Court of the Government-General at Brussels.
Present:
Dr. IVERS, Judge of Military Law.
Secretary, RAMBEAU.
LOUVAIN, _September 23rd, 1914_.
Judge of Military Law Grebin declared as follows:
As to Person: My name is John Grebin, born at Halle a.S. on May 30th,
1867; Protestant; President of the Court of Justice at Aschersleben.
The witness was informed that the Governor-General, Field-Marshal
General Baron von der Goltz, had arranged judicial proceedings for the
purpose of ascertaining whether any German military persons, and, if
so, which, were guilty and deserving of punishment; he then made the
following statement:
As to Case: I am President of the Military Court of Justice, Mobile
Supply Commando No. 15, and since Sunday, August 23rd, 1914, I have
been at Louvain. On Tuesday, August 25th, at about 7 o'clock p.m., I
was having supper with Major Manteuffel, Captain v. Westhofen, and
1st Lieutenant Winkler, at the Hôtel "Métropole de Suède," Rue Vital
Decoster. Suddenly a gendarme came and reported to Major v. Manteuffel
that the alarm had been raised. Major v. Manteuffel immediately set
out, whilst we others remained a few minutes longer, and then followed
the Major. We then left the hotel and went to the Rue de la Station
on our way to the town hall. On the way there I stopped twice for a
short time, addressing a German company marching through the Rue de
la Station from the direction of the market-place to the station, and
immediately afterwards speaking to an officer who sat in a motor-car.
When I entered the market-place I heard suddenly violent firing to the
right of me, in a street leading to the market-place at the corner of
the Rue de la Station. To judge from the sound, the firing did not come
from German military rifles. As I advanced a few more steps towards the
town hall, violent firing could be heard in the market-place, which,
to judge from the direction of sound, came from the houses. As I could
not proceed and could not remain without cover in the market-place, I
sought cover between the baggage-carts standing on the left of me in
the market-square. While I stood there, a bullet fell a few steps away
from me upon the pavement, and I could clearly see the sparks flying
up. When after a time the firing ceased, I went to the town hall, where
I remained until the morning.
Read over, approved, signed.
Signed: JOHANNES GREBIN.
The witness was then sworn.
Signed: Dr. IVERS. Signed: RAMBEAU.