An Editor Produces His Last Secret News Sheet

Northern Advocate, 2 October 1943, Page 6

An Editor Produces His Last Secret News Sheet

Speaking on "Fighting Editors” (in the 8.8. C. overseas series “Inside Nazi Europe”) a Pole described the daring and resolution behind the secret Press of the occupied countries and told the story of a man—a friend of his—who gave his life in defence of his paper. This editor’s paper was published in the afternoon. At 3 p.m. several thousand copies were sent out and circulated by devious channels, so that by 4 p.m. the eight-page small-size newspaper was in the readers’ hands. Each passed it on to another till, by evening, the news had percolated through to all Poles throughout the city. The editor had little time for sleep. His night was spent at his wireless set. gathering the news from the free world. Several journalists worked with him. The small press, next to the editorial office—in a little house in a suburban side street —was a thing of unbelievable contrivance. The utmost precaution was needed to guard against discovery. But at all costs the paper must keep faith with its “public.” Punctual delivery was a symbol of confidence in the future. How One Editor Died

One" day in March last year they saw from an upper window two heavily-armed German policemen approaching. After a loud knock, the editor opened the door, keeping it still on the safety chain. “We must search . . ~” the Nazis began. A moment’s quick decision and the door was slammed; through the letter-box slot one of the journalists shot the two Germans. The editor gave the five men and one woman a questioning glance. All nodded approval. Three men took up stations with their weapons—revolvers and sawnoff shot-guns—the others went back to the job. Some German reinforcements arrived. For an hour, only a few shots were fired, while the Nazis tried to induce the journalists to surrender, promising them immunity. The editor wrote his leader—his last: “Tomorrow you may no longer be able to read us . . . but others will replace us . . so he began. It ran to but five lines. At 2.30 the paper was ready. One volunteered to be the carrier. He had to take a big parcel of papers through the cellar and then through, back gardens, at great risk. No one knew whether the paper would reach the readers. Only a quarter of an hour later, 20 policemen and S.S. Storm Troopers arrived on motor cycles. They made a last formal appeal for capitulation before opening up with machine-guns. Hand grenades forced them to retreat. They came back with flame-throwers and machine-guns. The editor was the last to die. His face and hands were badly burnt, but he was still alive when they broke inside the house. The Germans trampled him to death. The broadcaster concluded his talk by saying: “I received the news about my friend’s death together with some old copies of the paper he edited. He was not a man of exceptional valour ... an ordinary person with all the usual middleclass habits and a kind of softness usual in big city dwellers. But he edited a secret newspaper for 14 months, and he died defending it.”