Wilhelm Gruener

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Wilhelm Grüner (born September 1, 1891 in the pastorate of Appricken near Hasenpoth , Kurland Governorate , Russian Empire ; † February 7 or 8, 1919 in Wenden , Latvian SPR ), with full name Wilhelm Karl Eduard Grüner , in Latvian Vilhelms Grīners or Vilhelms Kārlis Eduards Grīners , was a German-Baltic pastor . He is considered an Evangelical Lutheran martyr and is recorded on the Riga Martyrs Stone.

The dates in this article are based on the Julian calendar for the period up to 1918 unless otherwise noted.

Life

Youth and education

Wilhelm Grüner's parents were the clergyman Eduard Karl Gustav Grüner (* 1860) and Victoria Grüner (* 1865). His older brother was Viktor Gustav Grüner (* 1889), his younger brother Kurt Ernst Gustav Grüner (* 1902); his younger sisters were Gertrud Adelheid Jenny Grüner (* 1893) and Hildegard Toni Grüner (1894–1895). Wilhelm Grüner's character was seen as open-hearted and winning. He attended grammar school, went to Goldingen and then studied at the state university in Dorpat .

He finished his studies in 1914. Then he wanted to familiarize himself with the Inner Mission in Riga . During the First World War he felt a need to stay close to his family. His brother was a pastor in Riga, while his father held the same office in nearby Neuermühlen . It was expected that Riga will soon be conquered by Germans who already have the Daugava reached. For these reasons Wilhelm Grüner wanted to stay in Riga.

In the autumn of 1916, however, he received a call to become an adjunct in Groß-Roop , as the pastor Erwin Gross there had become mentally ill as a result of the circumstances of the time. Grüner accepted the position enthusiastically. Gross was now able to take a cure in Reval . This meant that Grüner had to look after the community alone, despite his youth. Because of his friendly manner he was able to win over many parishioners. Even the strong socialist influence in the community did nothing to change that. However, external circumstances made his work difficult. Numerous Russian soldiers fled on the military road from Riga to Grüner's parish. The pastorate was very close to this street, so that it fell victim to raids by marauding soldiers. It was completely robbed; the soldiers ate all the chickens. Not only was the workload for greens substantial; there were also accusations that he was spying for the German army. The young man also had to look after the numerous children of his absent superior. He hid her with friends in a remote homestead in the woods.

Erwin Gross returned after three months relaxed, who now took turns with Grüner in office. Southern Livonia came under German control. This ended threats from Latvian Bolsheviks and marauding Russian soldiers.

Pastor in Ronneburg

Ronneburg

During this time Wilhelm Grüner was called to Ronneburg to take up the office of pastor there. He complied with this enthusiastically in 1918. In his diary he expressed the hope that Livonian community life would flourish.

In fact, he was only able to fill his new post for half a year. At the end of the world war, the German troops withdrew. Instead, the Bolsheviks moved in from the north in the Latvian War of Independence that followed. They founded the revolutionary tribunal of the Wenden district , which pronounced death sentences against people whom they classified as counter-revolutionaries . Seimann as procurator and Alfred Jahn Saulgose (* around 1885) are said to have belonged to the tribunal . Peter Preedit (* around 1897) and Karl Behrsin (* around 1892) are said to have served as prison guards. To enforce the judgments, a military company was founded, which consisted of young men and 13 women. The members of the military company received a bounty for each executed person. They also kept their clothes, money and other property. The German-Baltic community members fled and asked Grüner to save himself as well.

Grüner's last received letter was dated December 12, 1918 and was addressed to his parents. He expressed his concern about the changed circumstances and already suspected his imminent death. But he also wrote that he wanted to stay with his community in any case. Should he die, he will accept this as God's decision. Literally he wrote:

“I am glad that I know you are more secure; we are exposed to all rampant elements. I expect that I won't survive this time. In any case, I will stay with my church until the last moment; they should know that their pastor will not leave them in danger; and I am quite ready, if God should call me, to go to him with joy. "

Arrest and execution

On January 12, 1919, Wilhelm Grüner led the service in his church, after which he was arrested. He was brought before the tribunal. The body search produced a revolver. This gave rise to the first charge. However, Gruner managed to prove that he had not received the order to hand over the weapon. The second charge was that during the service he had admonished mothers to give the children Bible lessons because religious education in schools had been banned. This point was true. He was detained in a cell with five members of his ward. At first the imprisonment was bearable. He comforted the other prisoners with words from the Bible, also by post to his sick former superior.

On January 27, 1919, 19 people were sentenced to death by the tribunal; on February 5, five more death sentences followed, including against Wilhelm Grüner. One night, numerous prisoners were called out of his cell, allegedly for interrogation. They never came back. This made it clear to Grüner what to expect.

On the night of February 7th to 8th, 1919, he was also called from his cell and had to appear before the tribunal, which brought numerous charges and accusations against him. He attempted a defense, which was answered with scornful laughter. He learned that a defense was not necessary as his guilt had been proven and the verdict had been determined. Grüner got angry and kept trying to defend himself as it was for his life. In doing so, he talked the members of the tribunal into conscience, forcing them to cover up their personal concern with cold feelings and a sophistic way of reasoning. Since his efforts were unsuccessful, Grüner accepted his fate and remained silent. He now assumed what was to come as God given. He was also still silent when he was taken back to his cell. For his parents he wrote on a piece of paper:

“Dear parents, thank you very much for all your love and kindness that you showed me. Soon I'll be standing before God's throne. "

Less than an hour later, in the middle of the night, Grüner and five other prisoners were led into the palace garden. On the way he sang " Jesus, my confidence ". The other prisoners joined in. There were later several reports that Grüner knelt down and prayed for his opponents. When he then sang "If I should part" (from " O head full of blood and wounds "), the deadly bullets penetrated him. Wilhelm Grüner died at the age of only 27.

Afterlife

Wilhelm Grüner's parents survived him. A total of 94 people were shot by the military company, relieved of their valuables and buried in fields near Rutzky.

Wilhelm Grüner's remains were not found until the summer of 1919. The Latvian community of Groß-Roop, who had served Gruner as an adjunct and where he had acquired great affection there, asked to be allowed to bury Gruner in their cemetery. A gate of honor was built for the funeral and the church was richly decorated. The local Russian Orthodox priest provided lights that were otherwise not available. The solemn funeral service was organized by the congregation itself without a pastor, as all pastors in the wider area had fled, kidnapped or killed.

In 1922 a trial was conducted against the members of the tribunal and the military company. Of 103 accused, only Saulgose, Preedit and Behrsin could initially be arrested and brought to justice. The defendants denied their involvement in the executions and were acquitted for lack of evidence and contradicting testimony.

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personal data
SURNAME Gruener, Wilhelm
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Grüner, Wilhelm Karl Eduard; Grīners, Vilhelms; Grīners, Vilhelms Kārlis Eduards
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Evangelical Lutheran clergyman, German-Baltic martyr
DATE OF BIRTH September 1, 1891
PLACE OF BIRTH Appricken , Russian Empire
DATE OF DEATH February 7, 1919 or February 8, 1919
Place of death Wenden , Latvian SPR