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.