The Washington herald., 1919-05-22
HolD Belgium Defed Huns
With Secret Newspaper
Secret Revealed of Mystery That Continued
Issuing Despite Activity of German
Spies to Suppress It.

had annoyed them intensely. whose ar
ticles appeared over the signature Of
'Ffdelis."
With the real ''FIdeiis' in Jail. some
of his friends successfully initiated
his style. and when the Germans read
the articles written in the same vein
over the signature that continued TO
appear they thought they had the
wrong man and let their prisoner go.
One of the editors Of "Free Belgium"
thus described some OF the adventures
and perils involved in publication OF
the newspaper that defed the Huns:
subterfuge Used.
THE most picturesoSIe of the print
ing houses used was a cardboard-b box
factory which lies between the Care
du Nord and Laeken. Behind the wall
In a corner of these works was con-
structed. with great secrecy, a space
twelve feet by six feet, without door
or windows. and only a trap in the
ceiling by which the printer was let
down with his materials to the ma
chine installed.
The walls were covered with thick
draperies which prevented the sound
Of the machine from being heard with
out. 1t took month to establish this
printing place and carry in the press
bit by bit
THE departure from the printing
house with the edition was always
the most dangerous moment, and one
for which many disguises were neces-
sary. Sometimes 1t would be a butch
er's tricycle. bringing the ordered
joint which would conceal the packet
of papers; sometimes a roll. osten-
sibly OF linoleum.
Those who took the responsibility
OF the printing. alike with the compost
tors and editors, were strictly forbid
den to occupy themselves with the dis
trfbution, which was confided to
others: their part was finished when
the paper reached the hands of three
or four chief distributors. who also
knew nothing of the printing, COM
position. editing. etc.
THE distribution was organized
with the greatest prudence SO that II
one person was arrested ii would not
lead to wholesale arrests which would
endanger the work: for that consid-
GRAFTON. not personal danger. was the
! incenti'o to prudence.
"One example may be given Of those
who paid for their devotion with their
lives. Philippe Baucq. shot with Miss
Cavell. received generally 1000 copies,
which he distributed to certain asso-
ciates. who in Their turn divided them
among several others, giving twenty,
forty. or fifty copies to each.
Had Distributors.
with every issue he spent two
nights going around the city, on bicy-
Gle or on foot placing packets in places
agreed on in advance. where the dis
tributors sought them next morning.
These passed them on to smaller dis
tributors. who were unknown to Baucq
and to whom he was unknown.
Sometimes the packets were left in
church. or in the lifts Of the great
Offices. In the latter case the person
coming for a supply would enter the
san n,e lift as the distributor, who would
get out at the second floor. leaving his
parcel.
THE former would steal the par
, Gel, get out at the third floor, and the
two leave by different entrances.
Numerous women and young girls
regularly received ten or fifteen num-
bers to take to different addresses.
Note that this journal remained. by
the force of circumstances, under con-
ditions absolutely opposed to those of
all other journalistic enterprises
"No sumptuous Offices. but a head
, quarters hidden from the world: hor-
ror of all advertisement: a paper
which never ceased to say do not
mention u.s.
mo Office list of subscriptions. no
advertising department; an occasional
stan on which there was hardly one
professional Journalist: a rudimentary
press.
And yet, with all this. a reputation
and a circulation perhaps without
parallel in the annals of Journalism.
Without exaggeration we can say
every copy was read by thirty to forty