App. 63.
Military Court Examination of Landwehr soldier Alwin Chaton, Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 78.
Braunschweid, October 31st, 1914.
(The Hospital "Konzerthaus.")
Gericht der stellvertretenden XL. Brigade.
Present:
President of the Court, Dr. Behme.
Secretary, de Boer.
There appeared to-day as witness the Landwehr soldier Alwin Chaton, 5th Company, Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 78, who made the following statement:
My name is Alwin Chaton. I am 32 years old; Protestant; book-keeper at Emmerstadt, near Helmstadt.
During the street-fighting in Charleroi, in the course of the fight we passed the main street and reached a side-street leading from the main street. When I had come to the street corner and fired down the side-street, I saw some 50 to 60 paces in front of me a German dragoon lying in the street. Three civilians were near him, one of whom was bending over the soldier, who was still kicking with his legs. I fired among them and hit the last of the three civilians; the others ran away. On coming nearer I saw that the civilian I had shot had a long bloodstained knife in his hand. The right eye of the German dragoon had been cut out, and the left one as well, though this was still hanging from the side of his head. From the nature of the wounds there could be no doubt that the eyes had been cut out, not in the fighting, but by sheer malice. A great deal of smoke came from the body of the dragoon. He had no doubt been soaked in inflammable liquid and set alight.
Later on I saw other bodies burning, though there was no sort of fire in the vicinity; these also must have been set alight.
Read over, approved, signed.