BOGUS MAJOR.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 156, 3 July 1937, Page 7

BOGUS MAJOR.

LONG MASQUERADE. ENGAGED TO PRINCESS. ABSCONDING HUSBAND. (From Our Own Correspondent-! PARIS. .Tune 6. A week before he was to marrr Princess Kngah t-chev. "Major Broqnet dp Mattel, chemist controller of armaments at tile Mi nil-Try of War." was arrei-ted. Detective- became interested in the "major"—-becau-e lie didn't -ecin at ease witli his monocle. That was the little detail which unmasked the four year.-' ma-.juerade of Felix Broquet. ex-waiter. confidence trickster. ab-conding hu-hand. and fa'.her of four children. Distinguished-looking. well dressed, and a brilliant con ver-at ionalir-t. Broquet had during those four years made many wealthy friend? in French soociety. £40,000 Plot. And it turn- out that as the climax to long and careful planning he had hoped t<- defraud three l'ari- business men of i'-JtUHKJ. then leave France on a world crui-e with the prince— a- hi- liride. "lie was extremely gallant. and occa--ional tla-he- of nuicni-s- 1 noticed I put down to hi- being a military man." IVince>- Kngalv t-chev. widow of the Cz.ari-t-Ku—ian ( 011-ul in Chicago. said. "lie propo-vd to me in a letter written oil notepapcr from the (. ercle Militaire. It is «-ertain I should have lufimie his wife. l>ccau-e I had not the remotest -uspicion that he was anything hut what he said he was. He u-cd To tell me Inhad -utTcl e<l a l«'t in life. We were \ cry much in lint' and alway- together except when he was conducting his business hlhiui pa- mask-."" Betrayed By Monocle. A high police official -aid: "The way lie wore hi- monocle wa - the thing that made us -uspiciou- about him. He wag -ecu calling at the princess" hotel by a detective who happened t<i lw passing. Hi- behaviour with the monocle sug-ge-ted an effort at di-guise. "We found that the "major" Uad served various term- of impri-onmcnt for wearing decoration- to which he was not entitled. He also carried 011 suspicious I political activities, which have yet to be investigated. For nearly a year he had I l>ecn planning to defraud a J'ari* doctor ! who holds a patent design for gas masks. i It i- certain he would have gone off with I ti;e monev."