Court of the Commandant.

Present:
President, Dr. Steengrafe.
Secretary, Koch.

There appeared the merchant Gruner as witness, and, after the importance of the oath had been pointed out to him, he was examined as follows:

As to Person: My name is Richard Gruner, aged 23; Protestant; merchant in Hamburg.

As to Case: After mobilisation I offered my services voluntarily and went into the field as a motor driver on the staff of the IX. Reserve Army Corps. On the evening of August 25th, 1914, we arrived at Louvain. As a sortie had been announced from Antwerp, the German troops were taken from Louvain and, as I assume, employed in the attack. The baggage, including the motors, stopped in the square in the immediate vicinity of the Hôtel Métropole. At the command of Captain von Esmarch, I followed the troops who were marching off and brought back one company for the protection of the staff, which was then drawn up in the place mentioned above. At about 9 o'clock p.m. I saw a green rocket ascend over the town. At the same moment commenced the firing upon us from the houses surrounding the place. I also heard the regular "tak, tak" of machine-guns. The German soldiers fired again and succeeded in beating down the hostile fire; the houses from which firing had taken place were set alight. I had the impression that the proceedings had been systematically prepared. Up till then we had been treated by the inhabitants with the greatest kindness and amiability.

After the attack in the centre of the town had been dealt with, the troops in the interior of the town were conducted to the station. Until then I had not seen any sign of interference on the part of the Belgian clergy. On the way to the station I saw a man in clerical garb, with unmistakable clerical physiognomy and a broad-brimmed hat with two tassels, directing our troops to a certain road. I myself drove along another road, following some cars before me. Subsequently I heard that the troops who had followed the directions of the clergyman reached a cul-de-sac, and were there exposed to fire from the houses.

When I arrived at the station I heard that here, too, an attack had been made upon the German soldiers by the civilian population from the surrounding houses, and had been defeated; in the station square and throughout the town houses were burning. All citizens taken were conducted to the station square, examined, and, if their guilt was ascertained, shot according to martial law. I myself acted as interpreter during part of the examinations. The examinations continued through the night until the following morning. The number of persons shot by court-martial may have been eighty to a hundred; among them may have been ten to fifteen clergymen. This number is exclusive of one man in unmistakable clerical garb, because beneath his clerical garb he wore civilian dress. Among the clergymen shot was the one I mentioned previously, and of this I am quite sure. He was pointed out by soldiers as the one who had directed them and their comrades into the cul-de-sac; he, too, was shot. I interpreted during the examination of two further clergymen. On one of them a revolver was found that still contained four cartridges, and one had been discharged; he, too, was shot. It had, moreover, been announced previously that every inhabitant on whom arms were found would be shot. I cannot now say what was furthermore ascertained in relation to this clergyman; but no one was shot whose participation in the attacks upon the German troops was not determined beyond doubt by at least two witnesses, or on whom arms were not found. Those brought up for examination must have rendered themselves suspect in some way, otherwise they would not have been examined at all.

During the night isolated attacks upon German troops took place, also during the day.

During the examinations many of the Belgians related that their behaviour towards the Germans had been represented to them by the authorities, also by the preachers, as a matter of faith. When we fetched the wounded in automobiles during the night we were fired at, and also from a convent.

Read over, approved, signed.