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

MASSACRES OF CIVILIANS 55

killed and three or four wounded. Among the killed were old men, young boys and seven old women. Besides this, three or four persons were carried off and have not yet returned. Three of the persons massacred were more than 80 years of age. The greater number were bayoneted to death. The Austrians committed these murders on their return from the Tzer. The detachment spoke German, but the Mayor believes the soldiers were Hungarians. These cruelties were committed for no reason at all. Not a soul in the village had fired a shot.

Yanko Boshkovitch, of Ribare, aged 65. Boshkovitch has two wounds in his chest and three in his right arm. The wounds are obviously caused by bayonet-thrusts. When the Austrians came they called him and led him into the yard, where there were already two other men, Zkivan and Ostoia Maletitch, aged 65 and 55 respectively. In the yard the soldiers bayoneted the two Maletitch to death and wounded Boshkovitch, who fell and feigned to be dead. He owed his life entirely to this ruse. There were dead bodies all round. A little later another detachment passed, which appeared to be Czech, and committed no atrocities. The soldiers who perpetrated the massacres understood no Serbian. They never touched water without having previously made the Serb peasants drink of it. (I verified the scars of the wounds on Boshkovitch.)

Mileva Presitch, of Ribare, aged 16. The Austrians carried off her grandfather, Yovan Presitch, who was over 60 years of age, and killed him at Prnjavor. Pavle Peritch, aged 50, was likewise