The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-12-14
Heroic 10 I'm Schehr
Taken to Woods
and Shot
BY WERNER HIRsCH

The author of this article, who
was one Of the defense witnesses
in the Reichstag Fire Trial,
tells what happened to him after
he testified, and gives a graphic
description of life" in a German
concentration camp and in Nazi
torture
in GENERAL the conditions of the
1 prisoners in Brandenburg were
very severe. The food was bad.
There was as good as no furniture
in the common living quarters. There
were so few benches that they
hardly suf1ced for a quarter of the
number of prisoners to sit on, so
that even at meal times most of
them had to crouch on the floor.
We were often reused at five
o'clock in the morning without any
logical reason. The using Of the
lavatories was particular difficulty.
In the prison building itself there
were no lavatories and the prison.
ers were only allowed to go out at
definite times, and that very seldom
and only for a very short time.
Kicks, boxes on the ears, orders to
lie down fiat, do knee bending exer-
cises, run around the yard and up
and down the stairs-all this con-
stantly occurred. The Jewish pris-
oners especially were subjected to
the vilest repression. Certain Of the
SIS. men, on duty as corporals, took
particular pleasure in ways and
means Of torturing the prisoners.
AS is the case all over Germany,
and perhaps still more so in Bran
denburg, the prisoners were I'M
scrupulously robbed. The SIS. men
stole watches, money and the
greater number of parcels which
were sent to the prisoners by their
relatives. In most cases, the pris-
oners did not get more than one
tenth of the contents of the par
GELS. The rest went into the cup
boards of the SIS. people. The occa-
sional complaints Of individual pris-
onerS were regularly answered with
the most horrible ill-treatment.
Outrages of a sexual character
often occurred. Downright satanic
conditions prevailed in the so-called
Jewish quarters, where the Russian
white guard, Dimitrieff Gin prelim-
mary imprisonment, with the pro-
lection and the active support of
the SIS. men, subjected the Jewish
prisoners to the vilest Entertainment
and the foulest sexual perversities.
From Brandenburg was brought
to Leipzig as witness during the
Reichstag trial. During my cross
examination there, among other
questions a long political discussion
arose on the question, whether there
existed a revolutionary situation in
Germany and whether the C.P. of
Germany had prepared the uprising.
The general opinion of our COM
rades in Brandenburg was that as
a result of this report and of my
evidence given at the trial, we could
expect inevitable repressions. Due
to the general solidarity, all the
comrades in my section and all over
the camp we're in a state of ner-
vous anticipation as to what the
SIS. men would do to me.
One night, three days after my
return from Leipzig, was suddenly |
called out just as we had already |
lain down to sleep. had to dress |
and pack my things. The general |
mood was such that I had every
reason to expect the usual attempt |
to escape" Thefeore, I was all the
more pleasantly surprised when
during the night, was taken to the
police prison In Alexanderplatz in
Berlin. There were many bugs in
the cell here, but the following night |
out Of reach of the black-shirt |
SIS. butchers-was one of the hap
piest of my life. This prison cell |
seemed almost like a sanatorium
to me in comparison with Brandon
burg. But this dream soon ended. |
The next morning I was taken to
the State Secret Police Court in
Prinz-Albrecht Street. The Com
missioner there explained to me
with sarcastic grin: We're now |
taking you to a place where you |
will be able to think over what you
said about the policy of the German
C.P. during your evidence In Leip- |
zig"
This place was the notorious Co
lumbia House, a former military
prison, now used by the Gestapo |
and the SIS. as a special prison for
political prisoners. One of the %
various prisons through which I
passed during my one and a half |
years preliminary Imprisonment in
Hitler Germany.
When arrived in the prison, I |
did not know where I was. Not
until ten or twelve days later did |
I find out that I was in Columbia |
House when, for the first time, I
had the opportunity of exchanging |
whispered word with another pris- |
oner whom I knew. My door had |
the notice on it. ut is forbidden |
to leave the CELL" The result of this
was that only once, during Christ
mas, was allowed to participate
in a so-called bear dance"-in its |
way free hour in the yard.
In the cell, where there was
nothing but q straw sack, board, |