In the other room the trousers of one of the soldiers were unbuttoned so that one could see the body. This man had a cut or stab wound in the lower body about 3 cm. wide. The clothing of the remaining soldiers showed no disarrangement, they all bore shot-wounds.
The scene conveyed the impression that the officer, the non-commissioned officer and the men had been attacked in their sleep by the inhabitants in that quarter. I infer this from the fact that the officer had a sofa-cushion and the others either a cloth or a knapsack under their heads. The rifles stood in a corner.
In the house with Fehrmann and myself was also Pioneer of Reserve Kretzschmann.
By order of the Rifle (Fusilier) Regiment "Prinz Georg" No. 108 there appeared Staff-Surgeon of Reserve Dr. Holey, who, having been warned to speak the whole truth, made the following statement:
As to Person: My name is Franz Alfred Holey. I was born on September 21st, 1878; Protestant; practising physician in civil life, during the war, Staff-surgeon and battalion-surgeon with the 3rd Battalion, Rifle (Fusilier) Regiment No. 108.
As to Case: On August 23rd, as we were proceeding to Dinant, my attention was drawn by Major von der Pforte, a short distance from Dinant, to the body of a German soldier, who had been fastened with wire by the hands and feet to pegs which had been driven into the ground. The body was almost completely carbonised, and to all appearances some highly inflammable liquid had been poured over it. According to the state of the existing lines of demarcation, the man must have been burnt alive. By the remains of the uniform, particularly the buttons, he was plainly to be recognised as a German soldier.
Signed: Dr. HOLEY, Staff-Surgeon of Reserve.
Further remark: The body lay in the neighbourhood of an estate near the marble quarries.
Signed: LOSSOW, Lieutenant and Officer of the Court. Signed: SCHUBERT, Acting-Sergeant-Major and Clerk of the Military Court.
Present: Lieutenant of Reserve DACHSEL, as Officer of the Court. Non-commissioned Officer of Reserve STEIGER, as Clerk of the Court.
LA VILLE-AUX-BOIS, NEAR PONTARVET, _March 6th, 1915_.
By request of the Imperial German Court of Justice of the General Government in Belgium there appeared by order as witness Corporal of Reserve Wahl, who, after the importance of the oath had been pointed out to him, and he had been warned to speak the whole truth, made the following statement: