What at first appeared to be a rumor was bitter truth. The men, Johann Pichler and Josef Wegscheider, two of our brothers, had been executed by a military detachment for refusing military service. But the execution did not proceed as smoothly as the commanders had expected. The two brothers had declared that it was unnecessary to blindfold them, although it was done anyway. Then when the command was given, the soldiers refused to shoot. Not until the soldiers had been warned emphatically that they would face disciplinary measures themselves if they failed to obey, and not until the order had been given a second time, did the soldiers shoot those innocent men. But there is more to it.

During the trial in Salzburg, the judge and his associates had attempted to make the accused change their minds. The judge had called the wives of the men to appear in the courtroom, hoping that their appearance would influence the men to yield. On the contrary, one of the women had spoken words of encouragement to them, saying: “Your lives are in the hand of God.” This had made such a deep impression on the judge that in great agitation he had hammered the table with his fist and shouted: “These people are not criminals or traitors but, rather, a company of believers whose number is not limited to two or three but goes into hundreds and even thousands!” Nevertheless, the law demanded the death sentence.

On the day preceding the execution, Brothers Pichler and Wegscheider had been visited in their cell, and a fresh attempt had been made to get them to change their minds. Asked if they had one last wish, they had expressed the desire to have a Bible. It was brought to them personally by the judge. He watched them in their cell until midnight and then went away remarking: “Both of those men in their last hour were united with their God; they are indeed holy men!”

When the execution was over, the two coffins were released for private burial. Approximately 300 attended the funeral, under strict police surveillance, of course. Singing was prohibited, and the prayer was eventually interrupted by the harsh words of a Gestapo official because he considered it to be too long. The Gestapo had also forbidden use of the name Jehovah. But this did not restrain one brother from calling out as the coffins were lowered: “Till we meet again in Jehovah’s Kingdom!”

[Pictures on page 120]

Josef Wegscheider, left, and Johann Pichler were shot dead, September 26, 1939, near Salzburg