It became one of the major organs of Patriot propaganda in this way. Both as journalist and political activist 't Hoen became involved in the democratization process of the Utrecht city and provincial government in 1784-1785, which led to the first democratically-elected city government in the Dutch Republic in August 1786. The adherents of the stadtholder, the Orangists formed a rival States of Utrecht in December 1785 that moved to Amersfoort under the protection of a garrison of Dutch States Army troops that repeatedly threatened Utrecht. On 9 May 1787 't Hoen, with his company of "schutters" took part in the Battle of Jutphaas to repel one of those threatening moves. This success was, however, soon followed by the Prussian invasion of Holland, during which Utrecht was given up to the Prussians without a fight. 't Hoen followed the Patriot troops in their retreat to Amsterdam in September 1787. After the fall of Amsterdam on 10 October, 't Hoen fled like many other Patriots to first Brussels, and later northern France with his family. In 1789 he was sentenced "in absentia" to 25 years banishment. In France he received a pension of 2,400 livres from the French government in recognition of his work as a journalist, who had often been supportive of French policies. He lived for short periods of time in Saint-Omer, Gravelines, Dunkirk, and eventually Watten near St. Omer, where he joined a "commune" of other Dutch Patriots, like his colleagues Wybo Fijnje and Gerrit Paape. In this period he remained active as a journalist. He started a new publication, entitled "Gedenkschriften van Martinus Scriblerus den Jongen" (Memoirs of Martinus Scriblerus the Younger) that had an anti-clerical character. He also cooperated with the journalist Joost Vrijdag in editing the periodical "Duinkerksche historische courant" (Dunkirk historical journal), but this went bankrupt, according to Vrijdag because of 't Hoen's financial incompetence. When the new French government ended his pension in 1793 't Hoen started a tobacco factory, and sold his real estate in Utrecht. He was sufficiently successful as a writer that he could live from his writings. In 1793 he published "Kort historisch verhaal en onzydige aanmerkingen over de gesteltenis van Braband" (Short historical narrative and neutral remarks about the situation of Braband) by Jan Frans Vonck.