How my Grandmother Took Down

Hitler
A Series of letters from her and a Jewish Prisoner
Book by: Crystal Rudow
Letters to: Maddie Miers
Letters From: Maggie May Crinshawl
 Introduction
To whoever reads this book
My name is Crystal Magee, and I am the great
grand daughter of Maggie May Crinshawl. Grandma
Maggie was alive through the holocaust, and she
played a huge role in bringing it to an ending. She
had seen a small child be murdered by a Nazi, and
remained in contact with the child’s mother. Once a
week, grandma Maggie would go into the Nazi
camps, pretending to be a mail carrier to the Nazi’s,
and leave a letter behind for the mother of the child.
( Maddie Miers).
Together, the two of them organized the battle
against Hitler, and saved the lives of millions of Jews.
I hope you enjoyed this book as much as I did while I
read the letters. I also included two journal entries
from my grandmother’s diary.
I am a half Jewish women living in 2009. If my
grandmother hadn’t helped the way she did, I may
not be here, because my mother would have never
fallen in love with my father who was Jewish. My
mother was a German, and they were complete
opposites.
March 31st, 1937
Maddie, Miers
Concentration camp #21

Maddie,
I am very sorry that that Nazi took down your son. It
was one of the most painful things I had ever had to
watch. That Hitler is such a bastard. He walks around
like he runs the world, when in reality he knows what
he does is wrong. Do you know I went to high school
with him? He was always a little strange he didn’t
have many friends.
Maddie, I have been doing a lot of thinking, and
we need to find a way to make this discreet because
I would love to keep in contact with you to make sure
nothing happens to you. If the Nazi’s find out about
these, it’ll cost our both our heads. Anyway, even
though I am Catholic I had my priest bless your son’s
body.
That was one of the most horrid things I have
ever seen, all your son did was buy an apple, and a
solider shot him. I wish I could get you out of that
camp too. I mean they took your child, the least they
can do it give you your freedom. Hopefully this battle
doesn’t last too long. Hitler needs to be stopped
soon. Anyway, I plan on keeping this first letter short
because I don’t want the Nazi’s to ask you what your
reading.
Remember, I will come to drop of packages to
the Nazi’s, and I will leave this letter buried in the
ground, under the grey boulder outside of the door
next to the work yard. Please let me know what’s
going on in your camp. Take care dear, and
remember things will be okay, I promise.
Your
friend,
Maggie
May

April 2nd, 1937

Maggie May
Blue house

Maggie,
Thank you so much for staying in contact with me. It
is very hard to live in here, especially with living
without my son. I don’t know if you have ever lost a
child, but it’s one of the worst pains ever. Oh, and I
have a few ideas on how we can keep this going
without any one knowing.
What we can do is instead of a traditional heading;
you just put the date, and my initials. I’ll do the same
for you. That way our initials are both M.M because I
will only call you by your first name, and you can use
both of mine. That way if our letters are found, they
will only see the initials, and I will always send back
your original.
Camp #21is one of the better camps I guess you
could say, but I know once Hitler stops by it will get a
lot worse. I haven’t eaten in about two days, but I
have been stealing food from the Nazi’s and I will eat
it tonight.

With hope,
M.M

April 5, 1937
M.M
Camp #21

Maddie,
You came up with a good plan so we don’t get
caught, but if we still address each other at the
beginning of the letter don’t you think they’ll know?
That’s up to you.
I’m glad to hear your camp isn’t that bad, but
remember it’s still really early, and it may get worse.
I am glad you are eating, but just remember if they
catch you stealing its sudden death. Everything in
there is sudden death. Life outside the camps isn’t
too much better. Today a line of Nazi’s came through
my neighbor hood and do you know what they did?
Those control freaks came into my home, and they
searched to see if I was housing a Jewish family. They
searched about fifty houses, they caught three
families, and they were all shot. I am getting so sick
of seeing all this violence. I think I have witnessed at
least 25 murders during this stupid Genocide. He
needs to be stopped, and every day I wish I could
change it.
When the Nazi’s searched my home, I ease dropped
on their conversation and they said that Hitler is
planning on installing Mustard gas chamber into
concentration camps, and whoever they even
suspect is up to something sneaky they will be
placed in the chamber until they suffocate. So please
Maddie, be very careful with what you say and do in
front of them. How are things going this week?

Stay
Strong,

Maggie

April 7, 1937
M.M

Maggie,
Yes, the mustard chamber has been installed into
my camp. My cousin was forced into it for going to
the bathroom after dark. The rules of this man are
insane. We are not allowed into the bathroom hole
past 10 pm, or before 6 am.
It’s getting very out of hand. The death total for my
camp is up to 210, and it has only been open for 3
weeks. That is very upsetting. I walk around feeling
so lethargic. I miss my son, I miss my daughter, and I
don’t even know what camp she is. I know my
husband is dead; he was shot because he walked to
slow across the grounds.
I feel as though I am falling into a deep depression.
I haven’t eaten since the last time I wrote you, and
all that’s left of my family for now is me, and my
daughter, she is in camp #12, she was taken weeks
before me, if you deliver packages there, please
check for her, her name is Amanda. Same last name
as me.
Your letters give me hope; they give me something
to hold onto. Please, keep me in your prayers.

Holding
on,
Maddie
th
April 8 , 1937
M.M
Camp #21

Maddie,
I have good news; I delivered a supply of plates to
camps # 12, 13 & 14. Your daughter was moved to
camp #14, and she is in good condition, a Nazi
seems to be highly attracted to her and protective of
her. So you shouldn’t worry. I pulled her aside and
pretended to yell at her and told her you were fine.
She wanted me to drive off with her but there was
too many Nazi’s in sight.
My husband, and few other delivery women have
been thinking of different ways to free you and other
Jew’s. We are still in the process. If you have any feel
free to let me know. Hitler found s few Jewish children
hiding up in an Annex, he placed them inside camps,
and then had them murdered. I couldn’t watch it; I
closed my blinds as Hitler killed them off one by one.
Tomorrow when I deliver this letter to your camp,
they are receiving a shipment of inkwells. They are
going to be tattooing all the prisoners so your name
is erased. If I were you, I would avoid it as possible so
if I do break you out, you’re not noticeable. I have
been thinking about taking down Hitler. I want to re
unit families, and save lives. This mass murder has
lasted one year too long.
From what I am told, Hitler has a weak spot for his
dog. If someone were to hurt his dog, I bet you he
would be out of it for a few days. Sometimes I really
wish I could save you. Let’s make a plan; I have
started this program called “Letters of Love”. It’s
been delivery girls like myself leave letters in the
camps and do what we do. So maybe we can all
team up?
Any way, today a Jewish boy shot down two Nazi
soldiers it was so heart breaking to see a gun in the
hands of a six year old. He got away; I am praying
they don’t find them. Don’t ever lose hope Mad’s.
Well get you out.

Praying
for you,
Maggie

April 12th, 1937

M.M

Maggie,
 Sorry I took so long to respond to you. Now were
only allowed out of our camp’s to get one meal a day
and to do yard labor. It’s getting hard to breath in
here. There is a pit by the back gate, and they place
all the dead bodies in it. The images make it hard for
me to sleep at night.
I heard of the boy whom shot the solider because
he is my camp. They are starving him, and plan on
killing him soon. His name is Joshua. He is the
sweetest thing, and said he only did it because they
killed his mother.
I want to get out, and I have a crazy idea, but you
have to bear with me. What if, just what if, you and
some of your deliver friends could free some of us
Jews from the camps? It would distract the Nazi’s
enough so more could run out, and we could march
down the streets of Germany with loads of weapons.
We can make Hitler an offer to surrender or fight.
Most likely he’ll choose to fight, and there’s millions
of us, and only a few thousand of them.
I hope you would like to do this, but know that it’s
very risky, and if caught you wouldn’t survive. Are
you in? If it’s a yes, I’ll write in Hebrew to those in my
camp so no one else can understand.

Begging you,
Maddie
April 16, 1937
M.M
Camp #21

Maddie,
Of course I’m in. But we have a problem, one of my
friends got discovered giving a letter in Camp #24
and now us delivery girls are allowed into your camp
two days a week. That’s only enough for me to write
you & pick up a letter.
My husband owns a car dealership. He is willing to
donate 34 cars to this cause, and my sister in laws
brother is willing to donate 100. So we have 134 cars
now, we need drivers. Be ready, it’s going to hit on
12:00 A.M on April 28th.
Tell your friends in your camps, to send the
strongest men and women into the cars, and send
one child with every man or women who gets in a
car. The cars are going to be parked sparingly around
the camps. To distract the Nazi’s we will be throwing
smoke bombs at the camps so they believe Germany
is under attack. Once we have some people freed
from each camp, we will all meet at Lee Man’s gun
shop. He has duffle bags of guns and bullets. Each
person will have at least one gun with 10 bullets. We
can do this, I promise. It’s going to be us against
Hitler, and my husband plans on no license plates on
the cars so they can’t track us.
Be ready when we come for you, you will be in my
car with you and whom ever you think would be able
to front in the font line. I have a semi automatic, and
Hitler’s going down, and I want to be the one to do it.
Wait until April 20th to respond. That’s when I’m
allowed to come. I will pick up the letter at 10:15 A.M

P.S, under the door is one hand held.

Use it to blow the locks off of your door.

Nervous.
Maggie

April 20th, 1937

M.M

Maggie!,
Thanks’ so much. The people in my camp are
ready. We have been tortured by Hitler for so long
and can’t wait to get away. Along with getting us to
fight, gather some of the anti-Nazi Non-Jews, have
each one buy a gun. That way, they can start
shooting soldiers while we are escaping. It will be a
diversion.
I can’t wait until it happens. Can you please send
your husband to where my daughter is? I want her to
be with one of us incase her camp is destroyed. How
will I know when you are here so I can shoot my
locks? I guess make a bird call?
Be careful, when you start loading us into cars;
have on all black, and a hat. It will be very hard for
them to spot you. The back fence is always open at
night so go through it; I just hope this works the way
we wanted. I love you so much Maggie, you have
kept me alive in here.

Anxious,
Mattie

April 26, 1937

M.M
Camp #21

Maddie,
This is the last letter I can send you because now
the Nazi’s pick when we come. So you won’t have
time to respond. So her is the plan for operation bye
bye. At 12:00 A.M you will hear a bird call. I will keep
doing the birdcall; you will shoot the locks off of your
door. The shot’s will get the Nazi’s on their foot. I will
throw a few smoke bombs. I will throw you keys to
free a few of the storage rooms. When they free tell
them to go for any car around the camp and get in
and place the child on their lap.
In each car trunk is a duffle bag with weapons in it.
Divide everything up amongst those who are in the
car. I have gathered 300 non-Nazi’s who are planning
on meeting us in front a hotel so they can take down
Hitler. You and your close few will be in my car, and I
already have you daughter. She escaped from the
camp and was about to be murdered, when I lied and
said she was my daughter who ran away. So she is
living with me and will remain in my home until after
the fight.
Just be ready, this is very UN organized, and people
will die. Just be ready for it, I am hoping the Nazi’s
are taking out before we get to them. I will see you
soon, be safe and don’t mess up.

Praying for our lives,

Maggie

Journal Entry # 54
April 28th

Dear journal,
Tonight is the night, in about three hours I will be
fighting against the worst dictator ever known to
man. I will write when & if I return

Journal entry # 55
April 29th, 1937

Dear Journal,
 As you can tell I returned. I did it myself! I shot
Hitler in the back of the head. Three times! I know I
hate violence, but he wouldn’t surrender. We gave
him the option to surrender his life, or to fight. So he
sent his soldiers towards or massive lines of people.
Everyone was firing, the battle lasted through the
night, and on our side we lost 1,000 lives. On his
side, every died with a the exception of 100 Nazi’s
who removed there shirts and hats and joined our
side. Hitler’s ran is finally older, and there is going to
be a law passed so there can be no more dictators.

TO the reader whom completed this book:

It is 2009, and as a result of my Grand mother’s
action, there has never been another concentration
camp, or dictator in history. The holocaust is only
taught in High schools, I only knew my grandmother
for 12 years, and she never told me this story, and
it’s an amazing one. Her name is on a plaque outside
of museum in Germany.