of them was Fritz. When he saw me and the children, he cried for joy and so did I. You should have seen how quickly all the women gathered in and how light of heart they were when they went home again. About midnight Julius came and said they would have to leave again. Fritz was afraid to go because it meant leaving us behind, but tearfully I begged him to go. He would not give up until he understood how much I really wanted him to go. As I went with him to the stable to get his horse, he almost decided to stay with us. I would not agree to it because I knew his life was in danger.
- Lemke, W. J. The Hermanns of Old Hermannsburg: Washington County, Arkansas. Fayetteville, AR: Washington County Historical Society, 1965.
- Memoirs, Letters, and Diary Entries of German Settlers in Northwest Arkansas, 1853-1863. Selected and Translated By Clarence Evans, Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The Arkansas Historical Quarterly. Vol. VI Fall, 1947 No. 3