Court of the Government-General at Brussels.
Present:
Dr. IVERS, Judge of Military Law.
Secretary, RAMBEAU.
LOUVAIN, _September 17th, 1914_.
Station Buildings.
Sergeant-Major Schmiele, 1st Company, 2nd Mobile Landsturm Infantry
Battalion Neuss, made the following statement:
As to Person: My name is Arnold Schmiele, born on May 5th, 1882, at
Berlin; Protestant.
As to Case: I am Sergeant-Major, 1st Company, 2nd Mobile Landsturm
Infantry Battalion Neuss, and am under the immediate command of 1st
Lieutenant v. Sandt.
When I had heard the first two or three shots of the inhabitants from
the houses opposite the station--it was about 8 o'clock p.m., shortly
after dark--I noticed coming in a south-westerly direction a swarm of
small bluish balls of light that descended on us without making any
noise and were then extinguished. I immediately drew the attention of
the soldiers near me to this; five to six soldiers had, so they told
me, made the same observation as I had done. In my opinion, this rocket
was to be the sign for the inhabitants to begin firing at once upon the
German soldiers; in any case, it is certain that immediately after the
appearance of the rocket in the sky, the inhabitants fired from their
houses. I saw that we German soldiers were fired on from two houses in
the station square directly from the roof and from the attic windows.
I can swear according to the truth that in the station square where
my company lay, the inhabitants were the first to fire on us from the
houses, and that it was only then, after the Belgians had commenced
the firing, that we Germans fired on the houses in the station square.
Read over, approved, signed.
Signed: ARNOLD SCHMIELE.
The witness was then sworn.
Signed: Dr. IVERS. Signed: RAMBEAU.