"his greatest joy in life," confessed bohdan podoski after matuszewski's death, "was his only daughter, ewa. he once gave her that which he valued the most: the cross of virtuti militari once awarded to his great-grandfather, as well as a similar order that was his own. the young girl died in the warsaw uprising, shot as she was treating wounded soldiers of the home army. she was captured by the germans, whom she did not fear, while performing her duties as a paramedic in the "baszta" insurgent company to the very end. according to the german narration, ewa matuszewska was executed on september 26, 1944, in the vicinity of aleja niepodległości (independence avenue) in warsaw for the 'crime' of helping 'lawless individuals'."