19 Dec. 45
6 meters from the line. When Kantschuster
noticed it, he fired two shots at the fugitive from a distance of
about 8 meters; whereupon Strauss collapsed dead.
"On the same day, May 24, 1933, a judicial inspection of the
locality took place. The corpse of Strauss was lying at the edge of
the wood. Leather slippers were on his feet. He wore a sock on one
foot, while the other foot was bare, obviously because of an injury to
this foot. Subsequently an autopsy was performed. Two bullets had
entered the back of the head. Besides, the body showed several black
and blue spots and also open wounds."
Skipping now to the last paragraph of the report:
"I have charged Kantschuster today
with murder and have made application for the opening and execution of
a judicial preliminary investigation as well as for the issuance of a
warrant of arrest against him."
That is the first of the four reports. The significance is that you
have, one after the other, murders committed within a short space of
time. And, in each instance, an official report by the camp commander or
the guard as to the cause of death which was completely disproved by the
facts.
The second report, a report dated 1 June 1933, relates to the death of
Leonhard Hausmann, another prisoner in Dachau. It is our Document 642-PS
and I offer it in evidence as Exhibit Number USA-451.
THE PRESIDENT: I don't think you need read the details.
MAJOR FARR: I will offer it without reading it.
The third report which I shall offer is dated 22 May 1933. It relates
to the death of Louis Schloss, an inmate of Dachau, and is our Document
644-PS. I offer it in evidence as Exhibit Number USA-452.
The fourth document, our Number 645-PS, dated 1 June 1933, relates to
the death of Sebastian Nefzger, another Dachau prisoner. I offer this in
evidence as Exhibit Number USA-453.
These four murders committed within the short space of 2 weeks in the
spring of 1933, each by different SS guards, are but a few examples of
SS activities in the camps at that very early date. Many similar
examples from that period and later periods could be produced.
Indeed, that sort of thing was officially encouraged. I call the
Tribunal's attention to the disciplinary Regulation for the Dachau
Concentration Camp, our Document 778-PS, which has already been
introduced in evidence as Exhibit Number USA-247. I want to