As I left the burning house several civilians, amongst them a young priest, were arrested in the neighbouring houses. I had them taken to the market-place, where in the meantime my troop of Field Cavalry Police had assembled. I then ordered the columns to march out of the town, and took over the command of all the prisoners, but released the women, boys, and girls.
I received from a staff officer (divisional commander of Artillery Regiment No. 17) the order to shoot all the captured men. Then I gave orders to a part of my police force to conduct the columns out of the town, whilst the others were told to escort the prisoners and take them away. At the exit of the town a house was burning, and by its light I saw the guilty men, 88 in number, shot, but not before I had taken away three cripples from among them.
Later on I met a second batch of prisoners. I picked out the most intelligent looking, and told him all the prisoners would be shot, but that I would save his life if he told me the truth concerning the organisation of the attack. For I looked upon the whole affair as such. This man, who spoke German and was a teacher at a college in Aerschot, confessed to its having been a great mistake of the people of Aerschot to have sheltered some fugitive Belgian soldiers, and to have hidden them and clothed them in civilian garments. These had joined the Garde Civique, and they had then organised an attack.
If I consider all the circumstances of the strange and remarkable behaviour of the Mayor, his brother, and other citizens with whom I came into contact, then I have no doubt that a great part of the civil population were all agreed in carrying out their hostile intentions.
Signed: Karge, Captain of Cavalry.
A. App. 4.
Present:
President of the Military Court, Jüngst.
Secretary to the Court, Appel.
Gnesen, November 29th, 1914.
At the investigation concerning the events of the night between August 19th and 20th, 1914, at Aerschot, Captain Schleusener of the 49th Infantry Regiment, at present in Gnesen, appeared as witness, and after his attention had been called to the importance of the oath, was examined as follows:
My name is Georg Schleusener, Captain and Company Commander, 6th Pomeranian Infantry Regiment No. 49, machine-gun section. I am 35 years of age, Protestant, and I live in Gnesen.