The Kingdom of serbia : report upon the atrocities committed by the Austro-Hungarian Army during the first invasion of Serbia

148 AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN ATROCITIES

late in the evening. He was in company with Dr. B., who slept in the same room with him. Towards midnight a tumult broke out, and somebody broke down the door, shouting: « Here are the Serbs!” But these Serbs were none other than the Austrians themselves. The tumult had been staged in order to permit them to plunder, and by five o'clock next morning practically everything had been sacked. The men got dead drunk with “ Schnaps” in the cellars, and allowed the liquor to run out, so that in some cases the cellar was filled with it.

No. 81, of the 96th Regt., says that when his regiment passed through the villages the houses were deserted. He saw several villages in flames.

No. 82, of the 4th Bosnian Regt. His regiment was accompanied by armed Bosnian peasants. They followed the Army Transport Corps, and accompanied the police in order to “keep an eye” on the Serbs. They wore yellow and black badges on their arms. Witness heard these civilians bring lying reports about the Serbs to the Officer in command, who thereupon had several houses set on fire.

No. 83, Hospital attendant of the 22nd Regiment, states that General Gabriel forbade the burning of houses ; he said that one ought to treat the property of others as though it were one’s own.

No. 84: Before the battle, the Officers of the 25th Hungarian Regiment of Reserve told the men to burn everything. It was principally Major Seifert who gave these instructions.

No. 85, of the 32nd Regt., 14th Coy., 4th Battn., had his left leg amputated. He tells us that in