JACENTY STĄPOR

Kielce, 27 February 1948, 1.30 p.m. Stanisław Kostera from the Criminal Investigation Section of the Citizens’ Militia Station in Kielce, on the instruction of the Prosecutor from the District Court in Kielce, with the participation of court reporter Marian Poniewierka from the Criminal Investigation Section, heard the person named below as a witness. Having been advised of the criminal liability for making false declarations and of the wording of Article 140 of the Penal Code, the witness testified as follows:


Name and surname Jacenty Stąpor
Parents’ names Franciszek and Maria, née Kamińska
Age 71 years old
Place of birth Niestachów, Kielce district
Religious affiliation Roman Catholic
Occupation farmer
Place of residence Kielce, Wojska Polskiego Street 49

In June 1942, I was imprisoned in "Hasag-Granat" camp at Młynarska Street. I remained in the camp until 9 March 1943. I know that the camp had been established a year before I arrived. The camp was closed on 12 March 1943. Until 1942, there were Jewish prisoners in that camp, but in the middle of 1942 the Jews were deported in an unknown direction and replaced by Poles. At the end of 1942, some 500 Jews were brought in from the Ghetto, but they were kept separately. There were no foreigners in the camp.

On average, there were some 50 prisoners (Poles only), and as for the Jews who were kept separately, there were about 500 of them until the liquidation of the camp.

During its period of operation, about 1,000 Poles passed through the camp, but no more Jews were brought there. Instead, their number decreased day by day. Upon liquidation of the above-mentioned camp, the Poles had already left. I don’t know what happened to the Jews.

Polish prisoners worked really hard in the camp, they carried out drainage works when a swimming pool for the Director was being constructed. They unloaded steel from railway cars and performed many other tasks. The Jews did the same work as the Poles. The prisoners were fed very poorly. The food was prepared from rancid flour and was, in effect, inedible. All of it was given to pigs, as there were about 60 of them all the time.

There was no infirmary in the camp, and medical assistance was provided by a female medic. If someone fell seriously ill, he would be send to the infirmary situated in the prison. As to the death rate in the camp: none of the Poles died, but a few Jews were shot dead by the Germans. When a German showed up drunk and didn’t like something about someone, he would shoot that person. There were no executions in the camp. The shot Jews were transported out of the camp, but I don’t know where they were buried.

There was no crematorium in the camp.

I don’t know anything about any surviving material evidence.

As for the prisoners in the camp, I recall the following:

1) Szaliński (I don’t remember his name)

2) Two Włodarczyks from Pakosz

3) Śmiglerski, residing in Zagórze.

The camp commandant was Master Sergeant Benner, a German, but I hold no grudge against him.

The camp director was Slicht (a Gestapo men), who owned a large estate in Germany. He was extremely vindictive; he would beat and kick anyone he came across, Germans included. I would like to add that to supervise the factory workers, Slicht delegated one Karwat, residing in Kielce at Zagórska Street 105. He would toady up to the Germans and take revenge on the prisoners, both Poles and the Jews. He would beat them for the slightest offence and toady up to Slicht, at whose estate in Germany he had worked as a free person before 1939.

At this point the report was concluded, read out and signed.