46. Crossing Under the Red Gate

           The day finally came when they were to leave Moscow.  They had to be at the Puschkanaw train station in the middle of the night.  The three families who left together took 2 sleighs loaded with their personal belongings.  It was a fearful time because they knew that there was no guarantee this train was heading west to Germany, or taking them to some desolate place of exile.  They were all very worried.  They knew they were not safe until they had passed under the famous Red Gate.

The Famous Red Gate Out of Russia

Photo courtesy of Heritage Remembered p. 261

            Finally they got to the border, but were still not sure they would be let out.  The border had a large Red Gate and once they crossed under the Red Gate they were out and safe.  At the border they went through another fearful time when they had to go into a closet and take all their clothes off.  The clothes were checked for valuables that may have been sewn into seams or hems.  A woman checked all the women individually.  People were stripped of all goods except the clothing they were wearing and bedding for each person, feather beds, but no cooking utensils or any valuables.       

The Wiens Family Bible

          Anna's father Johann had a family Bible that was in the possession of his oldest daughter Suzanna.  In about 1925 Suzanna visited Ebentahl and gave this Bible to Peter and Anna.  This Bible was a highly treasured posession so when the family left Moscow Anna hid it and some family photos among their belongings and smuggled it out of the country.  Peter didn't know Anna had done this.  Thankfully the smuggled items were not discovered or it could have meant that the family would have been sent into exile.      
         After they crossed under the Red Gate and were safe, the whole train full of people all sang “nun danket alle Gott, mit hetz und mund und stimme” – "Now thank we all our God, with hearts and hands and voices!"  There was a great sigh of relief that they had made it out of danger and into a brighter future.  The train travelled through Finland, Friesland, Ostland, Poland and then finally stopped in Hammustein, Germany. They stayed there for 2 weeks in order to be examined and disinfected. It was an awful experience.  There were lots of people getting disinfected in these small places called immigration houses.  Anna said she never got the sheets white again after they were fumigated, they were all pear yellow.