Evening journal., 1919-01-03
Secret of Mystery Paper
of Belgium is Revealed

BRUSSELS, Dec. i0.-By Mail)-With
the coming OF liberty to Belgium, La
Libre Belglque has departed, and The
Patriot has reappeared. II is now pos
sible TO tell that the most remarkable
of wartime newspapers, la Libre Bel
gique. which successfully defled Ger
man eorts 10 suppress it for years,
was The Patriot. a established
Catholic weekly, in disguise. Victor
Jourdsin. aged editor OF the Patriot,
likewise edited the wilto-the-wisp
sheet which kept German officials in a
constant state Of irritation during Their
occupation OF his country and helped to
keep the spirit Of the Belgian people
steadfast
He died a few weeks ago. Just too
soon to see his city Of Brussels liber-
ated
The Patriot was suppressed by Ger
man order at the outset Of the war. A
few weeks later copies OF a new paper
began to fan into the hands OF the
German officials and army officers. 10
did not prove popular with the latter
General Won Bissing. military governor
offered 25O00 francs reward for the
name Of any Belgian found reading H.
There were arrests in great number OF
persons suspected OF the edltorshlp but
no convictions. 10 seemed that almost
everybody who could possibly have
been guilty was arrested at one time
or anOther-eyerybody except Jourdain
One man was held by the Germans %
have been proved sufficiently guilty to
warrant a One-year sentence, but Bel
gians in the secret say he was inno-
cent.
The baffled German police were kent
busy running down false clues. Given
the tip that the printing plant would
be found at such and such street they
would rush thither, only TO find a va
cant lot or an empty house. Told that
q man Of a certain name was the act
ual editor they would comb Brussels
for him. learning eventually he was not
in the city and never had been.
While the police hunted. Victor jour
dsin prepared copy. lie pointed out
Intentional errors in the German offl-
cial communlque. ne gave the Belgian
people the latest news Of the Belgian
army and the Allied armies, ne ridi-
culed and lampooned the German ofl-
clols and generally kept alive the peo-
pies faith in a better day to come.
A few times obscure printing shops
In this city set up and printed the lit
tie i-page paper For the most part
however. Jourdain would appear by
night at the home Of some small town
or city printer. always selecting one
for the moment free Of German troops.
Next morning he would depart In his
automobile with the entire issue con-
cealed In The car Distribution would
begin as FAR as possible from the place
where the printing was done
In spite Of the difficulties OF publica-
tion La Libre Belgique nearly always
was neat and attractive typographically
Sometimes, when the services Of com
plete printing plant We're 0btainable.
the FIRST page would be bordered in the
national colors. red. yellow and black.
: Editions. OF course. were not regular
"regularly irregular" was the paner's
own statement OF its publication dates.
but Jourdain managed usually 30 issue
one each month.
Part compensation for his troubles
was found by the editor in such an
nomcements as these:
mot submitted 20 any censor"
Telegraph address, Commandatur,
Brussels"
"Onlces: Not being able TO establish
these in a fixed place. they are installed
in an automobile cellar"
advertisements: Business being nil
under The German domination. we have
suppressed the page OF advertising and
advise our readers TO keep their money
for brighter days"
Price per copy: Elastic. from zero
to the infinite. Please do not exceed
ihis limit.
A typical article from La Libre Bel