Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-05-20

advertisements and urge our clients
to keep their money for better days!"
Secret Distribution.
It was also suggested that as wide
a distribution as possible be given to
the paper. Van Doren and his wife
wrapped each number in paper, and
friends, of senators and deputies, and
others who in turn distributed the
paper all over the country. The coun-
sci to distribute 1t as widely as pos
sible was not necessary. Everybody
whispered to everybody else: Have
you seen La I.ibre BelgiqueT And IL
you had not and could be absolutely
trusted, forthwith a copy was produced
from an inside pocket. The numbers
followed one another in quick success
sion, at first twice a week, and ulti-
mately as many as 10000 copies per
issue were printed. This Is extraor-
dinary when one considers the dangers
step in the process: The gathering Of
and difficulties that attended every
the copy, the delivery Of the copy, the
change from one printer to another,
the finding Of the paper, the printing
and the distributing. But we antic-
pate: let us see what few Of these
dangers and difficulties were.
Mr.. Jourdain moved his ONCE into
a house, back room on the second
floor, room that was nicknamed
the "Konspirateur." An electric bell
was ready to announce the advent Of
an enemy. The editor wrote on very
thin paper. Each article, as finished,
he rolled tightly and placed into one
or two holes bored down into door
(from the top) that led into another
room. Here the printer, approaching
from the other side, found the manu-
script, without having any commune
cation with the editor. Later, slits
were made In the back Of shelves for
the same purpose. Van Doren put
the copy in the followed cane which
he always carried and marched OF
toward home. There he typed out
clearly the manuscript, being careful
to remove the ribbon. The papers as
they came from the printer, wrapped
up by van Doren and his wife, were
Let down the chimney at night by
cord. Every precaution had to be
taken against surprise. p
The Hidden Press.
The greatest difficulty, however, and
the greatest danger was In the print
ing. 1t would have been possible for
the Germans to discover any regular
press by means of the type. Van Dor
en-, therefore, determined. to set up his
own press and be his own printer. He
first, in an abandoned house, IL Avenue
Verte, merely did the composition,
helped by the two brothers Alaer, but
later, April, 1915, installed q foot press
In an unused portion of his cardboard
factory, Rue Van der Stichelin- Mr..
Jourdain supplied the funds. Still lat
er he bought the power press Of the
brothers Allaer and had It transferred
in small parcels Of his cardboard fac
tory.
Mr.. van Doren describes the places
as follows: my workshop lent itself
marvelously well to establishment Of
a clandestine press. At one end Of
the shop there was a small triangle,
four meters by two, that butted on to
my neighbor. It was there. I set up
my new machine, Immediately under
the gas motor on the ground floor.
One wormed ones way down into this
cave by a small trapdoor, which was
closed on entering. But my neighbor
was German, and at all costs he must
not hear the noise Of the motor.
therefore placed thick mattresses
against the parti-wall. The next thing
was to wall in the press. I bought
trowel, a hammer and mortarboard
and set to work. In order not to at
tract the attention Of my netShbor, l
introduced bricks and cement In very
small quantities. Opposite my shop
lived another German; an officer, and
had to proceed with extreme pru-
dence. It took me three weeks to dn-
ish the wall, but it was solid, and 1t
was with difficulty that the Germans
later demolished 1t. Over the trap
door were scattered old pieces Of iron,
cardboard, etc., and it was impossible
to imagine that anything was there
concealed. It was also almost i'm
possible for the three Of us to work In
such small place"
When the press was working, the
betting came from the motor through
two narrow slits in the floor. When
the betting was withdrawn, the Sits,
underneath, were covered by a piece
of cardboard on which was inscribed:
"Honneur aux soldats belges!"