The twelfth day of the trial
The Chairman: Please send the next witness in. Franciszek Łojas.
(The witness Franciszek Łojas takes the stand.)
The Chairman: Please give us your personal information.
The witness: Franciszek Łojas, 50 years of age, IRS officer, Roman Catholic, no relationship to the parties.
The Chairman: I am instructing you that under Article 107 of the Code of the Criminal Procedure, you are obliged to tell the truth and that making false declarations is punishable by a custodial sentence of up to five years. Do the parties wish to file any motions regarding the way in which to hear the witness?
Prosecutors: No.
Defense attorneys: No.
The Chairman: In that case, the witness will testify without swearing an oath. The witness has been summoned to provide information concerning Schumacher. What can you tell us about him?
Witness: I met the defendant Schumacher when he served as my superior in the potato kommando in 1943. Our task was to load potatoes onto carriages while Schumacher was supposed to supervise our work. He was very cruel toward prisoners, often beating them to unconsciousness. In 1944, I was put to work delivering potatoes to the kitchen and storing them in what was known as the potato bunker. Later, I served as a writer and, consequently, I was among those who worked very closely with him. Cars arrived every day, from 15 to 28 in number, each of them carrying five ton loads. At that time the defendant spent every day with kommando 24. The kommando was busy transporting Hungarian Jews. I heard conversations held by Schumacher’s deputies who said that because of his strength he assisted in throwing the Jews out of the train.
I could picture the way in which this operation was carried out because I had already seen how the Jews were unloaded when I was on my errand to Rajsko to get potatoes. I saw the horrible, inhumane behavior of those who were there, including Aumeier whom I recognize here and whom I also saw participating in the segregation of Jews. During the segregation, the women were taken to the left and the men to the right. Children chose which side to go to – to mother or to father.
The Chairman: Have you finished your testimony regarding Schumacher?
The witness: I saw Schumacher handling transports that didn’t pull over to the railway ramp but were directed to a special sidetrack. He was involved in marching Jews.
The Chairman: Are there any questions?
Prosecutor Brandys: Have you heard that Schumacher didn’t allow prisoners to collect crumbs and beat those who did this?
The witness: Bread was brought to the front of block 25 because there was a storeroom. There were bread crumbs left, but Schumacher didn’t allow hungry prisoners to pick them up. Those who tried were beaten.
The Chairman: The witness is free to go.