Present:
President, Dr. VAN GEMBER.
Secretary, LEMPFRID.
WESEL, _January 8th, 1915_.
There appeared as a witness Musketeer Schmidt, who, after the
importance of the oath had been pointed out to him, was examined as
follows:
As to Person: My name is Alfred Schmidt, aged 32; Protestant; butcher;
musketeer, 9th Company, Landwehr Infantry Regiment No. 53.
As to Case: With regard to participation of civilians in the battle I
know the following: I was attached to the Staff of the 2nd Battalion,
Landwehr Regiment No. 53, as a butcher. On August 25th we had arrived
at Louvain in the afternoon about 5 o'clock. At first we could not go
to our quarters. In the evening at 9 o'clock I was near the baggage.
A lieutenant, who was leader of the baggage, called us together and
explained to us that we were to keep our eyes open, because things did
not seem quite safe. We had hardly returned to our baggage, which stood
in a somewhat narrow turning in the market, when I heard a loud shot.
This was evidently not a rifle-shot, but rather a shot from a small
gun, and evidently a signal; for its sound had hardly died away when we
were fired on from all sides from the houses. The shots came from the
cellars and from all floors; it was real rapid fire. The horses having
shied and the carts having become interlocked, as I stood between two
carts, I could not at first get out. After about five minutes I got
free, looked about for my comrades, and could see none. I therefore ran
to the market, but was fired at there too, also in two side-streets
into which I wished to turn. At a third street I finally succeeded
in finding cover inside a new building. After a time a few comrades
assembled there. We then determined to advance together towards the
gun-fire which we heard in the distance. Coming through a street in
which firing went on continually, I stepped on an iron grate with
which cellar holes are covered in Louvain; I fell through, fell on my
arm, and broke my wrist. Immediately behind me two other comrades fell
into the cellar. We had hardly fallen on the floor when we were fired
at from the interior of the cellar. After some time a sergeant-major
of artillery came who had evidently seen us fall down, and he asked
from the road whether we were Germans. I then stepped up to the cellar
opening, and was pulled up by him by my uninjured hand. The other two
could not rise. I told this to the sergeant-major, who then said that
help was coming immediately. I was taken to a barrack and bandaged.
I cannot say from own knowledge what happened to my comrades who had
fallen in with me. On the following day, however, I was told at our
quarters that they had been severely wounded.
On August 26th, at about 1 o'clock in the afternoon, we were to be sent
off by rail. The signal for starting had already been given when the
train was heavily fired at from the houses near the station. One could
hear the rattling of the bullets. Everybody who could do so had to
load. Not till half an hour later were we able to proceed, the firing
lasted so long. The train was only a hospital train, and was marked as
such with the red cross.
Read over, approved, signed.
Signed: SCHMIDT.
The witness was sworn.
Signed: Dr. VAN GEMBER.
Signed: LEMPFRID.