Koprzywnica, 17 September 1948, 5.30 p.m. I, Corporal Jan Maj from the Citizens’ Militia Station in Koprzywnica, acting pursuant to the instructions by the Vice-Prosecutor of the District Court Prosecutor’s Office, issued based on Article 20 of the provisions introducing the Code of Criminal Procedure, Article 257 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, due to the unavailability of a judge in the township, in consequence whereof any delay could result in the disappearance of traces or evidence of a crime, which traces or evidence might cease to exist before the arrival of a judge, observing the formal requirements set forward in Articles 235–240, 258 and 259 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, with the participation of reporter Czesław Zieliński who was advised of the obligation to confirm with his signature the consistency of the report with the course of the proceedings, interviewed the person mentioned hereunder as a witness. Having been advised of the significance of the oath, of the right to refuse testimony for the reasons stated in Article 104 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, and of the liability for making false declarations pursuant to Article 140 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the witness was sworn in as required and declared as follows:
| Name and surname | Jan Bernaś |
| Parents’ names | Wojciech and Urszula |
| Age | 25 years old |
| Date and place of birth | 1923, Świniary Stare |
| Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Occupation | laborer |
| Place of residence | Świniary Stare, Łoniów Commune |
| Relationship to the parties | none |
As regards the present case, I am aware of the following facts: I do not remember the exact date, but it was in July 1944 when I went to the house of Jan Gach to smoke a cigarette. In the meantime, while we were smoking, we noticed some Germans coming in our direction. We started escaping and the Germans were shooting at us. While we were escaping, Jan Gach fell over, but I passed by him and continued running. The Germans were still chasing me and shooting. After some time, the Germans turned around and went to Jan Gach, while I escaped to the village of Beszyce. I saw fire, but I did not know what was happening; I was scared and tired. Later on, my wife’s sister came to me and told me the Germans had left and Jan Gach had been killed. When I returned home, Gach had already been buried.
At this point, the report was concluded, read out, and signed.