WAR IMPOSTER UNMASKED

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 March 1933, Page 3

WAR IMPOSTER UNMASKED

CRUEL FRAUD ON PARENTS. BERLIN. January 12. For over five months Karl Hummel has successfully impersonated Oscar Daubmann, a German soldier killed in the war, and has been living with the latter’s parents as their son during this period. He was sentenced ar Freiburg-in-Baden to-night, to two years and six months’ imprisonment and the loss of civic rights for five years. Hummel's story was that he was tak< n piisoner by the French in 1916. ami while trying to escape, he killed a s<’mlrv. For this ho wa.; sentenced |>v the French Io twenty years’ penal 1 servitude ami Wtis sent to Devil's

Island. He escaped from there, so he said, in December, 1931. On the strength of this story Hummel obtained a passport in the name of Daubmann from the German Consul in Naples, and returned to Freiburg at the expense of the German State. Wherever he went lie was feted, and he was generally hailed as a hero.

Ho derived a considerable income from lectures etc, and it was not until his stories became thoroughly incredible that, the police began to entertain suspicions.

After inquiries they succeeded in unmasking Hummel. They discovered that he had deserted his wife and family, and bad actually left Germany in the beginning of 1931,

After wandering about Italy for >■.011)0 time his funds became exhausted, and be then hit upon Ills plan for indulging in the easy life.