The thirteenth day of trial, 8 December 1947
Presiding Judge: The Tribunal calls the next witness, Jerzy Wołąsewicz.
(Witness Jerzy Wołąsewicz stands up.)
Presiding Judge: Will the witness please state his personal data?
Witness: Jerzy Wołąsewicz, 31 years old, clerk, Roman Catholic, no relationship to the defendants.
Presiding Judge: I advise the witness to speak the truth in accordance with Article 107 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Making false declarations is punishable with a prison term of up to five years. Do the parties wish to submit any requests regarding the mode of hearing of the witness?
Prosecution: No.
Defense: No.
Presiding Judge: Therefore, the witness shall testify without taking the oath. During the investigation, the witness testified about defendant Schumacher. Will the witness please say what he knows about him? Will defendant Schumacher please stand up? Is that him?
Witness: Yes, I am completely sure that is him.
Presiding Judge: What exactly can the witness say about him?
Witness: Defendant Schumacher worked in the food warehouse. One of his tasks was to unload bread and all other food items. Bread crumbs were scattered everywhere, so hungry prisoners were always trying to collect them. Defendant Schumacher, who knew what they were up to, would lurk for the prisoners to catch and kill them. He also often searched the blocks, because he accused prisoners who worked for him of stealing. Also sausages were made for the prisoners, but SS men took those supplies for themselves. High-ranking officers in the camp, for example Aumeier or others, often received those sausages as a gift.
Presiding Judge: What can the witness say regarding Schumacher’s behavior towards prisoners?
Witness: I saw him many times, because I worked in the kitchen and the food warehouse was adjacent to our building.
Presiding Judge: What exactly did the witness see? Did he kick or beat anyone? What did he use for beating? Will the witness please provide us with some details?
Witness: He often used a rubber hose, a stick or a broom, whatever was lying around.
Presiding Judge: Why did he do that?
Witness: I did not understand it, because breadcrumbs were useless anyway, so it was probably done out of malice.
Presiding Judge: For no reason?
Witness: The reason was that people collected breadcrumbs.
Presiding Judge: Did he beat prisoners severely?
Witness: When prisoners fell down, Schumacher took advantage of the fact that they couldn’t run away and he kicked them.
Prosecutor Brandys: If I understand correctly, Schumacher took the food items that were intended for the prisoners, like sausages and others, and gave them to his friends and other SS men.
Witness: Not the sausages, but meat intended for the prisoners’ soup.
Prosecutor: So he took the items intended for meals for the prisoners?
Witness: Yes, he did.
Prosecutor: Thank you.
Witness: He used the prison supplies intended for meals and gave them to SS men.
Presiding Judge: Are there any questions?
Prosecution: No.
Defense: No.
Presiding Judge: The witness is excused.