The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-03-04
STORY OF La LIBRE BELCIQUE PROVIDES
JOURNALIST THRILLS OF RECENT WAR

carried packages of them to the Jesu-
its, the Dominicans, the Redemptor-
lists, and to numerous friendly houses.
AS NJ. Van Doren was constantly ex-
posed to danger, he judged it prudent
to take certain precautions. He bought
cane. the end of which he followed
out carefully. 1t was into this hiding
place that he put the copies made by
the press on silk paper. All the manu-
scripts, in fact, were recOpied by him
on the press, then destroyed.
After the third number, Immediate
ly following visit Of the police to the
home of Madame Massardo, wife of
a bookseller of the Galleries Saint HUI
bert, who served as the intermediary
for the copy, the printer refused his
help. Further, the copy for this num-
Der had to be thrown into the fire.
The Able Dermeer, to whom M. Van
Doren intrusted the secret, obtained
the consent of another printer, NJ. AL
laer, on the condition that when the
printing was done, the isues of Free
Belgium be delivered to M. Van Doren
in public street. All went well this
way. Friends and collaborators in
creased and the paper produced at
each issue, new sensation, and re-
doubled the searches of the German
police.
Minute Precautions.
1t was urgent, however, to take new
precautions M. Van Doren, anxious
about the life of his printer, decided
to compose the paper at his own
house. In consequence, he bought the
necessary material, in order to pre-
vent the spies from following the
trail by the easy identifcations of
characters. And he installed the plant
on the Avenue Verte, at Woluwe, in
an abandoned house, where he could
work in all security, with the aid of
two professional printers, the Allaer
brothers. Again, Free Belgium ap-
peared without interruption.
AS it's success became greater and
greater. it was necessary to insure de-
livery of the paper to the houses of
the subscribers. The cooperation OF
an ardent patriot was secured. HIS
was PHILIPPE Baucq, whom the Ger
mans shot at the same time as Miss
Cavell The work was divided up
thus: M Van Doren kept for himself
PHILIPPE Baucq effected the distribu-
tion of single papers.
The devotion of this man was so
splendid that he alone distributed
1000 or 5000 copies He made trips
at night on bicycle. Later, when the
bicycling was forbidden, he went on
foot. At one time he walked for two
days without rest
Each new day made necessary the
most minute precautions. NJ. Van
I1I - vi, IDo1r
which, until then, was only set up in
his shop at Woluwe. M. Victor Jour
dian furnished the necessary funds to
buy foot-power press, which was in
stalled at Molenbeeck. a suburb of
Brussels. in an outbuilding of fac
tory belonging to M. VanDoren. From
then on, the paper was set up at Wo
luwe and printed at Molenbeeck.
Aided by German Soldiers.
But the transportation of material
was not always an easy matter. NJ.
VanDoren had to make two little
cases, which, when filled, weighed
about twenty kilos. Also, when he got
aboard a trolley car with packages so
small. yet SO heavy, he was always an
object of curiosity to passengers.
In the midst of these inconveni-
ences there arose at times amusing
incidents. One day, especially, while
NJ. Louis Allaer was carrying 1000
copies of Free Belgium he was oblig-
ingly aided by some German soldiers,
who lifted the box to his shoulder!
The success of Free Belgium prog
ressed with such rapidity to the con-
growing anger of the governor
general, whose spies came back empty
handed, day after day, that the print
ing shop had to be enlarged A new
machine was bought and carried piece
by piece to the shop at Molenbeeck.
There Nj. VanDoren was surrounded
by Germans; it was necessary to pre-
vent the noise of the motor from CIV
ing them the alarm. Remember