BELGIUM'S SECRET PAPER

Taihape Daily Times, 17 January 1919, Page 6

BELGIUM'S SECRET PAPER

INGENIOUS JOURNALISTS. ..:: Th Financial Times, in an issue to ( hand by the last mail, states: One of J the mysteries that will be cleared up" ! with the advenT of peace is that sur rounding the continued appearance of the seditious (from a German point j of view) little sheet, published -in; Brussels, La Libre Belgique, . £Fr'e.<| Belgium), which, notwithstanding ~thc rewards offered for the "discovery ! .of its editor, staff, and printers has continued to appear and to enjoy a large though clandestine, circulation. On its fourth anniversary the Libre Belgique appeared with ifi photograph of General von Falkenhausen, the German Governor, with underneath the words, J "Our best compliments but be kind to animals." (signed von Falkenhausen.) In some unexplained way the General received a copy of the paper by post, and on putting on his overcoat ,he found a receipt for his "annual subscription." "with many many thanks." Shortly afterwards an. apparently autograph letter was pub- j lished as from the General saying lie was so pleacd with the publication j that he wished to become a shareholder to the extent of 500 C marks. This so enraged Falkenbauson that he wired to Berlin for 40 detectives and when they arrived he ordered them to find the prnler at any cost. After a search of several weeks the i defectives the printnrg shop of F"-e I'elginm. The whs irnMorS and sentenced to 12 years' y-i >. tiM'tude. The '►es cclobruKsd their sucess by a years' penal servitude. The detectives celebrated their success by a I'r.'-e Belgian; appeared with a fp'l-p-:ge ph-.'c-graph of the German Jeteetivps 4-t table, after the' banquet, accompanied by saicastie and briig j comments. .