On 31 July 1947, in Tarnowskie Góry, the Municipal Court in Tarnowskie Góry, Fifth Branch, with Judge T. Konieczko presiding and with the participation of reporter J. Kłodnicka, interviewed the person mentioned hereunder as a witness. Having been advised of the criminal liability for making false declarations and the significance of the oath, the witness was sworn in accordance with the provisions of Articles 111, 113 and 115 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, and testified as follows:
| Name and surname | Bolesław Drabek |
| Date of birth | 22 August 1904 |
| Parents’ names | Teofil and Balbina, née Góralczyk |
| Place of residence | Tarnowskie Góry, Sienkiewicza Street 26 |
| Occupation | social worker |
| Criminal record | none |
| Relationship to the parties | none |
From 11 November 1940 to 4 June 1942, I was a prisoner in the Auschwitz concentration camp, and later in other camps in Germany, until 20 June 1945 [?], that is, until the liberation. I know suspect Karol Herman Jeschke and I recognize him, with absolute certainty, in the photograph included in the files. As a matter of fact, I recognized him in the notice posted on the building of [the Association of] Former Political Prisoners in Katowice, which is why I came forward as a witness.
Jeschke was one of the most dangerous and cruel SS men. He abused and killed countless prisoners, which I personally witnessed. In particular, I can provide the following facts: When I was brought, together with 12 inmates, to Auschwitz on 11 November 1940, Jeschke, who at that time was a Blockführer in the camp, with the help of two other SS men, escorted us to the camp from the station. The distance was about 400 meters. As soon as we passed the first buildings, after we entered the camp premises, he commanded us multiple times to run, get down, crawl and squat jump with hands in the air, performing the so-called frog jumps. In the meantime, Jeschke and two guards under his command were kicking us and beating us with their hands. It was the first time they abused us in the camp. I was also beaten that day by Jaschke and kicked two or three times.
Soon afterwards in block 3, where I stayed, one morning immediately after we woke up, when the Stubendienst [room leader] opened the windows, Jeschke and two other SS men jumped in through the windows, and started kicking and stepping on the prisoners. This lasted a few minutes. In this way, they killed nine prisoners and injured a dozen or so.
What is more, he enjoyed stopping brigades, that is, people coming back from work. He would stand by the entrance gate to the camp and single out prisoners for inspection. If he found something, for example a bread crust, a potato or a cigarette, he beat and kicked the offender horribly.
He would kick so hard that the prisoners almost always fell down with the first strike. When they tried to stand up, Jeschke would kick them again, and eventually he would hit them in the face until they started bleeding. Only then would he stop the beating.
From September 1941, Jeschke was the so-called Arbeitsdienstführer [head of the labor office] in the Buna factory under construction near Auschwitz, although I might have mistaken the date. I also worked on its construction and met Jeschke there, until I was driven out of Auschwitz in the first days of June 1942. Jeschke only watched to see that prisoners didn’t stop working, and to control the passing prisoners, who had to explain why they were passing by. When a prisoner was not able to immediately account for himself, Jeschke would take him to the guards’ room and beat him personally or order others to do it, administering 25 lashes. For beatings they used riding crops, shovel handles, etc. I personally witnessed several dozen such beatings. It happened several times every day.
In winter, we would go to work by car; in summer – by train. We would come back on foot. Regardless of the weather or freezing cold, Jeschke would always order prisoners to sing, which often resulted in throat diseases.
When I was in the Buna factory, 20,000 prisoners worked there. The factory did not constitute a separate camp, but it was a workplace of Auschwitz prisoners. Jeschke supervised the whole factory as the Arbeitsdienstführer. Later, when I was driven out of the camp, Buna was converted into an independent camp.
I remember that when he was Blockführer in Auschwitz, Jeschke killed two prisoners, because they had collected some oats spilled over a damaged barrack. When he saw this, he started kicking them until his shoe broke. Then, he got so angry that he kicked them both to death.
In Auschwitz, I saw him several times set dogs on prisoners and laugh when the animals knocked the prisoners over and bit them.
What is more, he would constantly call prisoners Polish criminals, pigs, and dogs.
From among the inmates, I remember Borkowski from Kraków and Szczeski [?] from Tarnów, whose first names and exact address I do not know, but they could testify about the same circumstances. For the time being, I cannot give any names of other witnesses residing within the district of the court in Tarnowskie Góry.
The report was read out.