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.
D. App. 6.