On 14 December 1945, in Radom, Kazimierz Borys, Investigating Judge from the Second District of the District Court in Radom, based in Radom, interviewed the person named below as an unsworn witness. Having been advised of the criminal liability for making false declarations, the witness testified as follows:
Name and surname | Stanisław Czaiński |
Age | 55 years old |
Names of parents | Tomasz and Ewa |
Place of residence | Różki, Orońsko commune, Radom district |
Occupation | railway guard |
Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic |
Criminal record | none |
Relationship to the parties | none |
On the day of the execution, carried out in Rożki in October 1942, I don’t remember an exact date, I was on duty in my capacity as a railway guard at the railway station in Rożki. I saw the execution and I remember it in detail. On the morning of that day, a covered truck arrived from the direction of Radom bringing fifteen people, six women and nine men. Every one of them had a subsequent number written on the back in chalk, their hands being tied behind their backs. One by one they stepped onto the railroad ties placed under the gallows built of birch wood. Then hangmen, dressed in civilian clothes, put nooses around their necks and removed the railroad ties from under their feet. One of those who were being hanged shouted before he died: "Long live Poland"!
The bodies of the victims were left hanging from the morning until 5.00 p.m. Then they were taken in a car to a place situated a short distance from the gallows and buried in a mass grave.
In the autumn of the last year the Germans appeared there again. They were busy doing something under the cover of some mats. They were probably burning bodies, as they left the newly dug up soil behind.
There was a noticeboard set up near the gallows, but I don’t remember the information it contained. It was something about Polish bandits.
On the day of the execution the Germans held up the trains passing through the station in Rożki longer than usual, forcing passengers to watch the hanging bodies. Passengers were required to get out of their wagons and read the information posted on the noticeboard near the gallows and the railroad tracks, while at the same time watching the hanging bodies.
I didn’t know any one of the victims.
Having been shown photographs of the people executed on the gallows in Rożki, the witness testified as follows:
In both photographs, marked as "Rożki I" and "Rożki II" respectively, I recognize the gallows used for hanging 15 people in Rożki. One of the photographs was taken against the background of birch woods, from the side of the train station, while the other one was made from the opposite side. I also recognize the people who were hanged, especially the man wearing upper boots who shouted "Long Live Poland!"