In Pogłodów on this day, 9 January 1948, at 10.00 a.m., I, Władysław Fituch from the Criminal Investigation Section of the District Citizens’ Militia Station in Kielce, acting on the basis of the following: Article 20 of the provisions introducing the Code of Criminal Procedure and Article 257 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, due to the unavailability of a judge in the township, in consequence whereof any delay could result in the disappearance of traces or evidence of a crime, which traces or evidence would cease to exist before the arrival of a judge, observing the formal requirements set forward in Articles 235–240, 258 and 259 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, with the participation of reporter Władysław Sieczka, whom I informed of his obligation to attest to the conformity of the report with the actual course of the procedure by his own signature, have heard the person named below as a witness. The witness, having been advised of the importance of the oath, swore the requisite oath, and was also notified of the right to refuse testimony for the reasons set forward in Article 104 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, and of the criminal liability for making false declarations, this pursuant to the provisions of Article 140 of the Penal Code, thereupon stating:
Name and surname | Franciszka Bednarczyk |
Parents’ names | Jan and Józefa, née Żernik |
Date and place of birth | 25 February 1903, Mniów, commune of Mniów, district of Kielce |
Religion | Roman Catholic |
Occupation | housewife |
Place of residence | Pogłodów, commune of Mniów, district of Kielce |
Relationship to the parties | none |
As regards the present case, I | am aware of the following facts: On 14 June 1943 in village |
of Pogłodów the German Gestapo arrested Anna Bednarczyk and her children – Czesław, Emilia, Mieczysław and Bogumił. The following were also detained: Helena Bartosik, a servant girl working for the Bednarczyk family, Stanisława Szostak together with her son Marian, Agnieszka Szostak, the mother-in-law of Stanisław, Marian, I do not know his surname, also a servant girl working for the Szostak family, Stanisław Janus, Agnieszka, Stanisław’s wife, Helena, their daughter, Genowefa Brzelska, the daughter-in-law, Stefan and Czesław Brzelski, the sons of Genowefa Brzelska, and Bartosik, a servant girl working for the Brzelski family. They herded them all into Anna Bednarczyk’s barn and set it alight; they all burned to death. I do not know who – if anybody – turned them in. The bodies of the victims were buried at the spot where they died, and continue to lie there.
I have recounted all that I know and signed the present document after it was read out.