Signed: Lüdke, Major and Commander, 2nd Train Section,
X. Army Corps.
App. 45.
Military Court Examination of 1st Lieutenant Müller, Lieutenant Schröder, and Gunner Huismann, all of the 5th Artillery Munitions Column, X. Army Corps.
Present:
Lieutenant Maack, Officer of the Court.
Non-commissioned Officer, Schütte, Secretary.
Avaux, November 20th, 1914.
With respect to the incidents which occurred during the surprise attack at Acoz, the under-mentioned witnesses, after the importance and sanctity of the oath had been pointed out, were examined as follows:
1. 1st Lieutenant Müller.
As to Person: My name is Richard Müller. I am 36 years of age; Protestant; brewery director in Hanover; 1st Lieutenant and Leader of the 5th Artillery Munitions Column, X. Army Corps.
As to Case: Towards 10 p.m. on August 24th, 1914, I was marching with my column through the village of Acoz. I allowed my men to dismount here, because in front of me the 3rd Foot Artillery Munitions Column, X. Army Corps, were watering their horses. At the moment when I gave my men the order to mount again, the column was assailed by a vigorous fire from the houses of the village. In my opinion some 30 to 40 shots were fired at once. They were firing from shot-guns, for I could hear from the sound of these shots that they were using small shot. As a number of horses fell headlong, and various men were also wounded, I endeavoured for the moment to get the column again on the march. Meanwhile, with a detachment of about twenty men, who had come to help from the neighbourhood of the wireless station, I had the village searched.
During the search of the village three persons were seized who had been found in the priest's house, two of them indeed hidden in the loft. In examining these persons I found on one of them called Boucher, or some name like this, four discharged cartridges. According to the reports of the soldiers, the priest, who was found amongst the captured men, strenuously denied that any people were with him in the house; he had also by gestures offered the search-party money and drink to keep them back from searching his house. He had also for the moment refused them entrance into his house by pointing to a red cross which he carried on his arm. None of these three persons denied their participation in the attack. Some hours later there was found on the priest an invoice for the receipt of an English revolver. These men were subsequently shot.