Testimony given by eyewitnesses today at the trial of the two Nazi hangmen, Martin Weiss and August Hering–charged with ordering and carrying out the annihilation of tens of thousands of Jews in Vilna during the German occupation of the Baltic countries and the Soviet Union–established that Weiss was responsible for the killing of 30,000 Jews and 300 Catholic priests.
One of the witnesses testified that Weiss selected 200 Jews for execution, but told the victims that he would let them live provided each of them paid him 10,000 rubles. After receiving the money, Weiss rescinded the execution order for one day, but returned the next day with 30 policemen and shot the 200 Jews.
A Jewish woman testifying today against Hering told the jury that her own boy was shot by Hering before her eyes. Other witnesses accused Hering of personally killing Jews in a brutal manner.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
