LOUVAIN, _December 16th, 1914_.
STATIONSSTRASSE, 118.
Court of the General Belgian Government.
Present:
President, STEMPEL.
Secretary, STEMPER.
There appears on citation as witness Musketeer Robert Dreher, and is
examined as follows:
As to Person: My name is Robert Dreher, aged 23; musketeer, 11th
Company, Infantry Regiment No. 48, at present engaged at the
Commander's office at Louvain.
As to Case: I arrived here on August 20th, and have remained here since
that date. I was in the infantry barracks here, suffering with bad
feet. On the evening of August 25th, at about 9 o'clock, I heard shots
in the street. I therefore marched with several men under the command
of a non-commissioned officer. In the Rue de Tirlemont shots were fired
upon us from right and left of the houses of this street, and, as I
could clearly see in the illuminating flashes of the firing, by people
dressed as civilians. The shots came from the windows and roofs; the
bullets struck the street. It was clear from the sound of the shots
that they did not come from German weapons. We entered the houses from
which the shots had come and brought out five to six civilians, all
of whom still held revolvers in their hands. These persons were later
on shot at the railway station. I did not notice any previous signal
lights; riderless horses galloped past us, as well as baggage-carts
and horses, without drivers. On the morning of August 26th I saw on
the railway-station square many civilians shot, more than 100, among
whom were five clergymen, because they had shot upon German soldiers,
or because arms had been found with them. On August 27th I was in the
town with a comrade. I was shot at, without being injured, from behind
the hedges of a garden. It was in the afternoon; I was unable to see
the person who had fired the shot. On civilians who had been shot we
subsequently found distinguishing marks, from which I conclude that
they were Belgian soldiers.
Read over, approved, signed.
Signed: Musketeer DREHER.
After the importance of the oath had been pointed out to the witness,
he was duly sworn.
Signed: STEMPEL. Signed: STEMPER.